One-of-Five 1962 Ferrari 196 SP Race Car Expected to Sell for $8M-$10M at Monterey
As far as historical significance goes, the 196 SP was Ferrari’s first-ever mid-engined sports prototype.
We’re now entering Monterey Car Week and, of course, the auction houses are brimming with million-dollar metal, waiting for the “one-percent” to vigorously bid against each other for some of history’s most awesome automobiles. Crossing RM Sotheby’s block is none other than this incredibly rare 1962 Ferrari 196 SP by Fantuzzi, Chassis 0806, which is expected to sell for as much as $8 million to $10 million.
According to the listing, this is the final car built of the remaining five examples in existence. The 196 SP was Ferrari’s first-ever mid-engined sports prototype, and it was developed specifically for the 1961 and 1962 racing seasons of the World Grand Prix. This particular car participated at the 1962 12 Hours of Sebring, Nürburgring 1000 KM of that year, Elkhart Lake, and the 1963 Nassau Speed Week. It also boasts a storied driver and ownership history.
Some of the sport's greatest wheelmen of the era were at the helm of this car, including Pedro Rodriguez, Bob Grossman, and Buck Fulp, while the car has exchanged hands between Pierre Bardinon, Fabrizio Violati, Rob Walton, and Doug Thiem.
This 196 SP features a numbers-matching engine and transmission. To that note, it's also significantly different than other famous Ferrari racers of the time. For starters, the 196 SP doesn’t feature the legendary “Colombo” V12, but rather a low-displacement, high-revving 2.0-liter V6 that was essentially a halved Tipo 163 competition V12. Power output tallied up to around 210 horsepower with a single overhead camshaft and two valves per cylinder. With a dry weight of just 600 kilograms, or 1,322 pounds, the 196 SP had an incredible power-to-weight ratio.
The auction further boasts that this 196 SP is turn-key and ready to be driven at any future vintage racing or Concours events. It was last shown at the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance where it won the “Best-in-Class” award for race car between 1956 and 1964.
