Art of Gears
Fansided

Rare Ferrari GTO sells for record $70 million

By Billy Ho

26 Jul 1998: Nicolaus Springer in action in his Ferrari 250 GTO during the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge at the Coys Festival at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, England. Mandatory Credit: Mike Hewitt /Allsport
26 Jul 1998: Nicolaus Springer in action in his Ferrari 250 GTO during the Shell Ferrari Historical Challenge at the Coys Festival at Silverstone in Northamptonshire, England. Mandatory Credit: Mike Hewitt /Allsport /
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How much money would you pay for the car of your dreams? What about a one-of-a-kind beauty that you only see in your dreams? Does that car happen to be the ultra-rare 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO?

If you are Dave MacNeil, the answers are $70 million, $70 million, and yes. MacNeil, (CEO of  WeatherTech), joined the infamous ranks of a prestigious Ferrari owners’ club when he secured his ownership of one of the rarest cars on earth.

It is no ordinary rare Ferrari of, as you could have already assumed by the title. While already limited to only 39 builds, this particular one, chassis number 4153 GT, is exceptionally special. This is the actual car that won the 1964 Tour de France (and also happened to have finished fourth at Le Mans in 1963.)

Records Shattered

The $70 million MacNeil dropped on the record-setter eclipses the previous Ferrari GTO record; In 2013, a GTO was sold for a then-record-setting $53 million. (Sounds like chump change, doesn’t it?)

The Ferrari GTO is powered by a 3.0L V-12 and is one of only 39 built between 1962-1964.

MacNeil joins an exclusive group of GTO owners that include Ralph Lauren and Walmart heir Rob Walton.

How much is too much?

When you are in the same tax bracket as the Ralph Laurens and Walmarts of the world, perhaps there really isn’t a price that is too much for a prized automobile. It is truly rarefied air when the cars in your collection exceed seven digits apiece. For the rest of us, it seems utterly ridiculous of course. Collectors, however, do see the worth of these incredibly rare vehicles.

So, do you fancy yourself a collector, sir? For some of us, it’s just in our blood. We all know that guy  (or happen to be that guy) that can’t keep automotive proclivities out of finances. While some people frugally spend on the transportation segment of their expenditures,  some guys will brave a 47-mile round trip to work every day in a V-8 Nova.

dark. Next. Should we kill the Challenger? Or let it go Hybrid?

For some of us, it’s a lifestyle. But beyond a lifestyle, the simple ability to toss 70 big ones on the table for a slice of priceless Le Mans history supersedes a simple automotive affinity. It surpasses a passion for cars and transcends into the realm of astute responsibility. It becomes their charge to protect and preserve this history, that it may live on, long into a time that no longer facilities its technologies. It is only in this way that we can move forward with the utmost confidence in the future, by having a profound respect for the past.

(Editorial changes made by Nate Piscopo on 2-5-19.)

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