Ferrari 250 GTO sells for a record £52m

A Ferrari 250 GTO has broken the record for the most expensive car ever sold after a private collector bought it for $70m (£52m).

According to the US-based motoring site Autoblog, the 250 GTO from 1963 is rumoured to have been snapped up by American businessman David MacNeil, the chief executive of the car accessory firm WeatherTech.

The sale price is almost double that of the previous record holder, says Autoblog. The previous record dates back to 2014 when a 250 GTO sold for $38m (£28m) at the Bonhams annual auction in Monterey, California.

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The new record holder has had an illustrious career in motorsport, says Top Gear. It finished fourth in the 1963 Le Mans 24h and came first at the ten-day Tour de France road rally the following year.

After its success in France, the historic racing car competed across Europe and Africa before becoming “the prized jewel” in several private collections, the website says. During the 1990s, the Ferrari, which is one of only 39 examples ever made, was restored in the UK.

Ferraris are particularly appealing to car collectors. According to Autocar, seven of the ten most expensive cars ever sold were built by the Italian carmaker and three of these were 250 GTOs.

The most valuable car not adorned with a Ferrari badge is a Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula 1 machine from the mid 1950s, the magazine says.

Meanwhile an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato is on course to become the most expensive British car to sell at a European auction when it goes under the hammer next month at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed.

The car, which was raced by two-time F1 champion Jim Clark, is expected to fetch up to £15m.