This Ferrari 412 P Berlinetta Could Become One of the Most Expensive Cars Ever Sold at Auction

An ultra-rare example of one of Ferrari’s most coveted race cars could become one of the most expensive vehicles ever sold at auction next month.

A majestic 412 P Berlinetta racer is set to go up for bid at Bonham’s Quail Auction during Monterey Car Week. Not only is the speed machine quite possibly the most beautiful prototype racer ever built, but it also helped Italian marque claim the World Championship of Makes in 1967.

The 412 P was introduced in 1967 and was the “customer version” of Ferrari’s successful 330 P3 and P4 race cars. The vehicle combined the P3’s chassis with the body, suspension, and wheels of the P4—which is why it’s sometimes known as the P3/4—and was powered by a rear-mounted 4.0-liter V-12 with Weber carburetors. The car only raced at the top level for a single year due to a change in FIA regulations, but it’s gone on to become a legend thanks in large part to its rarity. Only two 412 P Berlinettas were originally built, while an additional two 330 P3s were converted to 412 Ps by the automaker.

This example, chassis 0854, was the second of the original 412 P Berlinettas that rolled off the line at Maranello. The car was initially delivered to Colonel Ronnie Hoare’s Maranello Concessionaires Ltd in 1967 and was finished in his preferred livery, Italian racing red with a Cambridge blue nose flash, according to the auction house. That season it would be driven by Richard Attwood, Piers Courage, Lucien Bianchi, among others, and would compete in several races, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Belgian Spa 1,000 Kilometers, where it finished third overall and earned Ferrari vital championship points.

The car would continue to race for the rest of the decade, but that first season was the peak. It passed through the hands of several collectors and enthusiasts before its current owner acquired it in 2005. The unnamed U.S.-based automotive entrepreneur commissioned a painstaking restoration that took nine years to complete, during which the car was returned to the same state it was in during the 1967 racing season. It is also believed to be the only 412 P that retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox and bodywork.

As you may have guessed by now, a car like the 412 P Berlinetta won’t come cheap. With a little less than a month to go before the Quail Auction, which will be held on August 18, there are expectations that the race car could fetch as much as $40 million when the final gavel strikes. If it does sell for that much, it would likely become the third most expensive vehicle ever sold at auction.

Click here for more photos of the 1967 Ferrari 412 P Berlinetta.