Not every day does a Ferrari make history at auction, but this one did. A 1964 Ferrari 250 LM just went for over $36 million at RM Sotheby’s Paris sale, landing it among the five most expensive auction cars ever. That’s a big number, even for a car with Le Mans-winning pedigree. It was the final lot of the night, and the crowd was waiting for it. Other headline cars, like the Bugatti Centodieci, didn’t quite spark the same bidding wars. Maybe collectors were saving their firepower for the Scaglietti-built race car, which doesn’t come up for sale often. Mercedes-Benz still holds the record for the two priciest auction sales, but Ferrari isn't losing its grip on the collector scene. Read More Nissan to Walk Away from Honda Merger Talks: Report Ferrari’s Le Mans Champion Finds a New Home For more than five decades, this 1964 Ferrari 250 LM was locked away at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, untouched by collectors, unseen on the open market. That changed this week when the Le Mans-winning race car hit the auction stage for the first time—and sold for €34,880,000 ($36,344,960) at RM Sotheby’s Retromobile sale in Paris. This 250 LM, chassis number 6, is the only privateer-entered Prancing Horse to win Le Mans, taking overall victory in 1965 with Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt. It’s also the only Ferrari from the Enzo Ferrari era to compete in six 24-hour endurance races, with three starts at Le Mans and three more at Daytona. The car was part of a three-part auction of cars from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which also saw a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen change hands for $53 million. It still carries its matching-numbers Testa Rossa-spec 3.0-liter V-12 engine and gearbox, wrapped in Scaglietti-designed coachwork that remains remarkably intact. Museum life preserved it well. Now, it's heading into private hands. The Market Is Back—And Bigger Sales May Be Coming Last year, it looked like the collector car market had finally hit the brakes. For the first time in years, no car crossed the $20 million mark at auction. That pause didn’t last long. With the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum auctions, high-stakes bidding is back in full swing. Read More Jay Leno Drives the Very Last Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing A 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Streamliner went for $53 million, while a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM pulled in $36.3 million. Both are now among the most expensive cars ever auctioned. The final sale in Miami later this month has another heavyweight on deck: a 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II. This is the kind of machine that makes collectors reach deep into their pockets. Given the way things are going, another record-breaking sale wouldn’t be surprising. Source: RM Sotheby's
