Thousands of car lovers recently flocked to Monterey, California last week to participate in the city’s famed car week where a slew of vintage and classic cars by the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and Alfa Romeo are on offer to keen buyers. Auction houses RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams, Mecum, Broad Arrow and Gooding & Company presented more than 500 cars for the event, which was on view from August 9 — August 18.
The top lot of the week was the very first Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider by Scaglietti, which sold for a staggering $17.055 million. Out of the hundreds of impressive vehicles on offer, exactly is it that makes this car so rare and sought after?
Firstly, the 250 series is arguably the most iconic and coveted of all Ferraris. The model achieved much success in racing during the 1950s before a California importer proposed creating a race-and-road car; an open-top Ferrari that could be driven to the track, raced in, and then driven home.
Ferrari. Photo: Courtesy of Sotheby's
The official Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti liked the idea, and before long, the California Spider was launched. It featured open coachwork designed and built by the legendary Sergio Scaglietti, the so-called “maestro of aluminum,” responsible for creating some of the most beautiful cars in history.
Only 56 examples of the 250 GT SW California Spider were ever created, and some of its most famous owners include James Coburn, Brigitte Bardot; Johnny Hallyday and the Aga Khan. This model, which was showcased at the Geneva Motor Show in 1960, is finished in the original grey exterior color and was delivered with covered headlights and a removable hardtop. It boasts the original bodywork, engine, gearbox, rear axle and drivetrain. Considered the “highest-performance open car of its era,” according to Sotheby’s,” it was the “best of the best of its time.”
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