1955 Ferrari 750 Monza
Ferraris consistently rank among the
most valuable and sought-after vehicles on the classic car market, regularly
fetching millions or even tens of millions of dollars at auction. Like this 750
Monza from 1955, for example, which is slated to cross the auction block in
Monterey in a few weeks from now.
Chassis number 0510 M is a bit of a
rarity even among 1950s racing Ferraris. Not only did it enjoy a decorated
racing career, but came out the other end unscathed, remaining in the hands of
its last driver for the past 60 years.
The Monza's first race in 1955 was the
12 Hours of Sebring, where it was driven by Phil Hill and Carroll Shelby,
initially winning the race before being stripped of its victory. It went on to
win several others sports-car races across America, though, including the one
at Fort Sumner, New Mexico.
That would be the first win in the long
and distinguished career of Jim Hall, who made it all the way up to Formula One
before making an even bigger impact designing cars for Chaparral. Hall got to
keep the car after it was done racing.
He put it in storage for 40 years before
undertaking a comprehensive restoration, touring prestigious events over the
last 20 years. Now it's going up for auction, with RM Sotheby's expecting it to
sell for between US$ 4 and 5.5 million. It's just one of the many notable vehicles
set to cross the auction block at Pebble Beach this year, and you can check it
out in the images below, captured by Darin Schnabel for RM Sotheby's.
