A record $48.4 million was paid for the car, which is $10.3 million more than another 250 GTO that went under the hammer in 2014.
The coupe with chassis number “3413” won the Italian GT championship in 1962, and finished first in the Sicilian Targa Florio race in 1963 and 1964. The last owner of the car was computer engineer Greg Whitten, who previously headed the software architecture development department at Microsoft. The new owner of the Ferrari 250 GTO is an American car collector whose name is not disclosed.
The coupe retains the original engine, transmission, and rear axle. The Ferrari 250 GTO is equipped with a three-liter 12-cylinder engine producing 300 horsepower. The engine works in conjunction with a five-speed manual gearbox with a “dog-leg” pattern, where first gear is engaged by moving the lever down — for faster shifting from second to third.
The Ferrari 250 GTO is considered one of the most successful racing cars of the Italian brand. The model, produced from 1962 to 1964, had a total run of only 36 units. The numbers in the sports car's name indicate the volume of each cylinder, and the abbreviation GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologata — “approved for racing.”
