Q: What do you get when the world’s most coveted carmaker outfits a ride for the greatest race car driver who ever lived?
A: One helluva Christmas present.
Sotheby’s just announced that five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio’s 1956 Ferrari 290 MM by Scaglietti is going up on the auction block on December 10th. Experts expect it to go for north of $20 million … which would make it the most valuable car ever.
A fitting way to celebrate her 60th birthday.
Equipped with chassis no. 0626, engine no. 7 and gear box no. 10 7 S, this 3.5-liter V12 steel dream on wheels was built for Fangio ahead of the 1,000-mile Milli Miglia in ‘56. It would go on to play steed of choice to a host of racing legends: Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips, Eugenio Castellotti, Luigi Musso, Masten Gregory.
“It’s hard to know where to start when describing just how important this 290 MM is,” says Peter Wallman, Car Specialist at RM Sotheby’s. “Driven by the greatest drivers of the 1950s and built for possibly the greatest driver in history, this is a car with which Enzo Ferrari was personally involved and is a fundamental part of Ferrari folklore … It is one of the most desirable and valuable cars that will ever come to the open market.”
Translation: this is no mere collector’s item. This is a museum-worthy icon of racing history.
Better start digging under the couch cushions.
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