This 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Could Fetch $38 Million At Auction

An astonishingly rare Ferrari race car is coming up for auction in February and carries a guide price of $34 million to $38 million.

The car in question is a 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, and more specifically it’s one of just 19 highly desirable Pontoon Fendered variants bodied by Sergio Scaglietti. Even more enticingly, the car is one of very few Testa Rossas to retain its original “matching numbers” engine and gearbox, as confirmed by its so-called Red Book certification from Ferrari itself.

The certification came in recent years, after the car was treated to a full restoration by Ferrari’s Classiche department.

Carrying chassis number 0738 TR, the car competed in close to 20 races in period and notched up four wins to its name. It is being offered by Sotheby’s Sealed, which will hold a sealed auction in Detroit, Michigan from 21 to 23 February. Although bidding is kept private, the auction house estimates the car to be worth in the region of $34 million to $38 million.

It is described as coming from a prominent American collection, to which it has belonged for over a decade. Ferrari 250 Testa Rossas come up for sale very rarely, and as with most other 250 variants, prices have soared in recent years. A 250 Testa Rossa sold in 2009 for $16.4 million (at the time a world record for a car sold at auction), while a non-Pontoon Fendered model changed hands via a U.K. classic car dealer in 2014 for a reported $40 million.

Although generally not as valuable as the 250 GTO GTO , the 250 Testa Rossa is rarer and one of Ferrari’s most successful race cars, with multiple Le Mans victories under its belt. It is also a car that takes its name from Ferrari’s iconic red engine covers, with Testa Rossa being Italian for “red head.”

Shelby Myers, global head of private sales at RM Sotheby’s said, “When compared to the most revered prancing horse model, the 250 GTO, the TR far outpaces the GTO's competition record. It revolutionized the World Sportscar Championship and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans an unprecedented four times; it is also much rarer in terms of the total number of cars produced. Its rarity, open-top experience, and iconic 'pontoon fender' design, present in only 19 cars, elevate it to the level of Michelangelo and Bernini's art.”

Myers added, “No world-class collection is complete without the masterpiece that is the Ferrari 250 TR, the epitome of rolling art. These opportunities rarely come up, and it is fittingly offered through Sotheby's Sealed, our most exclusive acquisition method.”