World’s most expensive Ferrari bought by British Radio DJ

After taking over from the ever-popular Terry Wogan, Chris Evans increased weekly listeners to more than 9.5 million, the UK’s largest radio audience on his BBC Radio 2 morning show, surpassing Wogan by nearly 2 million. He must have thought the best way to celebrate was to buy a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO for a staggering 12 million. The redheaded radio mogul has a large garage of classic and modern Ferraris, with his splurge more than double the 5 million he spent on a 250 GT SWB California Spyder last year.

The 250 GTO is extremely rare and is considered the “holy grail” by collectors and classic car experts. Classic Cars Magazine editor Phil Bell said he was not surprised by the price Evans paid for the Ferrari. Only 36 of the 250 GTOs were built and only three in this body style were worth 6,000 when new in 1963.

Evan’s car is capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds and has a top speed of 174 mph. The car was so appreciated by Enzo Ferrari, who founded the company, that he personally approved each buyer. He raced a lot when he was new, especially in Italy and he came second in a 500km race at Spa in 1964, a piece of history that makes him all the more valuable. It was later bought by former racing driver David Piper, who raced it himself before being sold to a collector in Japan.

Classic cars are becoming more and more collectible as their value has been increasing for a few years and has seen a huge boost since 2000; However, it is often difficult to value the rarer cars, as they tend to change hands behind closed doors.

Even though Evans’ Ferrari is the most expensive car in Britain, it is not the most expensive in the world, that title goes to an even rarer Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic that changed hands for 30 million to individuals. Some of the most expensive cars sold in recent times include a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa that sold for 8 million in Italy last May, a Shelby Daytona Cobra coupe that bought for 4.4 million last August, and a Mercedes Benz 540K. 1937 Special Roadster that sold three 3.9 million years ago.