PARIS.- The very last Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta to be built will star in Artcurial Motorcars’ Retromobile sale in Paris, on Friday 5 February 2016. Described as “the greatest Ferrari road car – perhaps the greatest road car of any make” by none other than Sir Stirling Moss, the 250GT SWB Berlinetta has become one of the most valuable and highly sought after collectors’ cars.

Chassis 4065, the example to be offered in the Retromobile sale, is particularly special, being the last in the series to be built. Dating from 1963, this rare left-hand drive, steel-bodied car was sold new to the United States and returned to Europe 26 years years ago. It is estimated to sell for €9-million.

Matthieu Lamoure, Managing Director of Artcurial Motorcars said: « The Ferrari 250 SWB is without a doubt the most beautiful berlinetta of the 20th century of any marque. Along with the Ferrari 250 GTO and the California Spider, it represents the marque’s Holy Grail. One only needs to walk around the car to appreciate – from any angle - the perfectly balanced design by Pininfarina.

#4065 is the last 250 SWB of just 103 examples built, giving this automobile a unique history. The car also has an exceptional provenance, having belonged to the great Swiss collector Antoine Midy since 1989, conserved alongside a California Spider, a 121 LM and a 212 barchetta. Kept by the family following his death, this matching numbers and matching colours masterpiece has not been on the market for 30 years.

The official Retromobile auction is one of the most important sales in the collectors’ car calendar. The 2015 edition, on February 2015, realised €52-million, making it the largest collectors’ car sale ever in continental Europe. Star of the sale was the 1961 Ferrari 250GT SWB California Spider from the renowned Baillon Collection that sold for the world record price of €16.3-million.