Court rules Ferrari 250 GTO ‘a work of art’, forbids imitation

The Tribunal of Commerce in the city of Bologna, Italy, has passed a judgment in which it legally acknowledged the Ferrari 250 GTO sports car a work of art. This is reportedly the first ruling of this kind in the entire history of the country.

The dispute flared up when coachbuilder Modena announced its intention to mass-produce replicas of the laurel-crowned 250 GTO. Needless to say, Ferrari did not like the idea at all and subsequently sued the company, winning the case. The Bologna Tribunal of Commerce found that the design aesthetics and the outlines of the sports vehicle make it ‘truly unique’ and therefore legally defensible against forgery/counterfeit attempts.

The original Ferrari 250 GTO was produced in 1962 through 1964. A total of 36 cars were created and sold at the historical equivalent of U.S. $18,000. The current prices of surviving vehicles are a few thousand times higher in absolute numbers.

For instance, one such car went under the hammer in 2018, fetching U.S. $48,400,000. In a privately concluded deal, another Ferrari 250 GTO brought its former owner $80,000,000.

Photos: carscoops.com