The World's Most Expensive Car Ever Sold for $44 Million, is at The Centre of a High Court battle in London

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London supercar trader Gregor Fisken, 55, bought the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO for some $44 million in October 2017 on the understanding that its missing original gearbox would be sourced and later handed over. It makes it the world's most expensive publicly recorded car sale.

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But the seller, Washington-based lawyer Bernard Carl, claims Mr Fisken quibbled over the logistics of delivering it and has breached the terms of their contract, meaning he no longer has any rights to it.

Now, the world's most expensive car is at the centre of a High Court battle between a top dealer and a US collector, as a judge must decide who is entitled to the £37m vehicle's gearbox.

Mr Carl is demanding that Mr Fisken hand over $500,000 (£380,000) to cover his efforts in locating the "unique and special" gearbox, which is being held by a classic car dealer in America.

The legal dispute over the return of the gearbox, and whether Mr. Carl is actually due the extra half-million under the contract, is at the moment undecided.

Just 39 of the incredibly rare Ferraris were built between 1962 and 1964 and the model is considered the Holy Grail among the world's wealthiest collectors.

The $44m (£37m) Mr Fisken paid is the highest publicly verified sale price of a car. Only the second GTO ever built, it has an illustrious history, having been driven to first in class and second overall at the 1962 world famous '12 Hours of Sebring' endurance race in Florida by celebrated motorsport drivers Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien. The GTOs are the rarest of the rare. Chassis 3387, the subject of this dispute, is a legendary racer to boot. That cocktail of assets is what made the Carl-Fisken sale the highest recorded price for privately sold car.

The hearing still continues.