Hurricane-damaged Ferraris make £13m at auction

A group of Ferraris were exposed to the elements in Hurricane Charley in 2004

A collection of Ferraris damaged in 2004’s Hurricane Charley has made a combined $16.5m (£13m) at auction.

Described as the ‘ultimate barn find’, the 20 Ferraris span from 1954 to 1991, and were put into storage in Florida in the early 1990s, and would likely still be there if it wasn’t for Hurricane Charley of 2004. It caused widespread damage to the Florida coast, including to the barn where this collection of Ferraris was stored, leaving them exposed to the elements, and famously photographed.

Some models were more damaged than others, with several having smashed windscreens, while another looks to have had a beam fall down the middle of the car, meanwhile, others appear unscathed. Following the Hurricane, the collection was moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where they have remained since.

The Florida barn where the Ferraris were stored was damaged in a hurricane in 2004. (RM Sotheby’s)

RM Sotheby’s, which auctioned the cars, said only a ‘select group of Ferrari collectors’ knew about the whereabouts of the Ferraris’ before being unearthed, with the group of classics going under the hammer yesterday (August 17) in Monterey, California.

All sold without reserve, the vehicles made a combined $16.5m (£13m), with the most valuable being a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy by Scaglietti, which went under the hammer for $3.3m (£2.6m).

The second most expensive lot was a 1956 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Coupe by Pinin Farina, one of just 12 made, which sold for $2.8m (£2.2m).

This fire-damaged shell of a Ferrari. made £1.5m at auction.

Arguably the most interesting lot in the collection was the remnants of a 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider, which these days just looks like a rusty shell dragged out of a scrapyard. Despite how it appears, though, it’s one of the most significant classic Ferrari models, competing at the legendary Mille Miglia race and period Grand Prix championships. However, in the 1960s, it was crashed and suffered from fire damage. RM Sotheby’s says it’s been ‘preserved in its race-damaged condition’. At auction, it made a remarkable $1.9m (£1.5m).

RM Sotheby’s auction runs for the next two days, with other high-profile lots coming up including a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 previously owned by legendary actor Steve McQueen and a highly-desirable Ferrari 250 LM, estimated to sell for up to $20m (£15.7m).