To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Fort
Lauderdale event, 29 - 30 March 2019.
Estimate:
$150,000 - $175,000
- Originally owned by racing legend Mario Andretti
- Features optional rear wing
It goes without saying that Mario Andretti is one of the most
recognizable names in the history of motorsport. He is the only
driver to win the Indianapolis 500 (1969), Daytona 500 (1967), and
the Formula 1 World Championship (1978). He was the last American
driver to win a Formula 1 race and is a four-time Indy Car National
Champion (1965, 1966, 1969, and 1984). Mario Andretti is the only
person to be named "Driver of the Year" in three different decades
(1967, 1978, 1984), and was also honored as "Driver of the Century"
by The Associated Press in 1999.
Alongside Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti is one of only two drivers to
have won races in Formula 1, Indy Car, World Sportscar
Championship, and NASCAR. With his final Indy Car win in April
1993, Mario became the oldest driver to win an Indy Car race and
the first to win races in four different decades. Andretti finished
with 111 career wins on major circuits in all forms of motorsport
racing spanning a period of five decades!
Perhaps it was the blend of Italian and American influence like his
own that attracted Mario Andretti to the Lamborghini Diablo offered
here. Or maybe it was its 485-hp 5.7-liter V-12. By 1991, Andretti
was deep into a successful racing career. At that year's
Indianapolis 500, Andretti raced alongside his sons Michael and
Jeff and his nephew John for the first time.
Andretti is said to have kept this Diablo at his home in Nazareth,
Pennsylvania, along with his 25th Anniversary Countach in the same
color scheme. Included in the documentation is a copy of the
Diablo's Pennsylvania title listed in Mario Andretti's name and
showing delivery miles. Recently refinished to a high standard in
its original shade of Diablo Rosso by renowned Apex Auto Body in
Denver, Colorado, the Andretti Diablo shows in excellent, preserved
condition. Its tan interior is original and unmodified other than a
newer Alpine stereo head unit. A new windshield was also installed
when the new paint was applied. The Diablo still wears its
eye-catching original and optional rear wing.
The Diablo's odometer currently shows 36,116 kilometers (about
22,450 miles). This legendary supercar is ready for its next
caretaker to enjoy it at speed in the same way it was appreciated
by its original legendary owner.To view this car and others
currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/fl19.
