Why This Ultra-Rare Ferrari 750 Monza Is Worth Millions

Few collector car families are as renowned as the Colombo V12-powered Ferrari 250 series, which yielded legends like the 250 GT California Spyder of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off fame and the 250 GTO, the record-setting holy grail of the collector car world. Those roaring 12 pots are the most remembered from Maranello’s Golden Era, when a roadgoing Prancing Horse could theoretically be driven to a track and race-prepped into a Grand Prix-winning machine.

The 750 Monza, however, is every bit as remarkable as the aforementioned brethren. With a torquey 3.0-liter inline-four that was easier to maintain than its higher cylinder-count stablemates, it took a 1-2 finish at its very first contest—the 1954 Gran Premio Supercortemaggiore at the ruthlessly speedy Monza circuit, hence its name. It subsequently became a favorite of privateer drivers like Phil Hill, Alberto Ascari and a young Carroll Shelby for its ability to outpace its V12 counterparts, thanks to a lightweight design that tips the scales at a feathery 1,675 pounds and a beautifully balanced 5-speed manual transaxle.

Shelby and Hill actually piloted the Monza at its most legendary outing, the 1955 12 Hours of Sebring. After a dogged battle with a Jaguar D-Type, the American duo was initially declared the winner on the podium only for officials to rescind the victory and give the Jag the win by a mere 25.4 seconds. Hill and Shelby would both earn proper victories at the Pebble Beach Road Races Del Monte Trophy in 1955 and 1956, respectively.

Perhaps even more than its competition record, the 750 Monza is famous for impeccable styling. In total, Ferrari built approximately 35 examples, nearly all bodied as open Spiders by Carrozzeria Scaglietti, with styling attributed to Enzo Ferrari’s son, Alfredo “Dino” Ferrari. The roofless design, distinct rear buttress, and uninterrupted monolithic shape is so breathtaking that Ferrari faithfully recreated the silhouette in 2018 for its Icona series in the form of the the Monza SP1—”scientifically” determined to be the world’s most beautiful car, according to its adherence to the Golden Ratio.

The example seen here, chassis 0522 M, is one of the only 750 Monzas known to remain in largely unrestored condition and is believed to retain its original chassis, Scaglietti coachwork, engine, and transaxle—even its vinyl upholstery is thought to be original. Gooding & Co., which is selling the vehicle, has an exceptional amount of detail on its provenance:

As documented by Ferrari historian Marcel Massini, chassis 0522 M was completed in early 1955 and delivered new in March of that year to one of the most influential figures in early Ferrari history: Franco Cornacchia. Born in Brescia in 1907, Cornacchia was among Ferrari’s most important early customers, combining the roles of dealer, team owner, and accomplished driver in the immediate postwar years. He founded Milan’s first official Ferrari dealership and established Scuderia Guastalla, through which he campaigned Ferraris with notable success across Europe and the Americas.

Cornacchia entered Ferraris in many of the most demanding competitions of the era, including multiple editions of the 1000 Miglia, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Carrera Panamericana, and countless hill climbs, where his skill and bravery as a driver were particularly evident. With 0522 M, Cornacchia entered two Italian hill climbs in 1955 – Corsa Sulle Torricelle in March and Parma-Poggio di Berceto in June – as well as the Gran Premio di Bari, where it was driven by Brazilian ace Chico Landi to a 9th place finish.

Following these appearances, Cornacchia sold 0522 M, and the Monza was exported to the US, where it soon entered the glamorous Southern California sports car scene. The Ferrari passed into the hands of Los Angeles car dealer and racer Ernie McAfee, one of the central figures of West Coast sports car racing in the 1950s. An early hot-rodder turned importer and dealer, McAfee operated a prominent showroom on Sunset Boulevard and became the go-to source for affluent Angelenos seeking the latest Italian exotica. His dealership represented marques including Alfa Romeo, Siata, Moretti, OSCA, and Ferrari, and McAfee himself was among the leading drivers until his tragic death at the 1956 Del Monte Trophy at Pebble Beach.

Like many Ferraris sold through McAfee, 0522 M enjoyed an active competition career in Southern California. Between October 1956 and May 1957, the Monza was campaigned as a D-Modified entry in SCCA National events at Palm Springs and in California Sports Car Club (CSCC) races at Pomona and Santa Barbara. During this period, it was driven by Robert Path of Santa Monica for its owner, the successful novelist and screenwriter Alan Brown Le May, best known for his classic Western novels The Searchers (1954) and The Unforgiven (1957).

As noted in Tony Adriaensens’s book Weekend Heroes, Le May “loved the tremendous power and acceleration, but never felt that he mastered the Italian thoroughbred; Alan had never driven a race car before he was 50, and was the oldest driver by a large margin in any race he entered. Luckily, Alan came to the conclusion that he was not ready for this level of car and entered it with other drivers in a number of races… Le May got rid of the Ferrari before anyone got hurt and the car ended up in Ernie McAfee’s showroom, where a young man from Pasadena picked it up: Jack Bates.”

Jack Bates, best known for campaigning a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, was President of Frank Monise’s foreign car dealership in Pasadena and an enthusiastic competitor in local sports car races. Bates refinished 0522 M in a striking metallic silver-blue with white stripes to match his Gullwing, and entered the Ferrari in CSCC events at Pomona, Santa Barbara, and Riverside between July and September 1957. His best result came at Riverside, where he placed 5th Overall in the main race.

At the conclusion of the 1957 season, the Monza was sold to Dr. R.P. McGuire of Fort Worth, Texas. During his brief ownership, the car was repainted dark blue and entered in a single event: the SCCA Frost Bite races held at Eagle Mountain National Guard Base in January 1958, where it was reportedly driven by a young Jim Hall.

Following its active racing career, 0522 M was eventually acquired by Otto Zipper and returned to Los Angeles. In the 1960s, Zipper sold the Ferrari to his friend and fellow racer, the legendary American sportsman and collector Briggs S. Cunningham. Registered in California as “NSV 919,” the Monza was displayed in the renowned Cunningham Automotive Museum in Costa Mesa and appeared in the museum’s series of postcards.

The Ferrari remained with Cunningham until 1985, when it was sold to another towering figure in American motorsport history: Augie Pabst of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, heir to the Pabst brewing fortune. Pabst raced the Monza once, at the Chicago International Historic Races at Road America in July 1985, before selling it to fellow Wisconsin-based collector Bill Schley. From Schley, the Ferrari passed to Mark J. Smith of Pennsylvania, from whom the current owner acquired it in 1987.

Expect this 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza to fetch between $3.5 million and $4.5 million when it crosses Gooding & Co.’s Amelia Island Auctions block this March.