As expected, the 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport (chassis number 0598 CM) that ended up at the RM Sotheby’s auction in Monterey, Calif., last weekend sold for an astronomical sum. The figure is still staggering: $22 million US, or the equivalent of $28.6 million Canadian.
It is obviously the most expensive vehicle sold during the 2022 edition of the prestigious summer event.
The 410 Sport in question is the car that propelled Carroll Shelby into the limelight and the most prolific of John Edgar’s famous stable in the 1950s. It was also driven by many of the best racing drivers of the time, including the illustrious Juan Manuel Fangio, but also Phil Hill, Richie Ginther, Masten Gregory, Joakim Bonnier, Bruce Kessler, Jim Rathmann and Chuck Daigh.
Photo: RM Sotheby’s
Shelby has previously told the Los Angeles Times “Nothing can touch this Ferrari if it is roadworthy. A few decades later, he even said it was the best Ferrari he had ever driven. Enzo Ferrari himself would have told him that it was the best car he had made.
You should also know that only one other example came out of the Maranello factory containing the more powerful version with two spark plugs per cylinder of Ferrari’s 4.9-litre V12. Approaching 400 horsepower, the latter generated 40 horsepower more than in the first 410 Sport.
Photo: RM Sotheby’s
From 1956 to 1958, the precious 410 Sport 0598 CM won 11 of the 40 events it contested and took 19 podiums. Subsequently, it changed hands a few times and took part in numerous exhibitions. In 2012, its engine was fully restored by Ferrari experts, a job that was completed almost four years later. The body remains faithful to its original state, work of Sergio Scaglietti, and the gas tank bears the signature of Shelby.
The auction sale also included the first and last trophies won by Shelby driving this car.