Late Saturday “Shark Nose” Bertone Ferrari 250 SWB Hammered For $16.5-M
1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta “Shark Nose” Speciale with coachwork by Bertone crossed the block at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2015 auction for the amazing sum of $16.5-M + the fees.
Gooding & Company said the 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Speciale is “quite possibly the most important 250 GT SWB ever to be presented at public auction.” Chassis 3269 GT was built for and personally owned by Nuccio Bertone to showcase his company at the Geneva and Torin Auto Shows in Y 1962.
The Shark Nose pre-auction estimate was $14,000,000 – 16,000,000.
This Bertone Ferrari was one of the 1st cars penned by Giorgetto Giugiaro, while working for Nuccio Bertone.
They worked together to create a design inspired by the world championship-winning Grand Prix car, the Ferrari 156 F1. Mr. Giugiaro’s exterior design paid homage to the 156 F1 with the distinct “Shark Nose” front-end treatment. The interior is in burgundy hides with a dashboard matching the exterior color, Blu Notte Metallizzato.
Nuccio Bertone had 1 regret, as he did not get to work more with Ferrari.
“They have always been with Pininfarina,” Mr. Bertone was quoted as saying toward the end of his career. “I would have liked to have done more for Ferrari.”
This car was designed and crafted by Bertone for Bertone.
Mr. Bertone kept the car, which was displayed at auto shows as a concept, as his personal run-around before selling it on a year later. And while it has changed hands several times since, it has never before come up for auction. In 1968 it was offered to me for the equivalent of US$900.00.
I thought at the time and still see it is a very unattractive car.
What made the auctioneers believe that this car could fetch $16-M, and therefore becoming one of the 10 most expensive cars ever sold at auction, is the Giugiaro factor.
This was only the 3rd car Giugiaro had ever had a hand in styling, but he went on to build up one of the most impressive portfolios of anyone in the automotive design world, full of everything from Alfas and Lamborghinis to the Lotus Esprit and the Volkswagen Golf, but just 1 Ferrari, the Bertone Shark Nose 250 SWB Berlinetta
As for Bertone, when the company finally got the chance to design for Ferrari, the Dino 208 GT4 was so poorly received upon its debut in Y 1973 and Ferrari returned to Pininfarina for its replacement.
This Shark Nose SWB was offered for the 1st time at public auction, having been in the Lorenzo Zambrano collection for over 30 years.
Gooding & Company, is the official auction house of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance (http://www.goodingco.com)
Have a terrific day today.
Paul Ebeling
HeffX-LTN
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