A stunning Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder was a star attraction in a sale dominated by Ferrari's finest models at the highly-anticipated Pebble Beach auctions this Saturday (August 18).
 Sought-after covered headlights made this 250 GT California Spyder an extremely popular vehicle on the weekend |
The exceedingly rare 1962 model sold towards the high-end of its $7.5m-9m estimate, securing a final realisation of $8.5m from an enthusiastic telephone bidder. The short wheelbase California Spyder is considered one of the most beautiful and desirable Ferraris in existence and the example at auction, chassis 3119 GT, is one of just 37 variants that sport the sought-after covered headlight configuration.
Following this was a 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta "Tour de France", which sold for an impressive $6.7m. One of just nine examples built, the car was featured in the 1968 Hollywood classic The Love Bug, boosting its desirability to the avid racing fans gathered at the auction.
Boasting a complete matching numbers engine and having been extensively documented, the 250 GT provided a superb opportunity to own a pristine example of Ferrari's most revered Berlinetta, one which had never been offered at auction before and had remained with a single owner for the past 14 years.
Further successful Ferrari sales were seen by two 1967 275 GTB/4 models, one of which was a "Competizione Speciale" variant. Both achieved $1.4m. Another 275 GTB also featured, selling for $1.1m. As usual, Ferraris have performed well in 2012, according to the HAGI Classic Car index, which shows a 9.49% gain for the marque in the first six months of the year.
Aston Martin were also well represented, with a DB3S sports racing car commanding the third highest bids in the auction at $3.6m, and a DB4GT that now stands as the most valuable of its kind, after attracting a $2m sale price.
The first day of sales (August 17) from the auction house was highlighted by the sale of a 1968 Ford GT40 Gulf/Mirage racer, which set a new $11m world record for the most valuable US car ever sold at auction.
We are currently offering a brilliant autograph of Formula-One champion Jim Clark, which has been added to a menu from the Scottish Motor Racing Club.
