If you're a car enthusiast, you've definitely heard of the Ferrari 250 GTO, a classic sports car produced by Ferrari between 1962 and 1964 and considered the most expensive vintage car in the world. Only 39 units were produced, each of which is a one-of-a-kind work of art with unrivalled beauty and performance. On August 26, 2018, a Ferrari 250 GTO sold for $48,405,000** at Sotheby's, equivalent to about 3100 million. This is currently the world's most expensive new or used car transaction record, and it is also a legend in the history of automobiles. So, what is the charm of this car that can make countless people crazy and even willing to pay a sky-high price? This article will demystify the Ferrari 250 GTO and give you an insight into the car's history, design, performance, value and story.
The birth of the Ferrari 250 gto
The Ferrari 250 GTO was designed by legendary Ferrari designers Giotto Bizzarrini and Sergio Scaglietti for the FIA GT Championship from 1962 to 1964. In the name of the car, the 250 stands for the displacement of each cylinder (250 cubic centimeters) and the GTO stands for "Gran Turismo Omologato", which means "certified grand station wagon". The car is based on the Ferrari 250 GT SWB, but has been significantly improved in terms of appearance, structure, weight, power, suspension, etc., giving the car more speed and handling.
The design of the Ferrari 250 gto
The exterior of the Ferrari 250 GTO is a quintessentially Italian style, combining elegance and sportiness. The car has sleek lines, a low nose and an upturned tail, large air intakes on both sides, a small shark fin on the roof, rounded openings in the doors, an aluminium hub on the wheels, and a double exhaust pipe at the rear, and the body colour is predominantly Ferrari's signature red, but there are also a few blues, yellows, greens, and silvers. The body material of this car is aluminum alloy, and the weight of the body is only 880 kg, which is much lighter than cars in the same class. The body dimensions of this car are: length 44 meters, width 17 meters, 12 meters, wheelbase 24 meters.
The performance of the Ferrari 250 gto
The power of the Ferrari 250 GTO is a 30-liter V12 engine with a maximum power of 300 hp and a maximum torque of 335 kg meters with a six-speed manual gearbox. The car has a top speed of 280 km/h and an acceleration time of 6 from 0 to 100 km1 second, acceleration time from 0 to 160 km is 127 seconds, acceleration time from 0 to 200 km is 194 seconds. The suspension of this car is an independent double wishbone type, with disc brakes at the front and rear, the wheel size is 15 inches, and the tire size is 215 70 VR 15. The car's performance was outstanding for its time, rivaling or even surpassing any sports car.
The value of the Ferrari 250 gto
The value of the Ferrari 250 GTO lies not only in its design and performance, but also in its history and story. Ferrari's flagship car in the 1960s, it competed in three FIA GT Championships, winning championships in 1962, 1963 and 1964. The car was also a favourite of legendary Ferrari driver Enzo Ferrari, who once said: "This is my favourite Ferrari because it is my most successful Ferrari." The car is also the collection of many celebrities and wealthy people, such as Hollywood star Steve McQueen, Roger Waters, the lead singer of the rock band Pink Floyd, and American businessman David Macneil. The number of these cars is very rare, and each one has its own number and story, so each one is priceless, and every auction makes a splash and every transaction breaks records.
The story of the Ferrari 250 gto
Each Ferrari 250 GTO has its own story to tell, the most famous of which is the number 3851GT, which was given to Italian racer Giorgio Rossi in 1962 by Ferrari**, who drove it to several races with great success. In 1964, he sold the car to French racing driver Henri Oreiller, who also drove the car to several races, but in a race that same year, he lost control of his speed, causing the car to crash into a tree on the side of the road, causing serious damage to the vehicle and killing him. The car was returned to the Ferrari factory, where it was restored and remodeled and put back on the road. In 1965, the car was sold to Italian racing driver Paolo Colombo, who also drove the car to several races with great results. In 1966, the car was sold to Italian racing driver Antonio Barba, who also drove the car to several races with great results. In 1967, the car was sold to the Italian racing man Fabrizio Violati, who was the last owner of the car.
Fabrizio Violati was a wealthy brewer with a keen interest in motorsports and had driven a wide range of Ferrari models, but his favourite was the 250 gto. He once said, "This car is my life and I will never sell it." He considers this car his treasure and often drives it to various races and events, and often shows it to other fans and **. He also built a special museum for the car, which houses various materials and memorabilia from it. He owned the car until 2014, when he died of cancer at the age of 77. His will stated that the car had to be sold to pay his debts and taxes. The auction of the car attracted global attention and was finally auctioned by an anonymous buyer for $38.5 million**, which is equivalent to about 2 yuan500 million.
Who the buyer of this car is has always been a mystery. Some speculate that it is a wealthy man from Asia, some speculate that it is a collector from the United States, and some speculate that it is an aristocrat from Europe. However, no one has been able to confirm these speculations, and the whereabouts of the car have always been a secret. It wasn't until 2018 that the car reappeared in the public eye, and this time, its owner finally unveiled, he was Chen Fuhai, a wealthy man from Taiwan. Chen Fuhai, a Taiwanese real estate tycoon and one of the country's largest car dealers, has a deep love for cars, with hundreds of cars of all makes and models in his private garage, including this Ferrari 250 GTO. He said he bought the car because of its history and beauty, and he considered it a work of art as well as a legend. He said he wouldn't hide the car, but would share it with other fans so they could enjoy the car.
The Ferrari 250 GTO is an irreproducible masterpiece, a marvel in the history of the automobile, the most expensive car in the world, and the most beautiful car in the world. Each of its cars has its own story, its own owner, and its own legend. It's a car that people go crazy for, fall for it, pay sky-high prices for, it's a car that people can't forget, can't resist, can't replace. It's the story of the Ferrari 250 gto, which is the most expensive car in the world.