Going under the gavel at Thursday’s ‘Art of the Automobile’ sale along with numerous other design icons, chassis number 6107 was widely expected to become the most valuable 250 LM ever to be sold at auction. After some agressive bidding, the hammer eventually dropped at $13m (14.3m including buyer’s premium) – a new record, and by some margin, too.
From Mulholland Drive to Daytona
Interestingly, this particular 250 LM was initially delivered as a road car, unlike its 31 competition-ready brethren. Apparently, the first owner would use it around town in California, and occasionally took it along the famous Mulholland Drive. After a few years of relaxed mileage, the rare Ferrari was sold on to an Ecuadorian duo that prepped the car for entry to the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona. Despite its age, the car finished 1st in class and 8th overall, ahead of numerous prototypes and Trans-Am cars.
The Japanese collector who has just sold chassis 6107 bought the car back in 1983 and had kept it in his collection ever since. According to RM, this is one of the few examples largely preserved in its original state, as many were modified as part of their racing endeavours. The telephone bidder clearly took this into account when parting with the record sum for this historic, matching-numbers Ferrari.
Photos: Michael Furman ©2013 Courtesy of RM Auctions
