The Prancing Horse that was touted as the “best Ferrari ever built” will be sold under the expert auction house that is RM Sotheby’s in August 2022. We can imagine that the price on display when the hammer drops will be as impressive as the driver list who got behind the wheel of it.
This 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider enjoyed considerable success during what many can agree on the golden age of sports-racing prototypes that were focused on streamlined beauty more than anything else but what is more impressive are the legendary drivers who raced it in-period.
The 0598 CM was the Scuderia Ferrari team car driven by Juan Manuel Fangio at the 1956 1000 KM Buenos Aires and later piloted by Carroll Shelby during his landmark 1956 and 1957 seasons. Additionally, Phil Hill, Eugenio Castellotti, Masten Gregory, Richie Ginther, Joakim Bonnier, Bruce Kessler, Jim Rathmann, and Chuck Daigh were also pilots behind the wheel of the 0598 CM that Carroll Shelby himself stated “It was the best Ferrari I ever drove” after a retrospective interview decades later.
Shelby also added that: “Mr. Ferrari told me that this was the best Ferrari he ever built,” and under the Scaglietti sculpted bonnet of the blood red prancing horse lay a 24-spark plug 4,9-litre V12 which propelled it from victory to victory. The “best Ferrari ever built” entered nearly 40 races in-period with 11 victories and 19 total podium finishes from 1956-1958 – a highly impressive number by today’s standards too.
The highly original example 410 Sport with matching-numbers engine, chassis and body and also fitted with the original fuel tank inscribed with words from Shelby looks meticulously maintained, disallowing almost 70 years of existence to dampen its eternal beauty. Some things do suffer at the sands of time and as such the V12 has undergone a full rebuild by a team of Ferrari experts.
It may not hold a candle to the price of a recently sold Mercedes-Benz SLR which was auctioned for just under $150 million but this topless Ferrari 410 Sport Spider is arguably more beautiful than its German counterpart.
For those interested or with wallets deep enough, “the best Ferrari ever built” will go under the RM Sotheby’s hammer at the Monterey Conference Center between the 18th and 20th of August 2022.
