
Courtesy RM Auctions
A 1961 250 GT California Spyder, once owned by actor James Coburn

Courtesy RM Auctions
A 1960 246 Dino Sport model with an estimate of €3.4 million to €4.1 million ($5.3-6.4 million)
MARANELLO, Italy—On May 18 some 40rare Ferraris are hitting the block in
RM Auctions? second annual
FerrariLeggende e Passione auction, heldin conjunction with
Sotheby’s at theauto company’s headquarters, inMaranello, Italy. Among the lots aretwo of the most desirable cars of thelate 1950s and early ’60s: a pair of250 GT California Spyder convertibles, one formerly owned by theactor
James Coburn. If you’ve seenthe movie
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,you’ll recognize it (the thoroughlywrecked film version in red was, fortunately,a replica). Last August, duringCalifornia’s Pebble Beach Week, a1963 Ferrari coupe once owned byCoburn’s pal
Steve McQueen sold for$2,310,000—roughly four times itsexpected value—and RM/Sotheby’shopes Coburn’s black ’61 roadster willget a similar star-power boost. It carriesa high estimate of €3.7 million($5.7 million), versus the 1959 model’s€3 million ($4.7 million) valuedprice tag—a gap due not only to itsHollywood provenance but also to itsshorter wheelbase.
"Ferrai Capital" originally appeared in the May 2008 issue of Art+Auction. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Art+Auction's May 2008 Table of Contents.