A highly desirable 1958 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider will be the crown jewel in RM Sotheby’s upcoming Monterey auction next month.
Just the 11th ouy of 50 LWB California Spiders ever built, the car in question is Ferrari Classiche certified and an award winner, having taken home the Emeritus Cup at this year’s Cavallino Classic.
Chassis 1055 GT trundled off the production line in November 1958 and was immediately shipped to New York City. The local Luigi Chinetti Motors then trucked it over to Fawcett Motors in Texas where it was purchased by its first owner. Two years later it was sold to another Texan and on January 7 1962, competed in the Osceloa Grand Prix in Geneva, Florida.
In the coming years, it passed through a plethora of owners including the owners of FAF Motorcars who restored the car and painted it red. It then underwent another, even more comprehensive restoration over 18 months from late 1992 to January 1994. In 1998, its engine was rebuilt and in 2014, the current owner from California took possession of it and had it resprayed in a period-correct shade of dark blue. The interior was also reappointed in light blue leather.
No pre-auction estimate has been announced but recently, a 1959 example was sold by Gooding & Company for $7.7 million while a slighter rare SWB model sold for over $17 million.
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