Bonhams Scottsdale auction has produced some strong results:

Ex-Scuderia Filipinetti – Le Mans 24 Hours
1000 Kms de Spa-Francorchamps
And 500 Kms di Imola Class Winning
1966 FERRARI 275GTB COMPETIZIONE
Ferrari Classiche Certified
Sold for US$ 8,550,000 ($9.4m premium)

From the day it was delivered to legendary race-team owner, Georges Filipinetti, this automobile has enjoyed an exceptional and well-documented history. The eleventh of a series of only twelve, this rare, Ferrari Classiche-certified car went on to do what its makers intended: win races.

The car competed at Le Mans, the most prestigious race of them all, in three consecutive years: 1967, 1968 and 1969. It won the GT class in its first year with Filipinetti team drivers, Rico Steinmann and Dieter Spörry, and then in 1969, the first and last time it raced Spa-Francorchamps, it won the GT class with drivers Jacques Rey and Edgar Berney.

Launched in 1966, the car was designed expressly for competition, built around a new chassis specific to this model. It was lighter and stronger than the chassis of the standard 275, wrapped in an ultra-thin alloy body to reduce weight still further, and was fitted with quick-access exterior fuel and oil filler caps.

The new 3.3-liter V12 engine benefitted from extensive factory modifications, and the positioning of this awesome engine – lower and further back than was standard – provided even more advantage with its near-perfect weight distribution.

But the engineering under the bonnet cannot write a racing car into the history books alone. The new Ferrari’s long shark of a nose with gill-like side vents, coupled with a low, wide stance, made it appear both rakishly handsome and threateningly predatory. Its versatility, too, made it enormously attractive – it could be raced ferociously on the track or driven out of town to the country club.

After its tenure with Filipinetti, the car retired to several respected American collection during the 1970s and 1980s, before being shipped to Italy in 1985 where its bodywork was meticulously restored by experts, Carrozzeria Brandoli.

Since then, the champion car has won several honors at contemporary shows and events, including the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, and has participated in Le Mans Classique and Silverstone Classic.