Racecar drivers tend to embrace risk far more than the average person — a fact that’s frankly unsurprising considering many pro drivers put their lives in jeopardy each time they line up to race. And it’s this propensity for taking chances that prompted French racer Marcel Petitjean to spend the fortune he earned in his racing career to amass what’s grown into a world-class collection of investment-grade exotic cars — rather than opting for safer, more traditional investment avenues. After previously partnering with RM Sotheby’s in 2020 to sell off a whopping 96 specimens from his prestigious stable, the French wheelman has once again joined forces with the elite auction house to have his 28 Ferrari models go under the hammer at RM’s upcoming Paris sale.
Representing three decades of Prancing Horse models from 1959 through 1989, the sale includes a diverse selection of Ferraris and features everything from rare production models to a static replica show car of the 1996 F310 Formula One racer that Michael Schumacher piloted in his first season with the Italian brand. While each specimen being sold is objectively an elite ride, there are a small handful of cars that stand head and shoulders above the rest of this already-prestigious collection. This includes an immaculate 1966 275 GTB/4, an equally cherry 1964 250 GT/L Berlinetta, a 1959 250 GT Series II Cabriolet, and the sale’s headliner, a 1985 288 GTO that’s expected to fetch over $3,000,000. Alongside the 28 Ferrari examples, the collection also features an assortment of random Ferrari-related odds and ends such as multiple junior kids cars, several sets of wheels, and a few statues and sculptures.
All 28 of the Ferraris in the Petitjean Collection “Part II” Sale are scheduled to cross the auction block at RM Sotheby’s forthcoming Paris sale beginning February 2nd. Valuations for the collection start from around $35,000 and go up to $2,950,000.
