The Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta that was recently sold for US$38.1 million used to be a racing car and has been even involved once in a fatal accident. This sale sets a new global record for cars sold at auction. The former record belonged to a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1 racing car sold in 2013 for US$ 29.7.

This extraordinary result was to a certain extent predicted by pre-auction assessments, which estimated a selling price for the 1962 red two-seat between US$ 30 and 40 million. According to experts, since Ferraris tend to stay in owners' hands for long periods, their auctions can easily gather a lot of interest and attention. However, last October, in a private transaction, a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO racer was sold for another record price: US$52 million.

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