Steve McQueen's Ferrari 275 GTB/4 is heading to auction

Steve McQueen’s stable of Prancing Horses included some real stunners. The late, great actor’s daily driver was a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso, after all. He was also the proud owner of a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 that is poised to attract millions at auction this summer.

The long-nosed classic, which was delivered new to the King of Cool in the late ’60s, will lead RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale on August 18 and 19. The auction house expects it will fetch between $7.44 million and $10.44 million due to its collectible nature.

Considered by many to be the quintessential coupe, the front-engined Ferrari 275 GTB/4 was a beautiful rule breaker. It featured bodywork by Carrozzeria Scaglietti rather than Pininfarina like Ferrari’s original 275 line. It was also equipped with a four-cam, 3.3-litre Colombo V-12 engine, as opposed to the two-cam configuration of its predecessors. The mill could churn out 300 horses to push the car to a top speed of 270 km/h.

Ferrari produced a scant 280 examples from 1966 through ’68, which makes rides like this exceedingly rare. The four-wheeler’s connection to cinematic (and racing) royalty makes it rarer still. McQueen reportedly received the car while on the set of Bullitt. It was originally finished in gold metallic paint, but The Great Escape star had it resprayed in Chianti Red. He also had it fitted with the wheels and wing mirror from his convertible Ferrari 275 GTB/4—officially known as the N.A.R.T. Spider—which he had previously crashed.

McQueen owned the crimson beauty for four years, according to the auction house. It changed hands multiple times before it eventually ended up with a retired Australian racer in the 2000s. The Prancing Horse was meticulously restored to McQueen’s specifications by Ferrari Classiche between 2010 and 2013. A testament to the car’s quality, it has been exhibited in the famous Museo Ferrari in Maranello, Italy, and the Petersen Automotive Museum in California. It was also shown at the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza in Lake Como, Italy.

“We’re thrilled to announce the former Steve McQueen 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 as our first major consignment, a perfect car to kickstart the coming lineup,” Gord Duff, global head of auctions at RM Sotheby’s, said in a statement.

The 275 GTB/4 most recently sold for a staggering $14 million at RM Sotheby’s flagship Monterey sale in August 2014. It should have no trouble reaching $10.44 million a decade on, then.

Article written by RobbReportAU.

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