This Classic Ferrari 250 TdF Could Top $10 Million At Auction

We come across plenty of classic cars valued in the seven-figure range. (That’s millions of dollars.) It’s a far rarer proposition to see one that could crack eight figures (tens of millions). But that’s just what we have here.

Coming up for auction in Monaco in a couple of weeks is a rare Ferrari that could sell for $10 million or more. It’s a 250 GT Competizione Tour de France from 1957. That’s the model that inspired the ultimate version of the modern F12. And it’s one of only 72 made.

The Tour de France took its name from the epic racing marathon that Ferrari won nine times back to back between 1956 and 1964. The car was longer than the short-wheelbase 250 GT that followed, and more sporting than the Lusso.

The 250 TdF packed a 3.0-liter V12, capable of producing 258 horsepower. That might not seem like a lot these days, when you can get a Ford Mustang for $25k with a turbo four kicking out more power than that. But back in the late 1950s, that was a heck of a lot. The Mercedes 300 SL of that era offered just 212 hp. And it would be another couple of decades before Porsche would put out a version of the 911 – the original 930 Turbo – that would be capable of that level of output.

The Most Expensive Car Of 2018?

This example was the 15th of 17 made in the third of four series. That means it has the louvered vents and covered headlights. Having fared no better than a second-place finish at Spa in ’58, it isn’t the most decorated of TdFs. But that won’t stop it from fetching big bucks when it crosses the auction block in Monte Carlo on Saturday, May 12.

RM Sotheby’s estimates it will sell for between €7 and €9 million. That works out to about $8.5-10.9 million. So if it lands somewhere in the upper half of that range, the winning bidder will be looking at an eight-figure bill. That could make it the most expensive car sold at auction this year, following another Ferrari – Battista Pininfarina’s 275 GTB Speciale – which rival auctioneer Gooding & Company sold at Scottsdale in January for just over $8 million.