One of only 12 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Competiziones has seen the top bids in Bonhams' Scottsdale auction, held on January 15 and kicking off a week of major car sales in Arizona.
 One of only 12 built, the Ferrari has one of the most successful racing careers |
The magnificent Ferrari has an outstanding racing pedigree, which contributed to its final price of $9.4m, as some of the top collectors competed to own the heralded model.
It was once part of the Scuderia Filipinetti stable, and went on to win the Le Mans 24 Hours, 1000kms de Spa-Francorchamps and 500kms de Imola, making it one of the most successful and pedigreed of the 12 examples built.
It has since been restored to its 1967 Le Mans class winning livery and is Ferrari Classiche certified. It has also appeared in the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and Cavallino Classic.
Also selling was the much anticipated 1955 Mercedes-Benz 500SL Gullwing Coupe, which was owned from new by Lord O'Neill, former prime minister of Northern Ireland.
Professionally restored, it is one of the finest examples of the 500SL, which has seen growing popularity in recent years and, as Bonhams states, "surely qualifies for anyone's Top 10 list of the greatest automobiles of all time."
The Gullwing sold for $1.3m, and was joined by another matching numbers example from 1958 at $1.2m.
A fantastic 1964 Shelby Cobra came in at $1m, having remained in the same family from new until 2011.
A stunning blue example retaining its original body, chassis and drivetrain, the Cobra is a desirable late production model with the 289 cubic inch unit, and was selected as one of the official Shelby American display cars at the 1965 New York Auto Show.
