Wallace Wyss is the artist who depicted this car in oil on canvas, inspired by a picure taken by Hughes Vanhoolandt. Information about obtaining a canvas giclee of this painting can be gained by writing Photojournalistpro2@gmail.com
By Wallace Wyss
An Illinois man has just bought what is probably Most Expensive Ferrari Ever. The 53-year old man is the founder of a company making automotive accessories called WeatherTech based in Downers Grove IL, but which has a branch facility in Parma, Italy.
ABOUT THE CAR
Just about anybody who knows Ferraris knows the GTO evolutionary story but I’ll tell it in brief. Enzo Ferrari asked Giotto Bizzarrini to design a faster Ferrari. Fortunately, Bizzarrini had already made the short wheelbase 250GT out of the long wheelbase one but now and he and a small cadre of workers developed a more aerodynamic body, added a rear spoiler and a 5-speed. The car blew away the E-types and was threatened by the Cobra Daytona coupe.
The chassis number of the GTO which just sold is 4153 GT.
The most a GTO had previously sold for, back in 2014, was roughly $38 million, though rumors persist another sold privately for $50 million. The sellers of GTO 4153 GT have been very circumspect about discussing the price paid for this one though several august financial journals headlined the story, quoting the price at $70 million. Even if it was a mere $60 million that would still surpass the rumored $52 million one sold for a few years ago.
The car is silver with French tricolor stripes and you couldn’t buy a car with a better competition history because according to the experts, in 1963 its owner Pierre Dumay, finished second in class and fourth overall at Le Mans. The car’s crowning achievement came in 1964 when it took first in the 10-day long Tour de France co-driven by Lucien Bianchi and Georges Berger.
The car has not been hidden like some barn find. After racing in Europe it went to Africa where it participated in the Angolan Grand Prix in 1964, and was run in many events in 1965 by Belgian team Ecurie Francorchamps. In modern times it was seen at the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed, and you could say each subsequent owner, including those from France, Spain and Germany, added to its luster. The last owner of record was a German named Christian Glaesel.
Rear view of what may be the world’s most expensive car. Wallace Wyss is the artist who depicted this car in oil on canvas, inspired by a picure taken by Hughes Vanhoolandt. Information about obtaining a canvas giclee of this painting can be gained by writing Photojournalistpro2@gmail.com
THE NEW OWNER
The new owner has certainly bought himself into a very exclusive club because there are only 36 of the cars, or 39, if you count three prototypes. Among the other prominent GTO owners are musician Nick Mason and clothier Ralph Lauren. The new owner of this silver bolide has been a lifelong car enthusiast. He made his fortune in car accessories starting with floor mats.
Ironically the idea of making floor mats came to him by accident. According to the newspaper article, he was visiting London, sitting inside a 1988 E-Class Mercedes-Benz, and noticed that the floor mats fit precisely with deep side portions, which to him meant it was a high-quality mat – the kind they didn’t have in America. He went back to the U.S. and began importing them but still wasn’t happy and stared making his own.
He loves those rallies where you wine and dine and see the scenery and, oh, drive fast, like the Mille Miglia, California Mille and the Colorado Grand. His son Cooper joins him in the car activities while another son shares his interest in flying. Plus, he has raced in Grand Am and the 12 hours of Sebring, the latter in an air-cooled Porsche.
Will Ferrari fans see this car at Monterey Car Week? Well, the track’s naming rights were bought by our hero’s company so now Laguna Seca is officially known as WeatherTech Raceway. So I predict this silver car and some of the dozen or so other Ferraris owned by the same man will be up front and visible. There is, in fact, one race already scheduled where 19 GTOs are already entered – which will be probably the richest race per average car value ever run…
Information about obtaining a canvas giclee of this painting can be gained by writing Photojournalistpro2@gmail.com