Nick Mason, renowned drummer and founding member of Pink Floyd, is also known for his passion for classic cars. His collection includes a wide range of rare and valuable vehicles, including a Ferrari 250 GTO. When Mason purchased his Ferrari, it wasn’t an exorbitant investment by today’s standards, proportionally speaking. He managed to buy it at a price similar to that of the new electric Alfa Romeo Junior. For comparison, today a Ferrari 250 GTO can fetch up to 50 million euros, depending on various factors.
Ferrari 250 GTO: the Pink Floyd drummer bought it at a laughable price compared to its current value
To give you an idea, a rare 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO was sold at auction for 51 million dollars. Even though this particular case involves a unique piece, originally equipped with a 4.0-liter V12, later replaced with a 3.0-liter engine after an accident at Le Mans, the prices for this car are expected to rise even further.
It’s almost laughable that in 1977, Mason acquired his Ferrari 250 GTO for 35,000 pounds, or just over 42,000 euros. If we account for inflation, this amount reaches 212,000 euros, still a ridiculous sum compared to the car’s potential value today.
Reflecting on the dynamics of the automotive market in the past versus the present, it’s clear that 212,000 euros today represented a considerable investment in the late ’70s. Today, a similar amount might be allocated to vehicles like the Tesla Cybertruck, which underscores the changes in values and perceptions in the automotive world. In short, Mason, besides having excellent taste in cars, was also very lucky, but as they say, “fortune favors the bold.”
Staying on the topic of the Ferrari 250 GTO, Tom Cruise is known not only for his acting talent but also for being an expert stuntman. He personally drove a replica of the dark blue 250 GTO in the film “Vanilla Sky.” This model is not original, but a replica based on a 1976 Datsun 280Z with a GTO Alpha 1 fiberglass body and a Chevrolet V8 engine. Paramount Pictures purchased the replica for the film but later handed over the model to Joe Alphabet following pressure from Ferrari. The Maranello-based automaker takes this issue very seriously, so much so that it recently destroyed 3 Ferrari replicas and thousands of counterfeit items bearing the Prancing Horse logo.