For Sale at Auction: 2015 Ferrari 458 in Carmel, California

Chassis No. ZFF78VHA5F0213621

The Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta arrived in 2014 as the open-top counterpart to the track focused 458 Speciale, limited to just 499 examples, and offered exclusively to established Ferrari clients. Though it was not known at the time, it marked the end of an era, representing the last naturally aspirated mid-engine V8 Ferrari, a lineage that gave way to turbocharging with the 488 that followed. Save for the Icona Series Daytona SP3, no mid-engine Ferrari since has been built around a naturally aspirated engine.

Behind the driver sits a 4.5-liter V8 producing 597 horsepower at a screaming 9,000 rpm, paired with 398 lb-ft of torque and a 14:1 compression ratio that contemporary reviewers found remarkable for a road car. Weight savings remained as central to the Aperta as they were to the Berlinetta, achieved through forged wheels, lightened bodywork, and a stripped interior that dispensed with the glovebox entirely. The result was a 1 minute and 23.5 second lap around the Fiorano test track, a time identical to its Berlinetta counterpart.

The Aperta also represents the final mid-engine V8 Ferrari to carry design work by Pininfarina, following the end of the two houses' 60-year partnership in 2013, before the factory brought its styling operation fully in-house. Combined with the theater of an open cabin and that 9,000-rpm wail reaching the eardrums unfiltered, the Aperta delivers an experience few modern Ferraris can match.

Top Gear, naming it Cabriolet of the Year for 2014, called the car "singular and superb and utterly magnificent," noting that the removable roof added another dimension rather than diluting the hardtop's focus. The combination of drama, mechanical purity, and rarity has since established the Speciale Aperta as one of the most sought-after Ferraris of the 21st century.

Chassis number 213621 is among the finest examples of the 458 Speciale Aperta to come to market, a virtually new, investment-grade car showing just 175 miles at the time of cataloging. Finished in Bianco Avus with Nero and Argento racing stripes over Nero leather, it presents in essentially showroom-fresh condition. Its accompanying window sticker records delivery to Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo of Wilsonville, Oregon, $64,905 in optional equipment, its specification reflecting the thoughtful choices of an owner who clearly understood the car's significance. A U.S.-market car delivered new to the United States, chassis 213621 is accompanied by its original books and warranty card, which shows that Robert Edgar of Lake Oswego, Oregon, took delivery of the car on 31 October 2015. A clean CARFAX Vehicle History Report that traces its subsequent servicing at Ron Tonkin Gran Turismo and documents its ownership through a succession of U.S.-based caretakers who maintained its delivery mileage, with further maintenance performed at Ferrari service centers in Southern California and Florida.

The crisp Bianco Avus exterior is punctuated by Scuderia Ferrari fender shields and Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes clamped by yellow-painted calipers. The extra equipment further includes an AFS system, titanium exhaust pipes, and every available exterior gloss carbon fiber option, including front flaps, rear flaps, front air vents, side nolders, rear diffuser, under door covers, and wheel center caps.

Inside, a rarely seen full leather interior, the great majority of Speciales having been delivered with Alcantara, sees Nero leather trimmed with yellow deviated stitching covering the Daytona-style bucket seats and detailing the headrests with embroidered Cavallino Rampante emblems. The same leather extends across the upper dash, door panels, instrument pod, steering wheel grips, and lower tunnel, while the steering wheel is equipped with carbon fiber accents and shift LEDs. Navigation, Bluetooth, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, and the all-important suspension lifter round out a well-considered specification.

With near-delivery mileage, a desirable color combination, and a comprehensive options list, chassis 213621 quite possibly the finest example of the final naturally aspirated mid-engine V8 Ferrari in the world. The car is accompanied by two keys, its owner's manuals in their folio, and its original window sticker.