Market Finds: You Should Sell Everything And Buy Fangio’s Ferrari

You Should Sell Everything And Buy Fangio’s Ferrari

By Michael Banovsky
October 19, 2015

Photography by Tim Scott provided by RM Sotheby’s; historic photography copyright Alexis Callier Collection

If this car could talk, it’d fill your evenings with stories on how Juan Manuel Fangio and Phil Hill had different driving styles, or maybe how it’d finished first—ahead of Stirling Moss driving for Maserati—in the 1957 Buenos Aires 1000 km. This car is, by the way, a 1956 Ferrari 290 MM, chassis #0626.

Originally built for Fangio as his entry in the 1956 Mille Miglia, the pair finished fourth, and the car was later used as a works entry until being sold to Temple Buell, who kept entering the car in events around the world—while fielding some of the world’s finest drivers in the process.

With its original, numbers-matching 3.5-litre V12 engine under the hood, its original chassis, gearbox, and body, it’s arguably the finest example of the four such cars Ferrari made. It’s Ferrari Classiche certified, too, and will be one of the headliners at RM Sotheby’s Driven By Disruption sale in December. 

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Kevin MacAfee
Kevin MacAfee
9 years ago

That car was once in the family — sort of. Temple Buell is my late great uncle and I only met him once. I knew he owned some exotic cars but it was way before my time.

So dam close.

Luis Fernandes
Luis Fernandes
9 years ago

I wonder if 50 million is enough, given the racing history of the car !

Rob Blasdel
Rob Blasdel
9 years ago

A/K/A 290 MM Spyder Scaglietti. Interesting marketing, the car has an extensive racing history, but Fangio only drove it once. Other drivers of note, besides Phil Hill, were Peter Collins, Masten Gregory and Joakim Bonnier,

Jarrod H
Jarrod H
9 years ago
Reply to  Rob Blasdel

Fangio is the universal big name. Not to say that Phil Hill is not significant but he did not have the record going back as far as Fangio did.

JB21
JB21
9 years ago

I did. Sold my house, wife, kids to human traffickers, and I still haven’t got enough to pay off my Chevy, hence suspecting not quite enough for this historic Ferrari.

Guitar Slinger
Guitar Slinger
9 years ago

.. or alternatively

B) I can keep everything I’ve got and finally get around to mounting that cloisonne Fangio dealership badge on my Mercedes that I’ve had since an ‘ associate ‘ brought it back from Argentina back in the day …….. 😉

Hmmn .. in light of whats going down worldwide lately ? ..Tempting as this may be… Methinks I’ll stick with …. B .. thank you very much

PS; If the system would allow I’d post a photo or two of the badge … but alas … it won’t .

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