One of the World’s Most Historic Sports Racing Cars

In the history of motor racing it is hard to imagine two names with greater stature than Ferrari and Juan Manuel Fangio, the enigmatic five-time Formula One World Champion. To find a car which so closely connects these two great motor racing legends is the Holy Grail for car collectors and aficionados the world over. RM Sotheby’s is thrilled to announce it will offer one such automobile, the ex-Works 1956 Ferrari 290 MM, chassis 0626, at its exclusive ‘Driven by Disruption’ sale, December 10 in New York City.

Raced not only by Fangio, but also future World Champion, Phil Hill, along with numerous other celebrated Ferrari Formula One drivers, the featured Ferrari is undoubtedly one of the greatest, most original and most valuable cars ever offered at public auction.

Chassis 0626 was specifically built by the Ferrari factory for Juan Manuel Fangio to drive in the 1956 Mille Miglia. Certainly the best driver of his era, and classed by many as the greatest driver who ever lived, Fangio raced 0626 in the 1000 mile event single-handedly, finishing an impressive 4th overall in a race hindered by appalling conditions.

Dressed in the unique factory Argentinian color scheme for Fangio, the car featured a totally new 3.5 liter V-12 engine, and was one of only four 290 MMs to be built. Furthermore, it was one of the first Ferraris raced in Europe by Phil Hill, and also heralded the beginning of Wolfgang von Trips’ Ferrari-driving career. It was famously piloted to victory in the 1957 Buenos Aires 1000 KM by Eugenio Castellotti, Luigi Musso and Masten Gregory. During its illustrious career, 0626 was also campaigned by other legendary names including Alfonso de Portago, Peter Collins, Olivier Gendebien, and Joakim Bonnier.

“It’s hard to know where to start when describing just how important this 290 MM is,” says Peter Wallman, Car Specialist, RM Sotheby’s.  “Driven by the greatest drivers of the 1950s and built for possibly THE greatest driver in history, this is a car with which Enzo Ferrari was personally involved and is a fundamental part of Ferrari folklore. Its originality, coupled with its extraordinary provenance and history, which are truly second to none, can only lead you to conclude that it is one of the most desirable and valuable cars that will ever come to the open market.”

RM Sotheby’s Driven by Disruption sale rounds out an already record year for the Canadian-based auction house. The upcoming New York auction, to be held at Sotheby’s Manhattan headquarters on December 10, will feature a carefully curated selection of some 30 creatively-styled and pioneering motor cars, along with select automobilia. Each of the auction vehicles have been handpicked by RM specialists to showcase the extremes of motoring history and the molds that were broken by engineers and designers in pushing the automotive envelope. As a prelude to the sale, an exclusive six-day exhibition will open over the weekend of December 5 in Sotheby’s 10th floor galleries.