An auction in Monaco will host the sale of an extremely rare racing Ferrari. The 1948 Ferrari 166 Spider Corsa ‘Fontana’ (above) will go on sale during the May event, expected to fetch up to £1.5m.The history of this particular car makes it so special. Chassis number 012l, it was the sixth Corsa built, racing initially for Scuderia Ferrari, with highlights including two Mille Miglias and two Targa Florios.
Its documents show that it is one of the most raced Ferraris ever made, despite the majority of the racing happening during only four years between 1948 and 1952.

It was re-bodied in 1950 by coachwork company Carrozzeria Fontana, gaining the ‘barchetta’ (‘little boat’) style it has today. Fully restored to concours standard now, it is expected to fetch at least £1m, but probably at least 50% more than that. And that’s without any association with a minor celebrity or pop star.

“We’re thrilled to be offering one of the world’s most interesting Ferraris at our upcoming Monaco sale,” said Max Girardo of sale organiser RM Auctions. “Sure to attract serious attention from Ferraristi, it combines stunning looks with an extraordinary provenance and extensive, winning period race history.”

Also on sale and expected to reach in excess of £1m is a 1950 Talbot-Lago T26 GS (above). The three-owner car, considered by some to be the most beautiful racer ever made, was raced by Argentinian legend Juan Manuel Fangio in the early ’50s. It entered the 1952 Monaco GP, too.

Other cars in the multi-million pound sale, which will be held at the Grimaldi Forum, include a properly restored 1965 Aston Martin DB5 (£200,000), a 1976 Lancia Stratos (£200,000), a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider (£1,000,000), and two Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 race cars (one below), both of which could fetch half a million pounds.

“Monaco holds a very special place in the history of motorsport so it’s therefore fitting that RM is accumulating a fabulous collection of some of the world’s finest historic racing machinery for this year’s sale,” said Giraldo.

Every lot due for sale at the auction can be found at http://www.rmauctions.com/default.cfm?SaleCode=MC12 .