Rare 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO listed for sale online

A rare 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO with a rich motorsport history has been listed for sale online, tipped to sell for an eight-figure sum. 

The 250 GTO was once the world's most expensive car, with an example sold in November 2023 breaking a Ferrari auction record when the hammer fell with a top bid of $US51.7 million ($AU81.1 million) in New York. 

Listed for a private sale through Tom Hartley Jnr, chassis number 3527 GT is one of 21 'Series 1' left-hand-drive coupe examples produced by Ferrari.

It is powered by a 3.0-litre petrol V12 engine, producing a claimed 221kW/294Nm, combined with a five-speed manual transmission. 

The 250 GTO has had a storied motorsport career, starting life as a race car which competed in various events across Europe including the Tour de France, where it finished seventh after colliding with a truck whilst in the lead, according to third-party reports of the car's history.

Following this, it is said to have continued to compete in motorsport events under Ferrari’s Scuderia Filipinetti team ownership until 1965, when it was reportedly modified for regular road use with a leather interior and glass windows. 

In the six decades that followed, the 250 GTO enjoyed a more sedate road-going life but still was used in heritage races such as the Goodwood revival, reports claim.

More recently, chassis number 3527 GT reportedly underwent a restoration, retaining its original body, engine, transmission, and rear axle. 

The 250 GTO was shown at the Moda Miami event in Florida in recent days, alongside other high-end vehicles such as a Lamborghini Countach, a Ferrari F40, and a Bugatti Veyron.