A quartet of historic Formula One cars spanning some of the most exciting years of the sport will be offered at RM Sotheby’s upcoming Monaco auction, which takes place at the Grimaldi Forum on April 25.
Comprising two Ferraris, one Toleman, and a Fittipaldi, the Grand Prix cars are expected to sell for more than €10 million ($11.5 million) - bringing the cumulative low estimate of the Monaco auction to a staggering €87 million ($100.3 million), said a statement from RM Sotheby’s.
The world's largest collector car auction house by total sales, RM Sotheby’s has over 40 years of proven results in the collector car industry.
Its vertically integrated range of services, from auctions (live and online) and private sales to estate planning and financial services, coupled with an expert team of Car Specialists and an international footprint, provide an unsurpassed level of service to the global collector car market.
RM Sotheby’s is currently responsible for six of the top ten most valuable motor cars ever sold at auction.
1978 season favourite
Leading the pack is the earliest of the set—a 1978 Ferrari 312 T3 (Est: €4,500,000 - €5,500,000) that was driven by 12-time Formula One race winner Carlos Reutemann in no fewer than four rounds of the 1978 season, in addition to another outing at the 1979 Argentinian Grand Prix at the hands of Gilles Villeneuve.
Among Mauro Forghieri’s most celebrated designs, only five chassis were built to contest the 1978 season, with this storied example having been awarded Ferrari Classiche certification in 2025. It follows in the footsteps of a 1979 Ferrari 312 T4 that was sold at RM Sotheby’s 2024 Monaco auction for €7,655,000.
Rare Ferrari 642 model
Equally rare is a one-of-five 1991 Ferrari 642 (Est: €3,000,000 - €4,000,000)—one of the most attractive grand prix cars of the era and a significant model for the Scuderia, its 3.5-litre V-12 engine going on to form the basis of the engine that powered the Ferrari F50 road car.
This example, chassis 125, served as a spare car for Alain Prost and Jean Alesi at the Brazilian and San Marino Grands Prix, and was awarded Ferrari Classiche certification in 2012. Offered with a spare rear wing, jacks, starter, tyre warming blankets, and sets of spare tyres, it would provide an ideal route into Ferrari’s renowned F1 Clienti programme.
The Ferraris are joined by a 1984 Toleman TG183B (Est: €2,800,000 - €3,800,000)—the very car that delivered Brazilian ace Ayrton Senna his first seat in Formula One. Exclusively raced by Senna, including at his debut home Brazilian Grand Prix, this significant piece of the driver’s story is highly eligible for events like the Monaco Historic Grand Prix.
1979 hot Fittipaldi model
A 1979 Fittipaldi F6/A (Est: €500,000 - €700,000) offers a more accessible route to Monaco Historic Grand Prix glory, with the chassis offered having placed on the podium during the 2024 event. Exclusively raced by Emerson Fittipaldi in period, it contested seven rounds of the 1979 season, including a 7th-place finish at Watkins Glen. This well sorted car is offered with an FIA Historic Technical Passport and is elegible for the Masters Racing Legends series for 1966 to 1985 F1 cars, and boasts a 3-litre Cosworth DFV engine that has covered less than 400 km since being rebuilt.
Formula One fans may also be tempted by a 2003 Jordan EJ13 Show Car (Est: €100,000 - €150,000). Built in April 2003, the car is a static replica of the Jordan EJ13 that won the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix, for which Giancarlo Fisichella and Eddie Jordan were famously awarded trophies at the following round at Imola.
