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This could soon be the most expensive Ferrari ever

This Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale is set to make £20m at the RM auctions sale in Monterey, making it the world’s most expensive Ferrari.

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22 Jul 2014

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This isn’t the world’s most expensive Ferrari yet but if the hopes of auctioneers RM Auctions prove well founded, that could all change in a matter of weeks. It’s one of only three Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale models that were built by the Maranello marque in late 1964 and early 1965 to homologate its new 275 GTB race car.

The car is set to be auctioned at the RM Auctions Monterey sale, which kicks off on 15 August. Conservative estimates place the potential sale price somewhere in the region of £20 million, a value which would comfortably eclipse the Ferrari 275 GTB/4 NART Spider that made £16m in 2013 and is currently the most expensive Ferrari to change hands at auction.

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The Ferrari 275 GTB was designed and built to challenge the Ford GT40 and Shelby Cobra Daytona at Le Mans in 1965. It was the first Ferrari to feature independent rear suspension and represented the evolution of the successful 250 series cars, including the iconic 250 GTO.

With aluminium bodywork, a lighter chassis and a tuned V12 engine (with an extra 70bhp) mounted lower in the car to bring the centre of gravity closer to the track, the 275 GTB/C Speciale was significantly lighter and faster than a standard 275 GTB road car.

This particular 275 GTB/C Speciale never saw competitive action on the track but one of the other cars took third place overall at Le Mans in 1965.

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The 275 GTB/C Speciale has changed hands on a number of occasions in the intervening years but its condition has been preserved throughout. It’s what’s known as a ‘matching numbers’ car, meaning that the serial numbers on the chassis, engine and gearbox all match to prove all the original parts are present.

The Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale will go under the hammer at the RM Auctions sale in Monterey on 15 August and we’ll be watching closely to see which, if any, records it breaks. The Monterey sale also includes the Ferrari 275 GTB/4 once owned by Hollywood legend Steve McQueen so if you’re a Ferrari fan with a few million quid going spare, it might be time to book that plane ticket.

Click here for more pics of the amazing cars in the 2014 RM Auctions Monterey sale

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Steve Walker

Head of digital content

Steve looks after the Auto Express website; planning new content, growing online traffic and managing the web team. He’s been a motoring journalist, road tester and editor for over 20 years, contributing to titles including MSN Cars, Auto Trader, The Scotsman and The Wall Street Journal.