Recognised as one of the world’s most expensive and desirable cars, in November 2023 a 1962 Ferrari GTO sold for US$51.7 million at RM Sotheby’s, making it the most expensive Ferrari sold at auction.
That record is poised to tumble when this one-off, factory white, special order racing 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, goes under the hammer at the Mecum Kissimmee auction in 2026.
Not only is this Bianco Speciale – as it is known, a one-of-a-kind, but it has also been piloted by the who’s who of motor-sport including world champion Graham Hill, as well as Mike Parkes, Roy Salvadori and Jack Sears.
It is one of just 36 GTOs produced and there’s no doubt many strings must’ve been pulled and favours asked to make this car possible.
It was purchased new by British racing team owner and Jaguar dealer, John Coombs, to jolt the brass at Jaguar in to making its E-Type more competitive with Ferrari. With his prominence in the industry, Coombs must have known people in the highest stratosphere of Ferrari, otherwise Bianco Speciale wouldn’t have been built.
Ferrari’s deeply rooted tradition was red cars, so when Coombs requested that his 250 GTO be painted white, it was a huge deviation from Ferrari’s strict colour conventions and one that needed internal approval at the highest level.
The Bianco Speciale made its competition debut with Roy Salvadori at Brands Hatch on the first Monday in August 1962. A relatively short race on the hilly Kent circuit, it was one of six GTOs entered and proved a good test of the new Ferrari 250 GTO’s brakes and suspension.
Coombs also entered a Jaguar E-Type, driven by his favoured driver, Graham Hill, a rising star in the British racing scene.
Despite the driving prowess of the young Hill, it was ultimately Salvadori and Bianco Speciale that claimed second overall, runner-up to fellow 250 GTO-pilot Mike Parkes.
From its Brands Hatch debut, Bianco Speciale went on to compete in the Tourist Trophy race at Goodwood. Still hoping to motivate Jaguar to action, Coombs this time pairing Hill with the white 250 GTO.
While Innes Ireland in another 250 GTO won by a mere 3.6 seconds over Hill, the race entrenched the Bianco Speciale into an exclusive slice of motor-sport history with another one-two-three finish for Ferrari’s 250 GTO, securing the marque’s eighth international championship in 10 years.
Though denied by Coombs, it’s well documented that he did lend his Bianco Speciale to the engineers at Jaguar for study.
The Jaguar-brand loyalist that he was, Coombs was apparently determined to give the lagging brand a chance at matching or exceeding Ferrari’s racing success and its seemingly unbeatable 250 GTO.
As a direct result of Coombs’ help, Jaguar was able to reverse engineer Bianco Speciale and refine the Lightweight E-Type with the information it gathered in the process, helping the company in its efforts to regain its competitive edge.
In August 1963 Bianco Speciale earned a class win, scoring its first victory with Jack Sears at the helm for the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch. Sears later acquired the GTO in 1970 and owned it for nearly 30 years.
Sears sold it to former COO and president of Microsoft, Jon Shirley, in 1999 where it underwent a careful cosmetic refresh, returning it to its proper state and gained a new legion of followers through participation in various vintage racing and concours events. Like the gentlemen racers who owned the car before Shirley, he often drove the GTO and kept it in excellent mechanical and cosmetic condition.
Bianco Speciale received its Ferrari Classiche Red Book in 2008 and is currently equipped with an engine built by Ferrari Classiche specifically for installation in the car; its upcoming sale will include an additional engine of Ferrari 250 GTO specifications that could be used for vintage racing.
During the car’s refurbishment, due diligence was taken to ensure it retained as much original character as possible, and to this day, many Coombs-era modifications have been preserved on this legendary and historic car.
Ferrari’s 250 GTO is widely considered to be the most desirable vehicle created by the Italian marque with no other model possessing the same blend of power, nimble handling, artful styling and extraordinary beauty. It’s a dual-purpose grand touring machine – a car just as capable of dominating the racetrack as cruising the countryside and doing all of it while looking like a piece of art on wheels.
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