From goals scored in a calendar year to Champions League accolades to FIFA Ballon D'or Awards, the rivalry between the Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s wizard Lionel Messi is one of the most hotly contested in world football. However, according to unconfirmed reports, the race for the top spot may have taken on a different dimension and spread to the motoring world. The Argentinian has reportedly outbid his Real Madrid counterpart for the world's most expensive car.
The claim was made by Proto Organisation whose owner, Alessandro Proto, auctioned off the 1957 Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti, used by Sterling Moss in the 1958 Cuban Grand Prix (known as the 315 S back then) for around €32 million; making it the world’s most expensive car. The buyer has remained anonymous, but rumours suggest it could be Messi who submitted the winning bid, and in the process, outbid Cristiano Ronaldo, according to a press release published by the Italian's company.
Only four 1957 Ferrari 335S Spider Scaglietti have ever came off the production line and the one sold off at auction has a lot of history attached to it.
The car left Ferrari's factory in 1957 and was fitted with a Scaglietti body. At the time, the car included a 3.8-liter V12 Tipo 140 engine (315 S) and generated around 360 horsepower. In March 1957, the Ferrari was driven by Maurice Trintignant and Peter Collins in the Sebring 12 Hours, where it finished sixth. The car then returned to the factory and was upgraded to 335 S, which included a 4.1-liter engine that produced about 400 horsepower.
However, the title of the world’s most expensive car given to the Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti is surrounded in controversy. In 2014, Bonhams, an auction house selling collectables and cars, sold a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta in California for $38.1 million, which included fees. The amount translated to 28.5 million Euros at that time and it was recorded as the most expensive car ever auctioned.
Since 2014, the value of the Euro has weakened against the dollar, meaning that there are two cars which could be the world’s most expensive car depending on which currency you use.
If you’d much rather prefer a Ferrari which is not in contention to be the world’s most expensive car, you could always visit our Charles Hurst Dealership in Belfast or visit them online to browse their collection.
