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What Is the “Holy Grail” Car? The Ferrari 250 GTO’s $48.4 Million Sale

The “Holy Grail” car was a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis 3413. It sold for $48,405,000 in 2018; the $45 million–$60 million figure was only its pre-sale estimate.
Entry520 Date Time3 min MechanicCarCody Team
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The car called the “Holy Grail” in the 2018 story was a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis 3413. It sold at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction on August 25, 2018, for $48,405,000. The $45 million to $60 million figure was its pre-sale estimate, not its final price. The auction result is clear; the sources cited here do not establish which car holds the world’s most expensive-car record today.

What is the “Holy Grail” car?

“Holy Grail” refers here to the Ferrari 250 GTO, a rare 1960s competition car prized by collectors. In a 2018 New Atlas preview, writer Mike Hanlon called it “The Ferrari 250 GTO is the ‘Holy Grail’ for car collectors.” That is a collector-world characterization, not an official Ferrari designation or a measured ranking.

The featured car was chassis 3413, a 1962 example offered at RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction. The auction house identifies it as the third of 36 Ferrari 250 GTOs built.

How much did chassis 3413 sell for?

RM Sotheby’s records a final auction result of $48,405,000 USD on August 25, 2018. New Atlas had reported a pre-sale estimate of $45 million to $60 million. An estimate is a forecast, not the amount the buyer ultimately paid.

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Did it become the world’s most expensive car?

The 2018 preview presented the auction as a possible record-setting sale. The result for chassis 3413 was $48,405,000, but the sources cited here do not confirm that it became the world’s most expensive car or identify a current all-market record holder.

New Atlas also reported a separate $70 million private-sale figure in 2018 for another 250 GTO, attributed to David MacNeil. That is a reported private transaction, not the auction result for chassis 3413. New Atlas’s article also cited a $38,115,000 auction result for chassis 3851GT at Bonhams’ 2014 Quail Lodge sale. These are distinct cars, transactions, and dates; they should not be collapsed into one record claim.

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Why was this 250 GTO so valuable?

Its appeal rested on a combination of rarity, competition history, provenance, design and the status attached to the model. The lot record supplies specific reasons this example attracted attention.

Scarcity and competition history

RM Sotheby’s describes chassis 3413 as the third of 36 GTOs built. It records a 1962 Italian GT Championship title with Edoardo Lualdi-Gabardi and later Targa Florio class victories, including a class win in 1964. Such documented competition history distinguishes this car from a 250 GTO without the same record.

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Development and identity

The car began as a Series I 1962 GTO and received Series II coachwork by Scaglietti in 1964. RM Sotheby’s lists chassis and engine numbers as 3413, with gearbox and rear differential numbered 5. The later coachwork is part of this particular car’s history, rather than evidence that every component remained in its original configuration.

Originality is component-specific

RM Sotheby’s said the original engine block had been removed for preservation and included in the sale; the car was fitted with another block built to GTO specification. That detail shows why a broad label such as “all original” can obscure important distinctions. A collector evaluating a historic car needs to know which components are original, which have been replaced or restored, and what documentation supports the account.

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What shaped the auction?

The result came from a controlled auction setting, not an unrestricted online sale. RM Sotheby’s stated that bidders needed special credentials and that internet bidding was unavailable. The auction house also disclosed that the consignor had a minimum-price guarantee. These conditions are relevant context for understanding how the lot was offered; they do not change the recorded sale price.

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How to read the price claims

Classic-car prices are easier to compare when the car, transaction type, date, and source are kept together. A public auction result, a pre-sale estimate and a reported private-sale figure are not interchangeable evidence.

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  • Chassis 3413: $48,405,000 USD at RM Sotheby’s Monterey, August 25, 2018; the auction house’s recorded result.
  • Chassis 3413 estimate: $45 million to $60 million before the 2018 auction, as reported by New Atlas.
  • Another 250 GTO: $70 million private-sale figure reported by New Atlas in 2018 and attributed there to David MacNeil.
  • Chassis 3851GT: $38,115,000 at Bonhams’ 2014 Quail Lodge sale, according to New Atlas’s 2018 article.

These dated examples explain the headline’s record speculation and the model’s extraordinary prices, but they do not establish a current market ranking.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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