A 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti being auctioned in early February during the Artcurial Motorcars Salon Retromobile sale has the potential to become the most expensive car ever sold at auction.
Pre-auction estimates suggest the classic race car could sell for between €28 million and €32 million ($30-34 million in the States), putting it within reaching distance of the Ferrari 250 GTO which holds the record for the most expensive car sold at auction, at a cool $38 million.
This particular 335 S is chassis type 520/B and was created to dominate the racing arena. It originally started life as a 315 S with a four-cam 3.8-liter V12 engine and competed in the Sebring 12 Hours in that guise. Before long, it was installed with a large 4.1-liter V12 engine with 400 hp on tap and then competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours, driven by Mike Hawthorn and Luigi Musso.
While an engine problem forced the team to retire, this Ferrari 335 S did set a record as becoming the first car to ever lap the Le Mans circuit at an average speed of over 200 km/h. In the following years, it competed in a range of other events including the Kristianstad 6 Hours in Sweden, the Venezuelan Grand Prix, Cuban Grand Prix and Road America 500.
Certainly the most famous driver to ever get behind the wheel of this 335 S is none other than Sir Stirling Moss. While Moss didn’t take a race victory in the car, the fact that he has driven it has inevitably increased its value massively.
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