The (racing) drivers’ Ferrari

RM Sotheby’s, Los Angeles, USA 8 December

A 1956 WORKS Ferrari 290MM with an incredible driver pedigree will go under the hammer at the RM Sotheby’s sale at California’s Petersen Museum on 8 December.

Intended to challenge the dominant Mercedes – which, ironically, withdrew from racing after 1955’s Le Mans disaster a year before the Ferrari’s arrival – only four of the Scaglietti-bodied 3490cc V12-powered 290MMs were built. This car, chassis #0628, was the last of them.

The Ferrari was campaigned by the factory in 1956 and ’57, piloted by Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, Peter Collins, Wolfgang von Trips, Olivier Gendebien and Eugenio Castellotti among others. Stirling Moss drove it later, too. Yet, even with that line-up, it failed to chalk up any hugely significant victories, its best high-profile result being second on the 1956 Mille Miglia with Collins and Louis Klemantaski.

Moss took the wheel at the 1957 Bahamas Speed Week after Ferrari had offloaded the 290. It then spent the next half-century in private ownership in the USA before coming to the UK just a decade ago.

Many enthusiasts will have seen it taking part in the Juan Manuel Fangio tribute parade at the 2011 Goodwood Revival Meeting. Since then it has had a full restoration at Ferrari Classiche to its ’57 Sebring spec, its final outing as a works entry.

RM Sotheby’s expects the 290MM to make $22-26 million when it goes under the hammer.

rmsothebys.com