Barn-find Ferrari sells for £12.1m at Artcurial auction

A 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider sold for £12.1m at auction. The car was part of Artcurial’s sale at this year’s Retromobile, held in Paris from 6-7 February.

The auction included a 59 classics from the Ballion collection. Roger Baillon, an industrialist from the west of France, had saved many of the cars from the scrapyard. He hoped one day to turn his collection into a museum

As well as the Ferrari, other cars from the collection sold included a 1956 Maserati A6G 2000 Gran Sport Berlinetta Frua at €2,000,000 (£1,479,274.25), and a the 1949 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport SWB by Saoutchik that sold for €1,700,000 (£1,257,449.58). A 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Cabriolet by Saoutchik went for €745,000 (£551,058.79).

Matthieu Lamoure, managing director of Artcurial Motorcars said, ‘News of the Baillon Collection has travelled around the world. International buyers came together in one room to pay homage to Roger Baillon. This triumph demonstrates the universal passsion for the automobile. This is a significant collection that has enjoyed a significant success.’