Ferrari 290 MM Offered by RM at the Petersen
On Saturday, December 8, RM Auctions will host an auction at the famed and renewed Petersen Museum in Los Angeles. The main offering is the ultra-rare 1956 290 MM, s/n 0628 -
Raced as an official Scuderia Ferrari Works car for the 1956 and 1957 seasons
Piloted by an amazing collection of the world’s best drivers
Podium finishes at the Mille Miglia and 1000 KM of Buenos Aires as a Scuderia Ferrari team car
Overall victory at the Nassau Trophy and Memorial race with Stirling Moss
The final of four examples built and among only three surviving examples
Supremely eligible for the world’s greatest classic car events
Retained by the Chinetti family for nearly three decades
Beautifully restored by Ferrari Classiche to its 1957 12 Hours of Sebring livery
Ferrari Classiche certified; matching-numbers engine, gearbox, and original body
Within the hierarchy of Enzo-era Ferraris, the sports racing cars of the mid-1950s are amongst the most significant. The Works-campaigned examples are especially significant, as they often finished at the front of the pack at the most grueling races, piloted by the most talented drivers.
Chassis no. 0628 is no exception to the rule. It boasts an enviable racing history on three continents with many of the greatest drivers of its decade. Chassis 0628 began life in early 1956 with a four-cylinder 860 Monza engine utilizing Ferrari’s new Tipo 520 chassis. Built specifically as a Scuderia Ferrari Works car, its first outing would be one of the world’s most significant motor racing spectacles: the Mille Miglia.
Peter Collins was assigned to 0628. Collins’ copilot was the famous motorsport photographer Louis Klemantaski, who captured an incredible array of images from the race giving the public an idea of what the Mille Miglia was like from a driver’s perspective. At the end of the day, Ferrari claimed the top five places, with Collins and Klemantaski 2nd behind Castelotti.
Other international races followed, including the ADAC 1000 KM at the Nürburgring, the Targa Florio, the Coppa d’Oro Delle Dolomiti, the Aosta-Gran San Bernardo hill climb and the Swedish Grand Prix.
Following the Swedish Grand Prix, 0628 was returned to Maranello where it was upgraded with a Tipo 136, 290 S engine with double overhead camshafts for the first race of the 1957 season, the 1000 KM of Buenos Aires. In February 1957, the Tipo 136 engine used in Buenos Aires was removed from the car in Maranello, to be upgraded to Tipo 140-specifications and fitted to a 315. Afterwards, 0628 travelled back across the Atlantic for its next event: the 6th annual 12 Hours of Sebring, now fitted with a 290 MM Tipo 130 V-12 with single overhead camshafts as well as a slightly different nose, with polished aluminum air ducts for the brakes.
Sebring would be 0628’s last race with the Scuderia as in the summer of 1957, the car was sold through Luigi Chinetti to noted NART client Jan de Vroom, in trade for a 500 TRC. De Vroom’s raced it at the Swedish Grand Prix but resulted in a DNF due to an accident on lap 23. Sent to the factory for repairs after the race, the car was converted to 250 Testa Rossa pontoon-style nose configuration.
After the work was completed, the car was shipped to Nassau for the Bahamas Speed Weeks. Raced by Jan de Vroom in the Governor’s Trophy and associated preliminary race on 6 December, de Vroom and the Ferrari finished a proud 13th overall, but this would all change over the course of the next few days. Through a complex deal which lead to de Vroom selling the car back to Chinetti and subsequently leasing it to Temple Buell. Buell then enlisted the services of Stirling Moss to drive. Moss requested that the central throttle be reverted to the usual layout in advance of his race. Despite Moss having never driven a 290 MM before, both driver and car clearly were a good fit for each other, and Moss handily won both events, leading from the start in the Memorial Trophy.
The 290 MM then had a succession of well-known owners, including Harley Cluxton III, Luigi Chinetti, Lou Chinetti Jr., Jon Shirley and Hugh Taylor, all of whom entered the car in numerous races, rallies and Concours, winning many awards. It was also featured on the cover of Cavallino 125.
Upon the current owner’s acquisition of the 290 MM in 2011, it was decided that the car would be certified and fully restored by Ferrari Classiche and it was decided that the ideal point in time to return to would be the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring, as this was after its conversion to 290 MM specifications and its final race with Scuderia Ferrari. It was only fitting that the car would return to Maranello for the restoration, where work was overseen and undertaken by Ferrari Classiche. Upon the completion of the work, 0628 was granted Red Book certification by Ferrari Classiche. The Classiche binder itself states that the car maintains its original chassis, the Tipo 130 V-12 fitted to the car by the factory in 1957, its original gearbox, and original body.
The next owner of this illustrious Ferrari will be afforded the opportunity to add their name to this incredible list as a driver of 0628 in addition to acquiring one of the rarest and most significant Ferrari sports racing cars from the Scuderia’s heyday.
For more information, please contact +1 310 559 4575 or info@rmsothebys.com.
Auction will be held at the Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036.
#MilleMiglia #290
