Highest bidder

[Nordic]

Did anyone else catch the program last night on BBC2 about Phil Hills 62 willing Ferrari and the auction it was sold at?
If its repeated its worth a look, some good archve footage from the early 60's & early 80's showing Lola and De Cadenets, (The BBC must be a bit short on more up to date footage)
The car formally a part of a collection in france was sold to a US guy for the price of a hospital wing as the song goes, who sometimes drives it to work!

[simon drabble]

what programme was that? - I missed it

[Nordic]

Willing! should be winning opps.
The program is part of a series about auctions, last week it featured a painting.
Among the people interviewed where terry hoyle, Robert Brooks & Adrian Hamilton.
It also showed some clips from the Bonhams Ferrari sale at Gastaad & the auction where the car was sold in the US, what a contrast! one's in a circus tent the other in the best hotel in Europe.

[Nordic]

A bit more info

Highest Bidder
Thu 31 Jul, 9:50 pm - 10:30 pm 40mins

In August 2002 the most expensive racing car ever sold at auction was knocked down for $6.5m, at Monterey, California. The car was the 1962 Ferrari Testarossa 330 that had won the 24 Hours at Le Mans the same year, the last front-engine car to win there. Its co-driver was one of the greatest racing drivers of the 50s and 60s, a three-times Le Mans winner and the first American to win the Formula One World Championship - Hil Hill.

The car itself had been in the possession of the world's greatest collector of Ferraris for nearly thirty years, so when it came up for auction the classic car network was buzzing. One of the most famous marques in motoring history, a winner of motor sports' most famous endurance race, driven by one of the greatest drivers of the period...all this made the '62 Testarossa one of the most desirable cars on the planet.

But it hasn't gone into a motoring museum. The world's most expensive racing car is owned by a New Orleans stockbroker who drives it to work.

[josvandeperre]

I echo catch the repeat - maybe on BBC 3 or 4 - it was an excellent insight into classic cars and auctions - the new owner Spiro cam accross as a very honest bloke in the context of his emotions re cars & the auction

[simon drabble]

Drive to work? that is the ulitimate one upmanship!! It would be fine at my local station as there is no radio to be nicked!

[Stephen Green]

I don't think he drives it every day, just once in a while to blow away the cobwebs. However, it was a very interesting program and showed the market difference in the way auctions are conducted here and in the 'States'.

[krt917]

Yes, it was something as bit different wasn't it? Good insight into the 'other' half of historic cars.

There were, however, a couple of hallmarks of 'car programme in a non-car series' with some eye-opening comments. My favourites were:
- When they said Phil Hill was the best driver in the world at the time. He was great, but better than Moss (admittedly he had just had his accident), Clark or Graham Hill?
- The bit when they were talking about Ferraris Le Mans success and then showed footage of the Porsche 936-dominated years!

Guees that might be being a bit picky, but that sort of thing makes me cringe!

[D-Type]

Originally posted by krt917
Yes, it was something as bit different wasn't it? Good insight into the 'other' half of historic cars.

There were, however, a couple of hallmarks of 'car programme in a non-car series' with some eye-opening comments. My favourites were:
- When they said Phil Hill was the best driver in the world at the time. He was great, but better than Moss (admittedly he had just had his accident), Clark or Graham Hill?
- The bit when they were talking about Ferraris Le Mans success and then showed footage of the Porsche 936-dominated years!

Guees that might be being a bit picky, but that sort of thing makes me cringe!

I agree, but he was reigning world champion at the time so statistically they weren't that wrong.
And he did win Le Mans 3 times.

[paulzinho]

I saw that programme too, very interesting to watch and some nice footage too.

I'd love to own a car like that, also interesting that the new owner still drives it around considering how much he paid for it! Also shows that sometimes dreams do come true!

[krt917]

Originally posted by D-Type
I agree, but he was reigning world champion at the time so statistically they weren't that wrong.
And he did win Le Mans 3 times.

I know. As I said, probably being a bit picky really. I like Phil as well and he's got a pretty impressive record. I just think programmes like this do occassionally like to throw in these sort of one-liners, without any qualification or going any deeper!

[eclectic]

Having met Phil with his daughter in a pub on the Wirral during a VCC John O'Groats to Land's end in 1994 when we were both competitors, and enjoyed a quiet lunch, I might add he is a most unpretentious man and excellent company!