Equipment
A car that needs no introduction, but gets one anyway, just because its so enjoyable. Started life as a 250 GT SWB Comp 61. When Count Volpi was refused a 250 GTO by Ferrari he put Giotto Bizzarrini and Piero Drogo on the case and created the Kamm backed Breadvan, a SWB in chassis number only. Channeled, sectioned, lowered and streamlined. Led all the GTOs at Le Mans 1962 until it broke. Later used by Count Volpi on the street for several years until it was traded in on a Dodge station wagon for $2,500 credit. Passed around until the present owner acquired it, commissioning a careful restoration with some performance upgrades at Sport Auto in Modena and has been used, enjoyed and thrilled spectators since 1987. There is very little 250 GT SWB left in this car he observed and its more like a Testa Rossa with a roof. In good, usable and presentable historic racing condition. The cockpit is tiny and the driving position impossible for anyone over 510. It is spectacular.
Market commentary
OK, so it takes $3.5 million. The Breadvan will challenge even the best prepared GTO and its presence is like nothing else. The stories that go with it, of its construction, the politics, modifications and occasional use by Count Volpis less inhibited friends (Giovanni Agnelli had his butler paint it Black one night because he thought it looked like a hearse) provide endless hours of bench racing. This is a car for an owner with a sense of humor and appreciation of racing history. Some Ferrari purists dont like it and it is far from pure Ferrari but it is a flamboyant example of an age in racing that will never be repeated and that, if nothing else, is worth $3.5 million.