Rare Ferrari to be auctioned in Monaco

You can't deny this is one of the rarest Ferraris around. Bought new by famed racing driver and pioneering American Ferrari importer, John von Neumann, the 625 TRC Spider's timeless design makes it one of the most beautiful Ferraris ever made.

Although chassis # 0680 MDTR raced mainly in California, its first two outings were in Europe, after von Neumann personally collected it from the Ferrari factory. He first took it to Salzburg, Austria in August, 1957, where he competed in the famed Gaisberg hill climb ("Grosser Bergpreis von Östererreich"), winning his class in the car's first outing.

In the 1960s, the factory Tipo 128 SOHC V12 and transmission were replaced with a Chevy V8 and Borg-Warner four-speed. In this configuration, 0680 MDTR was successful in US domestic competition.

The Ferrari was purchased in unrestored condition by the current owner back in 1981, who commissioned a restoration including the fitting of a Testa Rossa-spec Ferrari V12 and a full-width windscreen. Following its restoration, 0680 MDTR was raced on 113 additional occasions, including numerous successful runs in the Monterey Historic Challenge.

As part of a mechanical restoration in 2011, the Spider's V-12 engine was completely rebuilt and fitted with new cylinder heads. The brakes were also serviced with a rebuild of the brake hydraulic system and new carbon-fibre brake-shoe linings.

Currently RM has a pre auction estimate of AU$4.5 - 5.5 million. You don't need to be a Ferrari expert to see that this machine is super rare. While it may struggle to reach the AU$15.7 million heights set by the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa prototype last year, we won't be surprised if it fetches more than its pre-auction estimate come May.

Let the bidding begin!

For more information visit http://www.rmauctions.com