Marc 'The Cope' Coppola

Marc 'The Cope' Coppola

Marc "The Cope" Coppola is a native New Yorker who can be heard on a station near you!

 

When $200 Will Get You $6,000,000

$200 Garage Find Ferrari Now Worth Millions Is Up For Sale

Drag racer Mike Sanfilippo bought a car for $200 at a garage sale “for the cool body,” not knowing what a special part of racing history he was getting. He was going to use it to build a custom hot rod but never got around to it, finally selling it on eBay to classic car restorer Tom Shaughnessy. An expert explained to Shaughnessy that just the car’s chassis alone was “essentially priceless.”

Why was it worth so much? Because it was rare…very rare. There were only 24 of the 1952 Ferrari 240 America models built, and this one was special even among that small group; it was driven in the

1952 24 Hours of Le Mans race, finishing fifth. It was then brought to the United States where it continued to be used to run races before it disappeared from the public…until Sanfilippo bought it at the garage sale.

It’s a cool story, but it’s going to have an even cooler ending for Shaughnessy. He has the car up for sale through the Mecum Gallery direct sale program, and while no one knows how much it will bring

in, the last 340 America model was sold in 2017 for over $6 million.

The joke for me is I spent years looking for the hidden gem at garage sales. My gem would have been a 1950s Gibson or Fender guitar. I finally found one. Something didn't quite stack up serial number wise so I hesitated. Turned out to be a 1952 Telecaster. The Holy Grail. Wife didn't let me get it. Leslie West of Mountain then told her of the story of a friend who found an acoustic Martin for $100. Turned out to be worth $100 grand. The late Leslie West said, "You let Cope by whatever he wants, because you blew that one."

Never found another.


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