A collection of Ferraris for sale in Paris

An amateur driver at the end of the 1960s and business manager who notably became a Lamborghini distributor for the east of France, the Alsatian Marcel Petitjean had built up a magnificent collection of nearly 150 vintage cars. In 2020, he entrusted the sale of 96 of them to RM Sotheby's. The catalog included some machines that collectors dream of: a Porsche 904 GTS, nine Lamborghinis including a Miura and a Countach LP400 S, a 1962 Alfa Romeo SZ and a Mercedes 300 SL Roadster. Offered without reserve price, all the vehicles had been sold, generating a turnover of 7.3 million euros. Marcel Petitjean had kept his Ferrari collection for a second sale, still orchestrated by RM Sotheby's. This will take place on February 2 in Paris.Due to the postponement of the Automobile Festival to a later date, the RM Sotheby's sale will take place on the premises of the auction house, rue du faubourg Saint-Honoré. As for the vehicles, they will be visible in the parking lot of Place Vendôme. The catalog therefore includes 28 models adorned with the Cavallino Rampante. Mainly GTs from the 1960s to 1980s.

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1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/4. Alex Penfold ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

The centerpiece of this collection, which brings together the essentials of Ferrari production in the 1970s and 1980s, is undoubtedly a 275 GTB/4 (chassis #09021). Mr. Petitjean has owned it since 1969, which is quite exceptional. Perfectly preserved, the burgundy beige interior berlinetta was exhibited at the 1966 Paris Motor Show on the stand of Franco-Britannic Motors, the Ferrari importer at the time. It was then sold to the Parisian shoemaker Charles Jourdan. Since leaving the factory, the 275 has covered only 75,485 km. It is estimated between 1.7 and 2 million euros. Another Maranello legend, the 1964 250 GT Lusso has been one of the pearls of the Petitjean collection since 1986. The collection also includes a Daytona berlinetta acquired in 1979 and displaying 56,798 km,a 1978 512 BB berlinetta estimated between 170,000 and 230,000 euros.

Ferrari 288 GTO.

Alex Penfold ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's

The other flagship of this Ferrari collection is a 288 GTO, the first modern supercar from the house of Maranello.

Mr. Petitjean is the second owner of this example, which has only covered 9,559 km since it left the factory in 1985. The GTO is estimated at between 2.4 and 2.6 million euros.

As for the 1996 Formula 1 F310, it is a replica model of Michael Schumacher's single-seater.

The catalog of the sale insists on the fact that the Alsatian collector is parting with his oldest Ferraris to enrich his collection with the most recent machines, that is to say those produced after the death of Enzo Ferrari.

Note that all vehicles have been on static display for many years and none are in working order.

Ferrari 330 GTC.

Alex Penfold ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's