An exceptionally rare 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport Scaglietti managed to sell for $3,7 million over the weekend, a record for the model and arguably, the highest price ever paid for a car at auction.
Technically, the most expensive car sold at auction was a Ferrari 250 GTO which shifted hands for $38.1 million in 2014. At the time, it translated to 28.5 million euros, but due to fluctuating exchange rates, the $35.7 million recorded by the 335 Sport Scaglietti converts to 32.1 million euros in 2016. No matter what the records book say, this is at very least the most expensive car sold at an auction in Europe.
The 335 S in question is chassis type 520/B and originally left the factory as a 315 S where it competed in the Sebring 12 Hours with a 3.8-liter V12 engine. Soon after however, it was outfitted with a 400 hp, 4.1-liter V12 and went on to race at the Le Mans 24 Hours where it became the first car to lap the circuit at an average speed of over 200 km/h. Unfortunately it failed to finish after suffering an engine issue but did compete in other races like the Cuban Grand Prix, Road America 500, Venezuelan Grand Prix and Kristianstad 6 Hours.
The identity of the buyer remains unknown with the Artcurial auction house claiming it was simply purchased by an international collector.