‘62 GTO 3765 to be auctioned at Sotheby’s NYC November 13.

The original 4 litre engine was swapped by the Ferrari Service Dep't for a 250 engine from #0796. Also the the 4 speed gearbox was swapped for a 5 speed 250 GTO gearbox.

 

Hi Bill,
3765 LM is a unique, special and fascinating one.
I’ve always felt it’s been a bit under the radar.
Like the car I see as its brethren, 330 TRi LM 0808, 3765 LM was born as a 4-liter prototype factory competition car for the 1962 season. Dyke Ridgely has seen the original build sheets and shared that the chassis is a unique tipo. The model designation is 330 LM.
That said, when the SF sold the car on to a privateer in 1963, they removed the 4-liter engine and fitted it with a 3-liter with the engine number 0796TR (I don’t know the numero interno). This is the engine the car carries to this day. The seller/ long term owner undertook a restoration at Shelton Ferrari more than 30 years ago. As part of those efforts, he sourced a tipo 163 (4-liter block) from Paul P. and built and fitted that engine for a time in the 90’s before reinstalling the factory-fitted aforementioned 0796TR. Which brings us back to 1963: when Ferrari sold the car with its second factory engine, a 3-liter, they then ‘made’ the 330 LM a 250 GTO. Or a 250 LM . I think as someone skilled at parsing things, you can see the dilemma of exactitude I present- what do we call it then and now? A very special car. Full disclosure- I met the seller in the late 80’s and became friends. I’ve had the great pleasure of being driven in and driving, albeit briefly, this magical unicorn in the 90’s. I have no financial interest whatsoever in the sale. Only the curiosity that many others have about where the sale numbers go.

EDIT: I forgot to mention the gearbox. Thanks to Steve R. for including that piece of the story. -Dave

 

I saw the car while it was at Shelton’s all those years ago. My friend Al Roberts did much of the work on it. If I’m not mistaken the owner had a McLaren F1 there, too, or was that someone else?

I wonder if the auction will be public or private as for the Ulenhaut coupe.

 

What is the likely impact of all of this swapping and changing?

Is this likely to be at the higher or lower end of transacted prices?

 

Someone else. He did have an M8F Can Am car though.

 

Purpose built by the factory as a prototype. Engine and gearbox changed by the factory at point of sale so the customer is getting a GTO and not something they could crush the factory team with .
I would say no change in value or an uptick in value based on that unique history. All oroginal, factory built.
Just my opinion.
An important thing to keep in mind is that race cars can be development test beds that are evolved during their factory life. Par for the course.
Road cars are a different animal.

 

Immediately I was thinking this could go upwards based on the fascinating factory history - I am really excited to see this auction!

 

Excellent Dave, thank you.

 

My pleasure Bruce. Thanks to the generosity of the owner who saw the enthusiasm of a then-college kid, I got to have some really cool experiences and learn a lot. Heck, I even got to meet (US) Ferrrari royalty when they visited; Fred Leydorf and Dave Cummins. Even Dyke (@DWR46) and Sue.

 

If anyone wants to add something really cool to this thread, all that’s required is an old collection of Car & Driver magazine and a little time.
Car & Driver, 1985. Not sure of the issue. Back page of the magazine was a one page column written by Patrick Bedard. Bedard write a column entitled Attire Failure when the owner bought this car. In it they describe the philosophy required to buy an expensive car and (still) use it. A fun read if anyone can find and post it.

 

Car spent some time in St. Louis with Jack Reutter. His son Cliff has kept memorabilia about it and other of his dads cars.

 

I thought that Brock Yates wrote about the sale(and quoted the owner) when the Ferrari market took off. Perhaps I'm thinking of Bedard?

 

Definitely Pat.
Also Csaba Csere did a road test feature on owner’s plexi headlight Rosso Rubino Daytona.
I believe Brock was their editor back then.

 

Dave: I am humbled, but appreciative.

 

There’s an article about 3765LM in today’s issue of The Wall Street Journal. Of course it’s written for a general audience, but still worth reading if you see a copy somewhere.

 

Nice above the fold picture on page B1, story on B6.

Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

For those without a subscription (or the paper in hand):

 

Nobody will pay 60 million! Fact is, that in recent months there has been one disappointing auction after another. Why? Because the high-net-worth individuals suffered heavy losses at the equity markets and are facing negative performances in their portfolios. As at the beginning of the nineties or after Lehman, they are holding on in hope that markets will go up again and their portfolios will turn positive. To stay solvent in the meantime, they have to keep their purses closed.

 

You only need 2 people on earth. Plenty of those around with 60 million in cash.

 

She used to come to Cavallino track days no?

 

Who was the last/longtime owner?

 

Seller has been owner since 1985. Not listing here for privacy reasons but barchetta has the correct name listed.

 

Thanks.

Certainly under the radar. And it's interesting to me Sotheby's is selling it with their fine art auctions instead of car auctions. Really shows how much they believe in it.

 

That strategy has worked well for them in the past... When they sold Schumacher's F2001 at the same Contemporary Art Sale in 2017, it hammered at $6.7mm, against an estimate of $4.0 - 5.5!