This 1963 Ferrari racer could fetch $20 million at auction

This 1963 Ferrari racer—chassis No. 0810, the first mid-engine Ferrari 250 P—will be offered by Gooding Christie's at Pebble Beach on August 15 during Monterey Car Week, with an estimate of $15 million to $20 million. The works prototype finished second at Sebring and third at Le Mans in 1963.

Key Takeaways

• Chassis No. 0810 is the very first Ferrari 250 P, unveiled at Monza on March 4, 1963.
• As a Scuderia Ferrari works car, it took second at the 1963 12 Hours of Sebring and third at that year's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
• Gooding Christie's will offer the car at its Pebble Beach Auctions on August 15, estimated at $15 million to $20 million.
• Senior specialist David Brynan calls it among the most significant Ferrari competition cars ever offered at auction.

For collectors who follow rare machines alongside luxury real estate and dream homes, this sale is a once-in-a-generation headline. According to Robb Report, the mid-engine layout changed Ferrari's racing formula after years of front-engined sports racers.

Why does this 1963 Ferrari racer matter so much?

Before 1963, Ferrari's sports-racing success rested on cars with the engine ahead of the driver. Chassis No. 0810 was the first of its kind to place the engine behind the pilot—a blueprint for later Ferrari road and competition cars.

Young chief engineer Mauro Forghieri, working with driver John Surtees, developed the 250 P ("P" for prototipo). It used a lightweight tubular chassis, a longitudinally mounted 3.0-liter Testa Rossa-type V-12, a rear-mounted transaxle, fully independent suspension, and inboard rear disc brakes. Pininfarina designed the lines; Carrozzeria Fantuzzi hand-formed the aluminum body. Full-scale wind-tunnel testing at the University of Stuttgart helped shape the wraparound windshield and cockpit aerofoil.

What racing history does chassis 0810 carry?

Unveiled at Monza on March 4, 1963, the car raced at Sebring less than three weeks later. Driven by Lorenzo Bandini, Nino Vaccarella, and Willy Mairesse, it finished second overall—behind sister chassis No. 0812—confirming the mid-engine concept in its debut.

Shipped to the U.S. in 1964, it joined Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team. Pedro Rodriguez finished second at the Bridgehampton Double 500, then won the Canadian Grand Prix. Brynan notes the car raced at Sebring three times and Le Mans twice. Later owners included William McKelvy's Scuderia Bear, Gordon Tatum, Harley Cluxton III, and, since a reported $3 million sale in 1988, New York collector Anthony Wang.

When and where can buyers bid on this 1963 Ferrari racer?

The car crosses the block at Gooding Christie's flagship Pebble Beach sale on August 15 during Monterey Car Week in Northern California. The estimate sits between $15 million and $20 million. In 1966, McKelvy once asked just $12,000—a reminder of how works Ferraris have become treasured artifacts.

"This 250 P stands among the most important Ferraris of all time," Brynan told Robb Report, calling it a once-in-a-lifetime chance to acquire a landmark racing Ferrari. Wang still exercised the car at the 2024 Monterey Historics at Laguna Seca, underscoring that this is a living piece of motorsport history, not a museum piece alone.