The burnt remains of a 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider Series I by Pininfarina that had plenty of enthusiasts talking over the past six weeks has sold for $1.875 million as part of RM Sotheby’s Monterey Car Week auction.
Just 13 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spiders were ever manufactured and this one is chassis number 0406 MD. It was just the second Mondial built and assembled in March 1954 when it was painted in Rosso Corsa, Ferrari’s most famous shade of red. Enzo Ferrari sold it directly to Milan sports car dealer Franco Cornacchia and hit the racetrack with his personal race team, the Scuderia Guastalla.
The listing reveals that the car was driven by Franco Cortese in April 1954 at Coppa della Toscana where it finished 19th overall and 2nd in its class. The 500 Mondial would go on to compete in a series of other events, including the 1954 Mille Miglia before the car was re-bodied by Scaglietti and raced at the Imola Grand Prix that June, finishing in 8th.
The ultra-rare Ferrari passed through the hands of a couple of other owners in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was crashed and suffered fire damage sometime in the mid-1960s. It has been left in this sorry state of disrepair ever since and was sold with the numbers-matching gearbox and 3.0-liter Tipo 119 four-cylinder engine.
Read: This Fire-Damaged 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider Is Probably Worth More Than Your House
It is unclear what the new owner plans to do with the car. It’s entirely possible that they will leave it as is and may display it as a piece of Ferrari racing heritage. On the other hand, it is possible that it could be completely rebuilt and restored in what would no doubt be a long and arduous process likely costing upwards of seven figures.
What would you do if you had just spent $1.875 million on this Ferrari?