To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION at RM Sothebys' Monterey event, 15 - 17
August 2019.
Estimate:
$3,000,000 - $3,500,000
- Ferrari Classiche-certified
- The 16th of only 55 U.S.-delivery cars
- Offered from a significant private collection
- Remarkably well-preserved original example; less than 8,000
from new
- Includes original tool kit, owner's manuals, luggage, car
cover, and "circus box"
- FCA Platinum Award winner in 2018
- Over $300,000 recently spent on major service, concours
preparation, and preservation consultation
The Ferrari F50 was intended as an early celebration of the
marque's 50th anniversary. What bowed under the bright lights of
the 1996 Geneva Motor Show was the culmination of everything the
automaker had learned over its five decades of existence. The F50's
512-horsepower V-12 stretched the limits of natural aspiration as
it screamed toward its 8,000 rpm redline. The car's carbon-fiber
tub kept the weight in check. The F50 split the difference between
raw Ferraris of the past and the high-tech future.
The F50 could trace its styling roots to the Pininfarina-penned
Ferrari Mythos concept presented at the 1989 Tokyo show. That car
rode on a modified Testarossa platform, as it was largely a styling
exercise. An icon of its era, due in part to being featured in one
of the first PC video games, the Mythos was not just a virtual
icon. The Sultan of Brunei is known to have commissioned at least
two examples, one in red and the other in a decidedly period
turquoise.
To create the production F50, Ferrari and Pininfarina turned to
wind tunnels. The Mythos' basic shape remained intact, albeit with
a curvier design with projector lights housed under headlight
covers, deep air intakes in the front hood, a small passenger
compartment, and a massive rear wing that likened it to the F40
that preceded it. Enormous center-locking 18-inch magnesium alloy
wheels supplied by Speedline took the Campagnolo look from the
1980s into a new decade.
The shapely body was created from carbon fiber and was wrapped over
a tub created from the same material. Solid mounts held the
race-derived 4.7-liter V-12 into the car. The V-12 itself was
closely related to the engine that powered Alain Prost's Ferrari
641 Formula 1 race car to five checkered flags during the 1990
racing season.
The 65-degree V-12 was placed just ahead of the rear axle. A
carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer intake supplied air, while fuel was
held in an aircraft-grade Sekur fuel-tank bag to keep weight to an
absolute minimum. A longitudinal six-speed manual transmission
shuttled power rearward to a limited-slip differential. Cooling
came via an oil-water intercooler sandwiched between the
transmission's lubrication system and the engine.
Underneath, the F50 utilized rose-jointed unequal-length wishbones
front and rear. Bilstein was tasked with creating electronically
adaptive dampers to make what was essentially a Formula 1 car with
windshield wipers and a passenger seat. Unassisted power steering
ensured that the F50 would live up to its predecessors. After all,
the F50 was never designed to scrub mileage as it dashed across the
continent. Gigantic Brembo brakes ensured that the F50 would come
to a halt quickly after reaching its 202 mph top speed.
Ferrari made no effort to soften the F50 inside, either. Its
dashboard was nearly unadorned, consisting of a carbon-fiber panel
punctuated by three climate vents. Exposed carbon fiber was visible
throughout, which, along with the manual window winders, served to
remind occupants that the F50 was an exercise in weight reduction.
Unladen, the car tipped the scales at just over 3,000 pounds, a
remarkable feat given the power underhood, its relatively long
101.6-inch wheelbase, and the fact that the car's structure was
stiffened considerably because Ferrari chose to include a removable
targa roof over the passenger compartment.
Put to the test, the F50 was four seconds faster around the course
at Fiorino than the F40 that preceded it. Even Ferrari's
then-president, Luca di Montezemolo, gushed with praise. He told
Motor Trend in a 1995 review that the F50 would be "the first and
last Formula 1 car with two seats."
The car hit the American market with an unusual lease program
designed to prevent speculators profiting shortly after the F50s
landed stateside. Of the 349 examples claimed to have been built,
just 55 were earmarked for the American market, including the car
offered here. Finished in popular Rossa Corsa, this example was the
16th built for U.S. delivery and was sold new by Miller Motorcars
to John Hirsch of Greenwich, Connecticut. After being acquired by
the principal of Ferrari of Atlanta in 2000, the car was treated to
an especially rigorous service regimen. Servicing took place at
both Ferrari showrooms in Atlanta and Fort Lauderdale to ensure it
remained in top running condition, and it is one of just a handful
of F50s known to have had the advanced fuel-tank bags replaced.
The current owner took one of the nicest original F50s at the time
of its sale in 2017 and made perfection his mission. Therefore, in
preparation for Ferrari Classiche certification and the 2018
Cavallino Classic, a Ferrari marque consultant who specializes in
preservation was hired to oversee that every detail was handled
with the utmost care. Over $300,000 was spent over a period of
eight months and was not limited to a complete mechanical servicing
of the engine, transmission, brakes, and air-conditioning, but also
included refurbishing or replacing anything that showed the
slightest bit of age with OEM parts or materials while ensuring its
proper function. Work included replacing the Tubi exhausts (which
are included) with the correct Ferrari OEM exhausts, mufflers, and
catalytic converter. Additional parts include a new OEM Lexan,
front wheels with new tires, and importing F50 cloth from Italy for
the dash and rear section behind the seats. Lastly, the
undercarriage was completely gone through and detailed. All
invoices are included showing the methodical care the car underwent
to achieve this level of condition and preservation.
The owner's mission was accomplished, as this well-known example
was awarded the Ferrari Club of America's Coppa di Platino its
first outing at the Cavallino Classic in January 2018 and was
Ferrari Classiche-certified in June 2018. The car remains in
immaculate condition as both a concours winner and as an extremely
well-preserved original example. The original carbon-fiber pattern
remains visible beneath the Rosso paint as one would expect from an
original and correct F50. Additionally, the car retains its
original accessories, including the removable targa top with its
original road case, as well as a complete three-piece luggage set.
Furthermore, the F50 includes two sets of keys, owner's manuals,
Ferrari flashlight, tire inflator, car cover, and a complete set of
tools, including the wheel wrench with bag and a case of spare
lightbulbs and belts.
More than 20 years after it arrived, the F50 remains an absolute
high point in Ferrari's history. As both a rare U.S.-delivery car
and a superlatively cared-for example, this F50 will find itself
among the best of its kind for its next loving caretaker.To view
this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please
visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/mo19.
