RM Sotheby's auctioning Steve McQueen-owned 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4

Monterey Car Week is far on the horizon, but auction house RM Sotheby’s has already published details about some of the classics that will cross the block during the event. One of the main attractions is a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 purchased new by actor Steve McQueen.

Assigned chassis number 10621, the Scaglietti-bodied coupe was delivered new to McQueen at a dealership in Hollywood. He owned it for over four years, according to RM Sotheby’s, and enthusiast sites that specialize in tracking vintage Ferrari models suggest it went through numerous owners and paint colors in the subsequent decades. It was reportedly painted in a shade of red called Chianti and fitted with a set of Borrani wire wheels during McQueen’s ownership, repainted in bright red in the early 1970s, and stored for several years after a rear-end collision. The site adds that it was converted into a Spyder and painted yellow in the 1980s and given a coat of silver paint in the 2000s.

Many of the modifications were performed before older exotics skyrocketed in value. When prices began to rise, the 275 got sent to Ferrari’s Classiche Department for a ground-up restoration intended to bring it back to its original condition. RM notes that making this car look like it did when McQueen took delivery required about three years of work. It got its roof back and it’s once again finished in its original shade of red. The coupe has since been displayed in Ferrari’s official museum and at prestigious events like the Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance. 

If you think its next stop should be your garage, plan on traveling to Monterey, California, on August 18, 2023, and don’t forget to bring your checkbook. RM estimates that the 275 GTB/4 will sell for anywhere between $5 million and $7 million excluding auction-related fees. If that’s too much, numerous other high-profile classics will cross the auction block during the sale, and some are much cheaper. One is a Scaglietti-bodied 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 (the 49th of 121 examples built) that received a full restoration in 2000. It’s expected to trade hands for $2.8 million to $3.2 million. Or, how about a restored 1955 Lancia Aurelia B20S GT Coupe Series 4? It could sell for up to $250,000.