A 2012 report based on Danbury, Connecticut, assessment records described David Letterman’s stored collection as 28 cars and two motorcycles, including ten Ferraris. The city’s 2011 grand-list assessment for the vehicles exceeded $1.2 million—but that historical tax assessment is not a current appraisal or evidence of what the collection is worth today.
What was in David Letterman’s reported collection?
Brian Koonz’s 2012 report, carried by SFGate from the Connecticut Post, said Danbury assessor records showed 28 cars and two motorcycles stored in a local warehouse. The report counted ten Ferraris. It is the detailed public inventory identified here, but it describes a historical snapshot—not a verified list of vehicles Letterman owns now. Read the 2012 SFGate report.
The same account described a collection extending well beyond Italian sports cars. It listed eight Porsches, four Austin Healeys, two Honda motorcycles, a Chevrolet pickup, and one vehicle each from Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, MG, Volvo and Pontiac. The report did not identify exact models for every make, so those entries should not be treated as a complete model-by-model catalogue. The report’s vehicle counts and makes.
Which Ferraris were named?
The report singled out four Ferraris among the highest-assessed personal cars in the records. The year and model pairings it named were:
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| Ferrari named in the 2012 report | What the report establishes |
|---|---|
| 1968 Ferrari 330 GTS | Named among the highest-assessed personal cars; no individual assessment amount is stated in the report. |
| 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO | Named among the highest-assessed personal cars; no individual assessment amount is stated in the report. |
| 1963 Ferrari Lusso | Named among the highest-assessed personal cars; no individual assessment amount is stated in the report. |
| 1974 Ferrari Daytona | Named among the highest-assessed personal cars; no individual assessment amount is stated in the report. |
“Highest-assessed” refers to the standing of those cars in the reported assessment records. It does not establish that they were the collection’s most expensive cars at auction, rank them by present market value, or provide a current price for any individual vehicle. A separate enthusiast article also summarized the historical Ferrari list and characterized the ten as vintage examples; that is secondary reporting. 2012 inventory and named Ferraris; enthusiast summary.
What does the $1.2 million figure mean?
The figure often associated with Letterman’s cars was more than $1.2 million, the total assessment reported for the vehicles on Danbury’s 2011 grand list. The 2012 news account tied the number to municipal assessment records. It is a historical assessed total, not a present-day market valuation, insurance value, auction estimate or confirmed sale price. The available report does not provide a current inventory or a current valuation. 2012 report on the 2011 grand-list assessment.
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Does Letterman still own these cars?
The historical inventory does not establish which vehicles, if any, Letterman owns today. A 2025 CBS interview listing confirms that he discussed his lifelong interest in racing and his co-ownership of Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Racing, but it does not update the contents or ownership of his private car collection. CBS interview listing.
In a 1994 Playboy interview, Letterman was quoted as saying, “I’ve been lucky enough to have a small but important collection of German, British and Italian cars.” The available transcript is hosted by a third party, so it is best understood as a historical quotation rather than a statement about his present collection. Transcript mirror of the 1994 Playboy interview.
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What the public record can—and cannot—tell you
- Reported in 2012: 28 cars and two motorcycles stored in Danbury, including ten Ferraris and eight Porsches.
- Named Ferraris: a 1968 330 GTS, 1985 288 GTO, 1963 Lusso and 1974 Daytona, identified by their assessment standing in the report.
- Historical value figure: more than $1.2 million assessed on Danbury’s 2011 grand list, as reported in 2012.
- Not established by these records: Letterman’s current vehicle list, whether he still owns the named cars, or what the collection would sell for today.
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