A copy of the modern classic Ferrari F50, with low miles, is to be auctioned during Monterey Car Week. Among the car’s previous owners is heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson.
The auction is being organized by Gooding & Company in Pebble Beach next weekend. Their auction is one of many organized during Monterey Car Week, which is happening now and where we have editorial members on site.
The F50 is an important piece of the puzzle in any serious Ferrari collection
The Ferrari F50 is not the most recommended Ferrari ever, which is probably explained by the slightly strange body design. The silhouette really looks like it’s taken from a cartoon – a strong contributing reason why the undersigned was completely sold on the model as a child.
At the same time, there are a number of factors that make it an incredibly important model, historically. As the name suggests, the F50 is the successor to the highly sought-after F40, and predecessor to the Ferrari Enzo (also known as the F60).
It therefore belongs to the series of street cars that have been Ferrari’s flagship over the years. That company also includes the world’s most expensive car, the Ferrari 250 GTO, and the LaFerrari. The very idea of the F50 was to offer affluent customers the feeling of driving a Formula 1 car. That was why, for example, the roof could be removed.
Only 350 examples were built, of which 349 were sold and one ended up in the Ferrari museum. Mike Tyson’s old car is one of the 55 sent to America.
Perfect for those who have a death wish
Unlike its immediate predecessor, the F50 was equipped with a V12, and unlike its successor, the gearbox was manual. The F50 originates from the time period just before automated manual gearboxes became the new standard in the super sports car world.
Nothing else is automated either, for that matter. As the car is from 1996 – obviously a fine vintage for more than just champagne and motoring journalists – it lacks any electronic aids.
In the absence of anti-skid, anti-spin and anti-lock brakes, you as a driver have to make sure you have good reflexes, nerves of steel and probably a certain amount of death wish, to be able to drive an F50. Fortunately, you avoid the F40’s life-threatening 80s turbo kick in any case.
Mike Tyson’s Ferrari F50 is in good condition
Gooding & Company estimates that the bidding will land at around five million dollars – that is 51 million Swedish, plus or minus five thousand.
The car has only driven a thousand miles and seems to have been serviced according to all the rules of the art. Clutch and other wear parts have just been replaced, plus a few other things.
The interior, for example, has been dressed in new Alcantara. How it can be worn enough to need replacement, in a car with so few miles, is a worrying indication of Ferrari’s lack of quality thinking.
Yes, or it’s a natural consequence of a previous owner finding tigers suitable as pets.
Here you can take part in all the details relating to the auction.
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