Ultra-rare Ferrari 410 could hit eight-figure sum
RM Sotheby's
Few competition cars have had the privilage of being driven in anger by a five-time Formula 1 champion, a Le Mans winner, an Indianapolis 500 legend and several other GP victors – but this beautiful Ferrari 410 Sport Spyder is one, and it’s now going up for auction.
The ultra-rare racer – chassis 0598 CM – featuring exquisite bodywork by legendary coachbuilder Scaglietti, was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1956 Buenos Aires 1000km for Scuderia Ferrari.
In that year and season which followed, 1959 Le Mans-winner Carroll Shelby had the most successful period of his driving career. Behind the wheel of the 410 he won eight races and took a ten further podiums, the American later inscribing on the fuel tank: “Mr Ferrari told me that this was the best Ferrari he ever built.”
The car is expected to hit a sizeable eight figure sum in the region of $25,000,000 – to $30,000,000 (£20-£30m) when it goes to auction in August with RM Sotheby’s.
Other drivers to have raced the car in period include ’61 F1 champion Phil Hill, GP winners Richie Ginther and Jo Bonnier, plus 1960 Indy 500 champion Jim Rathmann, Eugenio Castellotti, Masten Gregory and Bruce Kessler.
0598 CM was piloted by Fangio before heading to the US
RM Sotheby’s
The car achieved its legendary status mainly through Shelby’s exploits for team owner John Edgar, a charismatic playboy racer who rubbed shoulders with Ernest Hemingway and switched his attentions from boat racing to cars after a serious sailing accident left him badly injured.
Edgar and other playboys of the days would pit their road racers against one another on US airbases and other such makeshift race tracks in the nascent SCCA sports car championship. He realised his dream of the being a pre-eminent team owner of that era once he joined Shelby and the 410.
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“Nothing can touch this Ferrari if it runs,” Shelby would later say. “It was the best Ferrari I ever drove.”
Almost as special as the 410’s racing pedigree are the meticulous mechanics bonnet. One of the standout ‘big-block’ sports car protoypes of the 1950s, the car was one of two designed to take on the final leg of the World Sports Car championship, the punishing Carrera Panamericana which ran across unforgiving Mexican terrain across five days.
The Ferrari is powered by a 4.9-litre V12, which came from the Superamerica road car produced 400bhp. Featuring a featured Formula 1-style twin-plug ignition for each cylinder and twin-choke Weber 46 DCF carburetors, the resulting power output was unprecedented for a Maranello machine at that time.
The 410 remains in near perfect condition from when it was originally produced, keeping the original chassis, engine and bodywork numbers.
Due to the Carrara Panamericana being cancelled after the 1955 Le Mans disaster, the car was used instead for the 1956 World Sportscar Car championship opening round at Buenos Aires, with Fangio fighting back from an earlier issue to almost hunt down Stirling Moss, before the car failed once more.
The car was subsequently refitted at Modena and then bought by Edgar, who shipped it to the US for his exploits with Shelby, Hill and others.
0598 CM produced unprecedented power for a Ferrari of its era
RM Sotheby’s
Ferrari appeared to take great pride and enjoyment from the car’s second life, and sent telegrams to Edgar confirming as much. These are included in the file which comes from the car.
The car was sold on to Le Mans winner and American Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti, before going through the hands of several collectors.
The Ferrari 410 will got up for auction with RM Sothebys at Monterey, in its August 18–20 event – the lot and others at the auction can be viewed via the link here.
