The 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti fetched $35.7 million at Artcurial's Retromobile auction in Paris on Friday.
Only four 1957 Ferrari 335S Spider Scaglietti have ever been produced. However, the one sold at the auction has a lot of history attached to it.
The car left Ferrari's factory in 1957 and was fitted with a Scaglietti body. At the time, the car included a 3.8-liter V12 Tipo 140 engine (315 S) and generated around 360 horsepower.
In March 1957, the Ferrari was driven by Maurice Trintignant and Peter Collins in the Sebring 12 Hours, where it finished sixth.
The car went to the factory after that race and was then upgraded to 335 S spec, which included a 4.1-liter engine that produced about 400 horsepower.
In mid-1957, Wolfgang von Trips drove the car in the Mille Miglia and finished at second place. 1958 F1 champion Mike Hawthorn also drove the Ferrari in the 24 Heures du Mans. In 1957, the car also appeared in Swedish Grand Prix and Venezuela Grand Prix.
In 1958, the 1957 Ferrari 335S Spider Scaglietti was sold to a New York based Ferrari importer and in 1970 the car was re-sold to French collector Pierre Bardinon. Since then, the car has been sitting in the private collection.
On Feb. 5, Artcurial confirmed that the car was sold at the auction for 32.075 million Euros, or about $35.7 million. The company says that the sale of the 1957 Ferrari 335S Spider Scaglietti has set a world record for a car at an auction; however, when measured in Euros.
Lot 170 1957 #Ferrari 335 S Sport Scaglietti sold 32 075 200 € #LiveAuction @RetromobileFr #ArtcurialMotorcars #WorldRecordForACarAtAuction
— Artcurial (@Artcurial) February 5, 2016
A controversy has arisen to determine if the 1957 Ferrari 335S Spider Scaglietti is in fact the most expensive car sold at an auction. In 2014, Bonham's sold a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta at the Pebble Beach auctions in California for $38.1 million, which included fees. The amount translated to 28.5 million Euros at that time and it was recorded as the most expensive car ever auctioned.
Since 2014, the value of the U.S. dollar has strengthened against the Euro. According to an NBC News report, if the auction value is calculated in Euros, then the Ferrari auctioned at Artcurial becomes the most expensive car sold at an action. However, if the value is measured in dollars, then the Bonham's Ferrari retains the title.
It remains to be seen how the collectible car world resolves the debate triggered by the sale of the 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti.
