1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France Berlinetta sells for $3.6 million

1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France Berlinetta

A 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France Berlinetta, the coupe which was restored in 2005 and the Mille Miglia of that year, sold for $3.6 million in a sale of classic autos held by RM Auctions in London on October 26. This Ferrari joins a long list of classic 250s that have sold for seven-figure mark, and is one of just 39 competition Berlinettas produced by the company with all-alloy bodywork.

The 250 GT LWB Berlinetta was purchased by a telephone bidder. Its price including fees was the highest of the evening, amounting to $3.6 million. It was the most highly valued lot, with an expected hammer price of as high as $3.8 million. The Berlinetta lived in the United States for the majority of its years, until a U.K. collector bought it a few years back. It raced in the 2005 Mille Miglia, and the engine was replaced at one point.

1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France Berlinetta interior

But, three of the prominent four lots did not sell at a London auction that includes another Ferrari, an Aston Martin and a Lamborghini. The cars that failed to sell include a 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza Spyder, determined at $2.4 million to $2.9 million, and a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT, one of only 75 built, valued at $1.24 million to $1.4 million. Buyers also passed on a red-and-gold 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV that was extensively restored in Australia in the mid-2000s. Reflecting increasing values for 1970s supercars, this was priced at $1.2 million to $1.4 million.

1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France Berlinetta front view

RM Auctions offered about 100 investment-grade cars in its annual sale at Battersea Park, south London. Including 25 motorcycles, the sale was estimated to raise between $19 million and $23 million. The equivalent event last year, featuring a James Bond Aston Martin DB5 at $4,6 million, made over $30 million with 87 percent of the cars successful. RM’s official selling rate this year, like the total sale figure, was not immediately available and Dave Selby, a senior analyst at the U.K.-based research company Historic Automobile Group International (HAGI), said he estimated it to be about 70 percent.