Ferrari 410 Sport rarity could fetch up to R275m at US auction

RM Sotheby’s is auctioning a rare Ferrari expected to fetch more than $15m (R275m) at next month’s Monterey Car Week in the US.

Powered by a 5l V12 engine, this 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider by Scaglietti was the prototype for the 410 Sport Scuderia Ferrari Works racing cars, of which only three others were built. The car on auction was driven by the legendary Carroll Shelby to victory at the 1956 Palm Springs Road Races in the golden age of American sports car racing. 

The car is arguably the most original of the four 410 S examples, retaining its original matching numbers engine, and having not been damaged during its short racing career.

The tailor made V12-engined car has one-off coachwork by Sergio Scaglietti. It has had only four owners in the past 53 years and was comprehensively restored in 2014.

The first owner was Tony Parravano, an Italian-born construction tycoon and car collector who had top-tier drivers such as Ken Miles, Phil Hill and Shelby racing for his Scuderia Parravano team.

Facing tax evasion charges, Parravano fled to Mexico in 1957 with some of his extensive car collection including the Ferrari 410. In April 1960 he was scheduled to return to the US for a court appearance but never arrived and was never seen again. His disappearance remains one of racing’s most fascinating mysteries and adds mystique to the auctioned car’s provenance.

The auction takes place from August 15-17 during Monterey Car Week, an annual gathering in California for car-related events, classic car auctions and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The most expensive Ferrari auctioned yet was a 1962 250 GTO that sold for $51.7m (R950m) in November 2023.