Ferrari 335 S

1957 Ferrari 335 S by Scaglietti

Offered by Artcurial | Paris, France | February 5, 2016

Photo - Artcurial

Photo – Artcurial

What you’re looking at could be the second-most expensive car ever sold at auction. This rare Ferrari racer is just one of four made and carries a pre-sale estimate between $30,315,000-$34,650,000. That is some serious dough. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves…

The Ferrari 335 Sport was an evolution of the earlier 315 S that was built in 1957. The 1957-1958 335 S was powered by a 4.0-liter V-12 making a handy 390 horsepower. It was a car built to dominate the Mille Miglia – and it ended up ending the race.

This car began life as a 315 S and in that form competed in two races:

  • 1957 12 Hours of Sebring – 6th (with Peter Collins and Maurice Trintignant
  • 1957 Mille Miglia – 2nd (with Wolfgang von Trips)

After the 1957 Mille Miglia (which was marred by the accident of Alfonso de Portago in a different Ferrari 335 S that killed nine people, including de Portago), this car was upgraded to the 4-liter engine it currently has, bringing it to 335 S specification. It’s factory competition history continued:

  • 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans – 44th, DNF (with Mike Hawthorn and Luigi Musso)
  • 1957 6 Hours of Kristianstad (Sweden) – 2nd (with Hawthorn and Musso)

After this, back to the factory it went for damage repair. Slight modifications were made to add a more “pontoon-fendered” look to it (like the 250 Testa Rossa). Then it was back to the circuit:

  • 1957 Venezuelan Grand Prix – 2nd (with Hawthorn and Musso)
  • 1958 Cuban Grand Prix – 1st (with Masten Gregory and Stirling Moss)
  • 1958 Road America 500 – 1st (with Gaston Andrey and Lance Reventlow)

Those last two races were in privateer hands, once the car had been sold by Ferrari to Luigi Chinetti. It was restored in 1981 and the original nose configuration was put back on the car (although the pontoon-nose was kept as well). This car has been with the same owner since 1970 and a 335 S is not a car you will likely see at auction for years to come. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $35,075,200.

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