A 1997 Ferrari F50 with just 106 miles on it is headed to auction with an estimate of more than $20 million. Broad Arrow Auctions will sell it on Saturday, October 31, at its Las Vegas auction, which Motor1 reports runs alongside the Concours at Wynn Las Vegas. The auction house calls it a museum-grade car and "as close as one can come today to taking delivery of a new F50." It's the 334th of the 349 F50s built, so it comes from late in the run. It was delivered new through Maranello Sales Ltd. in Egham, Surrey, as one of about 25 F50s sold new in the UK.
Motor1 reports the catalog describes a UK first owner who kept the car stored and unregistered before it went to a collection in Europe. It recently got a fresh service and a Ferrari Classiche inspection at Ferrari of Newport Beach. Alexander Weaver, a senior car specialist at Broad Arrow, called it "certainly the lowest mileage example of an end-of-an-era supercar," Motor1 reported. The spec is classic F50. It's Rosso Corsa over black leather with red seat inserts, and it still has the removable hardtop that turns the car from a coupe into an open barchetta. It even comes with the original Tod's driving shoes and three-piece Schedoni luggage.
The F50 made its debut at the 1995 Geneva Motor Show ahead of Ferrari's 50th anniversary. Its 4.7-liter V12 makes 513 hp and is derived from Ferrari's 1990 Formula 1 engine, according to Broad Arrow, and it drives through a six-speed gated manual. RM Sotheby's notes the curvy Pininfarina body, made of carbon fiber, Kevlar, and Nomex honeycomb, left behind the wedge shapes of the 1980s. The auction house also says Ferrari capped production at 349 partly because critics felt it had built too many F40s.
Recent sales show how far F50 prices have run. Mecum sold a 1996 F50 in Giallo Modena yellow, one of only 31 painted that color, for $14,575,000. Carscoops says that's the current public auction record for the model. At RM Sotheby's Monterey sale, a red F50 first owned by boxer Mike Tyson, showing 6,196 miles, went for $12,105,000. At $20 million, the 106-mile car would beat the yellow car's price by about $5.4 million. For the F50's older sibling, see what a Ferrari F40 is worth.
F40 or F50? Pick the better-looking Ferrari on WhipJury.
Sources:
The estimate, auction date, build number, UK delivery, spec, engine, accessories, and service: Broad Arrow Auctions
The Wynn venue, the first owner's storage, and the Weaver quote: Motor1
The Tyson car's sale, the Pininfarina body, and the 349-car cap: RM Sotheby's
The Giallo Modena sale, torque, and 0 to 60 time: Mecum
The F50 auction record: Carscoops
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: MrWalkr (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Ben (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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Jeffrey Wiley has spent more time than he'd like to admit thinking about what makes a car look right. He writes about automotive design, car culture, and the opinions people have strong feelings about. He lives in north Georgia.
