This 1963 Ferrari Racer Was the First of Its Kind. Now It Could Fetch $20 Million at Auction.

After years of Ferrari’s motorsport success being built on sports racers configured with the engine mounted ahead of the driver, this 250 P prototype from 1963 was the very first of its kind to position the engine behind the pilot. It was a formula that changed everything for the Prancing Horse. In the car’s first season on the track, when it was part of the official Scuderia Ferrari race team, it took second place at the 1963 12 Hours of Sebring and third at that year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Shipped to the U.S. in 1964, it joined the North American Racing Team (N.A.R.T.) run by Ferrari‘s official U.S. importer, Luigi Chinetti. In its first outing, the car was driven by Mexican racing legend Pedro Rodriguez, finishing second overall at the Bridgehampton Double 500. Weeks later, he claimed victory in the Canadian Grand Prix.

Now, after 63 years of being a blueprint for many Ferrari road and competition cars, this iconic 250 P, wearing chassis No. 0810, is being auctioned at Gooding Christie’s flagship sale in Northern California’s Pebble Beach on August 15, during Monterey Car Week.

This 1963 Ferrari 250 P race car, chassis No. 0810, will be available at the Gooding Christie’s Pebble Beach Auctions during Monterey Car Week.