Ferraris valued at $ 500 million take center stage at Cavallino Classic

$ 500 million could buy a fleet of yachts, helicopters, houses, and even a few private islands. However, when that sum is spread across just over 100 Ferrari models, we have some of the rarest machines ever built. That’s exactly what happened over the weekend at the 30th Annual Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach, Florida, a unique event that draws the world’s best Ferraris to the Sunshine State. From a pair of Ferrari 250 GTOs, valued at $ 45 million to $ 60 million each, to a one-off motorboat with a Ferrari F1 engine in the middle, there was no shortage of unique vehicles.

The Cavallino Classic dates back to the early 1990s when Cavallino Magazine originally planned and hosted this unique event. Nowadays the event is owned by Canossa Events, an Italian company that hosts auto shows and rallies around the world. Full Disclosure: Both Cavallino Magazine and Canossa Events are part of Motorsport Network, the parent company of Motor1.com. It is amazing to us to have such organizations in the family, but we digress.

The Cavallino Classic usually takes place in January each year and has been postponed until April this year due to the pandemic. Despite the wait, the event went smoothly and hopefully will be the first of many in-person automotive events to return this year.

54 photos

The main Cavallino Classic event was divided into two major areas, a little over 100 cars in total. Canossa Events estimates that the total value of these machines exceeds the aforementioned $ 500 million. The bulk of the event consisted of just over 20 cars, making up most of that overall rating. Here you will find your 250 GTOs, 250 SWBs and unrestored racing cars.

Canossa Events estimates that it costs an average of $ 1 million to $ 2 million to get these cars into a show-ready restoration state. However, some of the vehicles had a nice cracked, race-damaged paintwork. In short, it’s like a significant historical artifact rolls by your way on the show.

As you can imagine, Cavallino Classic is a concourse event where a carefully selected group of judges scrutinize each car. Despite the intense heat in Palm Beach, these judges examined every inch of these extremely rare machines and rated them on a point scale. At the end of the day, they determined the scores and awarded awards for multiple categories.

1957 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France

The highest award went to the best Ferrari competition known as “The Scuderia Ferrari Cup”. The winner was a 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France (above) valued at $ 45 million to $ 60 million. After this racing car had won several races all over Europe in 1957, it came to Venezuela in 1958, where it continued to win and finally ended up in the USA in 1959.

1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Cabriolet Pinin Farina

The second major award went to the best Ferrari GT, also known as “The Gran Turismo Ferrari Cup”. The winner here was a 1952 Ferrari 212 Inter Cabriolet Pinin Farina (above). Similar to the 250 GTO, the 212 Inter Cabriolet also dates from the 1950s. Aside from races across Europe in the 1950s, this sleek top is the only example ever made in left-hand drive vehicles.

While the presentation of these cars may seem like a boastful exercise to owners, there is a method behind the madness. Given the reviews of these cars and their limited production numbers, they don’t often trade accurately with their hands. As a result, the fact that multiple awards have been given serves not only to document their condition, but also to ensure the long-term stability of these investments.

For us fans, however, the main benefit of this unique event is the ability to visually portray Ferrari’s past up to the present. Plus, being able to chat with the owner of a machine that’s worth several private islands is a truly unique experience.