A 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider Driven By Carroll Shelby Is Going Under The Hammer
An iconic 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider driven by legendary drivers Juan Manuel Fangio and Carroll Shelby is headed to auction at RM Sotheby’s. The auction will be held in Monterey, California, the US, from August 18 to 20.
The Ferrari 410 Sport Spider is one of the only two of its kind ever made and bears the original chassis number 0598 CM.
It comes with the original fuel tank too. Referring to Ferrari founder Enzo Ferrari, Carroll Shelby inscribed on it the words, “Mr. Ferrari told me that this was the best Ferrari he ever built.”
As per the auction house the car will be accompanied by the 1956 and the 1958 trophies won by Shelby in the 0598 CM, with the original 1957 Nassau racing license plate. More details about the auction here.
What all to know about the 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport Spider
One of the only two of its specifications
The 0598 CM is fitted with a 24-spark plug 4.9-litre V-12 engine. It was specifically designed to win the five-day Carrera Panamericana rally through Mexico — the final leg of the 1955 FIA World Sportscar Championship. As such, an all-new chassis, the type 519/C, was built for the Ferrari 410 Sport Spider.
Its 4,961 cubic centimetre engine was the largest made by Ferrari at the time. While the engine was built by Aurelio Lampredi, the red coachwork was both designed and built by Sergio Scaglietti.
Where has the car raced?
The Mexico rally was cancelled due to the Le Mans tragedy in which 83 spectators got killed when a racing car jumped off the tracks. The Ferrari 410 Sport Spider subsequently made its debut at the 1000 km of Buenos Aires in 1956, where it was driven by the Formula 1 legend Juan Manuel Fangio.
The car was later bought by Southern California based team principal John Edgar, who inducted the machine into Team Edgar for whom Carroll Shelby raced.
Shelby created history with the 0598 CM by winning the 1956 and 1957 seasons. In fact, the American motorsports icon won more races with the Ferrari 410 Sport Spider than any other in his career, securing eight wins and 10 podium finishes.
Besides Fangio and Shelby, the car was also driven by the likes of Eugenio Castellotti, Phil Hill, Masten Gregory, Richie Ginther, Joakim Bonnier, Bruce Kessler, Jim Rathmann and Chuck Daigh before its eventual retirement in the 1960s.
The 0598 CM is among the most successful of all even-numbered racing Ferraris, winning 11 races and finishing on the podium 19 times of the nearly 40 races it entered from 1956 to 1958.
Post-racing displays
After remaining in a collection for two decades, it was reportedly acquired by Howard Cohen in 1980. It has since then passed through many hands, ending with an unnamed collector in Colorado in 2006.
After that it was displayed at notable events. Ferrari picked it as one of the 60 cars to represent the marquee at the 60th anniversary celebration of Ferrari in North America in 2014.
(Main and Featured image courtesy: RM Sotheby’s)
This story first appeared on PrestigeOnline Malaysia
