Yes, I agree, very beautiful!

Short 1962 Ferrari 250GTO personal story: I spent time with the “third” 250GTO ever built!!

It was being prepared for the 1962 LeMans race for Innis Ireland, who had won the Watkin Glen GP the year before in a Lotus and who later went on to write for R&T and Masten Gregory, an upcoming driver from Kansas City who would win LeMan’s three years later in a 250LM. I was hanging out at a private off-site chateau where the team was making preparations for this pale green Ferrari, chassis #3505, that was owned by the UDT Laystall team. I still have a couple B&W photos of the time, showing the car still sporting a license plate.

Although the car was a DNF at that LeMan's race there is some interesting stories about it. In the spring of ‘62 Innis and a friend, Col. Hoare, had the job of driving two GTOs from the factory to the UK for their first outing at the Easter meet at Goodwood - an 800 mile journey. Sadly this was the meet that nearly cost Stirling Moss his life in a wreck in practice. Innis withdrew the GTO, electing instead to drive his friend Stirling’s Lotus 19 instead. But later that year Innis won the ‘62 Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood in the same Ferrari.

This number three went on to have the honor of being the most expensive car purhased in recorded history (as of 2012) for $35 million . . . June 2012 - when Craig McCaw of Seattle bought it. I'm sure that record has been broken by now.





BTW, the “second” to leave the factory went to Phil Hill and Gendebien who placed 2ndoverall and won the GT category at it’s USA coming out party at Sebring. GTOs won the World Sports Car Championship three years running between ‘62-‘64.