RM Sotheby’s forthcoming Arizona sale on January 17-18 will feature a one-of-a-kind Ferrari with a genuinely royal provenance. Leading the auction is a unique, custom-built 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe Speciale which was delivered new to Princess Lilian de Réthy of Belgium. Featuring its original matching-numbers engine, and exclusive Pinin Farina coupe coachwork, the historic Ferrari is expected to sell for $11 – $13 million.

Princess Lilian’s story is a truly remarkable one. Born in London in 1916 to Belgian parents fleeing WWI, she later served as a governess to the three children of King Leopold III, whose wife Queen Astrid had been tragically killed in a car crash in 1935. During WWII Leopold was held under house arrest by the Nazis as a POW, and during this period he secretly married Lilian, who was prevented from claiming the title of ‘Queen’ due to her non-royal lineage.