//:: Eyeing for record price at pebble

It's hard to believe, but it's almost time for the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance again, and with it comes some of the best vintage and collector car auctions in the world. At this year's Gooding & Co. auction during the Monterey classics week, a stunning 1957 Ferrari 250 Tesa Rossa prototype will cross the block.

Wearing the rather evil-sounding chassis number 0666 TR, the first prototype for the vaunted Testarossa line could set a new record for all-time auction sale price.

Of course, exactly what constitutes a record sale price at auction remains a bit unclear. A 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic sold for about $30 million at a Gooding & Co. auction last year, beating the $12.2 million record for a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa sold in 2009 at an RM Auction event. The Ferrari 250 is actually one of the main names in the record auction game, with another example, a 250 GTO, selling for a record $28.7 million--though it wasn't sold at auction.

Earning the title for most expensive Ferrari 250 sold at auction, however, might not be too hard a feat to achieve, despite the dreary economy we're in at the moment. Considering the previous record-setter was a mere production model, and a 1961-vintage car at that, the original prototype should command an additional premium.

"Being in the presence of the 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa Prototype is a visceral and breathtaking experience unlike anything I’ve ever known," says David Gooding, President and founder of Gooding & Company. "We will all witness a historic day when this incredible car – one of the greatest race cars of all time – crosses our stage in Pebble Beach this August."