As a personal friend of Enzo Ferrari, American paper product mogul Bob Wilke frequently made pilgrimages to the Ferrari motor company’s headquarters in Maranello, Italy, in order to stay up to date on the company’s latest automotive innovations. He would ultimately purchase and own multiple bespoke Ferrari vehicles including the Ghia 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Coupe Speciale.
This historic Ferrari hits the RM Sotheby’s auction block on August 15. The car is probably the most unique and historically significant Ferrari from Bob Wilke’s collection, offering collectors a chance to own a piece of history. Its designed was orchestrated to fit the unique rigors of the Mille Miglia open-road motorsport endurance race first established in 1927. The 375 MM race-car chassis was the second to last that Ferrari ever built. The Turin-based coachbuilder Carrozzeria Ghia subsequently shaped this chassis into an extraordinary street-legal coupe, making it one of only nine road-going vehicles to rest on a 375 MM.
The Ghia Coupe Speciale is intact with its original 340-horsepower Lampredi V-12 engine and its interior. It has also been recently repainted in its original exterior color scheme. Prospective buyers have a rare opportunity to own a custom, one-of-a-kind Ferrari that will never hit production lines again.