A rare 1967 Ferrari Spyder convertible sold in California on Saturday for $27.5 million, the most paid at auction ever for the Italian carmaker and the most for any car bought at a U.S. public sale.
The car, which had been estimated at $14 million to $17 million by RM Auctions, was put up for sale by the family of late North Carolina businessman Eddie Smith Sr., the only person who'd owned it.
The buyer was identified as Canadian fashion entrepreneur Lawrence Stroll.
Only 10 of the NART Spyders were ever built.
The NART Spyder -- named after the North American Racing Team -- was the brainchild of Luigi Chinetti, Ferrari's North American importer. Only 10 were built.
Canadian fashion entrepreneur Lawrence Stroll, a motor racing enthusiast, was bidding in the room via an intermediary on Aug. 17, dealers said, who also identified Stroll as the buyer.
An after-hours call to Stroll's New York office to confirm the purchase was not immediately returned. Stroll built Tommy Hilfiger into a global brand in the 1990s.
Proceeds of the sale of the Ferrari will be donated to charity, RM said.
(via Bloomberg)
Bloomberg also reports that the Ferrari is traditionally a good investment:
Classic Ferrari racers from the 1950s and 1960s are the world's most consistently valuable motor cars, dominating both the auction and private market. Prices for the marque's investment-grade road cars have surged in 2013. The HAGI F index of collectible Ferraris has climbed 34.3 percent this year through July, according to the London-based analyst company, the Historic Automobile Group International.
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