Even when you run Ford, you don’t win every auction. Jim Farley just found that out the hard way while trying to buy a magnificent 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT. The head of the American automaker battled it out until the very last seconds, but this 54-year-old Italian classic ultimately slipped through his fingers for $77,000 more than his final bid.
Jim Farley is known for his role as the head of Ford, but the American is also a true classic car enthusiast. His garage is home to, among other things, a 1966 Ford GT40, a 1964 Shelby Cobra, and a 1965 Mustang Shelby GT350. However, his tastes aren’t limited to American cars. Proof of this is his latest attempt to acquire a Ferrari Dino 246 GT auction on the Bring a Trailer platform.
Under the username Fordman21, which he has been using since January 2020, Jim Farley is a regular on the site. On October 9, he took part in a particularly heated bidding war in an attempt to walk away with this 1972 Ferrari.
A battle lost for $1,000… before an unexpected twist
In the final minutes of the auction, bids came in one after another. Jim Farley bid $350,000, $352,000, $360,000, and then $365,000 in succession. But another bidder, going by the pseudonym Mazzuch, systematically outbid him. At $366,000—just $1,000 (about €900) more than the Ford CEO’s last bid—the auction ended. The problem: The reserve price had not been met. Therefore, the Ferrari was not sold.
The next day, an agreement was finally reached with a user whose username was Mazzuch for $442,000 (about €400,000), which is $77,000 (about €70,000) more than Jim Farley's highest bid. There's no way to know if he would have agreed to go that high to buy this Dino.
The 1972 Ferrari Dino had some serious selling points
It must be said that this coveted car was certainly full of charm. Rolling off the assembly line on May 26, 1972, this Dino 246 GT, chassis 03952, features its original Rosso Chiaro paint finish paired with a Nero leather interior. Delivered new to the United States, it spent much of its life in California between 1975 and 2023. Most notably, it has undergone extensive work in recent years, including a suspension overhaul in 2024, an air conditioning upgrade in 2025, and a new paint job in 2026, following a complete stripping of the bodywork.
Beneath its Pininfarina-designed lines and Scaglietti-built bodywork lies the famous 2.4-liter V6 engine mounted in a mid-rear position, powered by three Weber carburetors and paired with a five-speed manual transmission. In its U.S. configuration, it produces approximately 175 chevaux. The odometer reads about 21,000 miles, or nearly 34,000 kilometers.
This isn't Jim Farley's first time working with Italian companies
This failed attempt serves as a reminder that Ford’s CEO is particularly fond of Italian cars. In June 2024, he won an auction for a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera for $121,000, before sell it later for $293,000. This time, the Ferrari Dino slipped right through his fingers. A disappointment for this seasoned collector, but also a testament to the enduring fascination these Italian sports cars still inspire more than half a century after their debut.
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