Tag Archives: Ferrari

Auctions

Ferrari F50: Ralph Lauren’s Yellow Unicorn Shatters Records

This past weekend, someone with a very large wallet and an even larger sense of taste spent $9.24 million on a Ferrari F50. Yes, that’s right — nearly four million more than what these cars typically command. You could call it madness, but we call it inevitability.

Because this isn’t just any F50. This is the fashion-forward unicorn once owned by Ralph Lauren — a man who, when he wasn’t redefining American prep, was amassing one of the most jaw-droppingly valuable Ferrari collections on Earth.

And what a spec it is. Out of the 349 F50s ever built, just 55 were tailored for the American market. And of those, only two were painted in Giallo Modena yellow — this being one of them. So yes, rarity cranked up to 11.

Lauren eventually let go of the car back in 2003, and since then it’s spent most of its life in hiding. In fact, the last time it showed its face in public was in 2009, before disappearing into the quiet suburbs of Virginia. Cue this auction, and the world finally remembered just how intoxicating the F50 really is.

In preparation for its big debut, Ferrari Central Florida gave it a fresh dose of TLC in late 2024: new fuel tank, brakes, and rubber. And it’s got the Ferrari Classiche certification, because obviously. Despite being almost 30 years old, the odometer reads just 8,690 kilometers. In Ferrari-speak, that’s barely run in.

It wasn’t always like this, of course. For years the F50 lived in the shadow of its lairy older brother, the F40, and its futuristic younger sibling, the Enzo. Critics once moaned about its looks, its lack of a turbocharged punch, or the fact that it felt too much like a race car on the road. Today, those same critics are probably kicking themselves, because values are now skyrocketing faster than the rev counter on its 4.7-litre naturally aspirated V12 — an engine with genuine Formula 1 DNA.

For context, the previous record for an F50 was a mere $5.5 million, set earlier this year by an example with just 2,174 kilometers on the clock. This new sale obliterates that, and suddenly the F50 isn’t the “forgotten middle child” of Ferrari hypercars anymore. It’s the one everyone wants.

So, what have we learned? Simple: if you’ve got an F50 sitting quietly in your garage, congratulations — you’re sitting on a gold mine. If you don’t… well, best start designing polo shirts.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

News

Dust, Glory, and V12s: The Newport Beach Time Capsule

It’s the sort of story that makes car enthusiasts everywhere both weep and grin: in Newport Beach, California, an 88-year-old gentleman has decided it’s finally time to crack open his garage and let a few legends breathe. And by “garage,” we don’t mean a humble two-car suburban unit with a lawnmower in the corner. We mean a treasure chest where modern icons have been quietly slumbering, under a film of dust but otherwise frozen in time.

The headliners? A Ferrari 550 Maranello, a BMW M5 (E39), and a Ford GT. Not tatty, tired examples. Oh no. These are so pristine they make delivery-mile exotics look like rental cars from Miami Beach.

Ferrari 550 Maranello (2000)

Let’s start with the blue-blooded beauty. The 550 Maranello — Pininfarina’s long-nosed love letter to the front-engined V12 — looks as elegant today as it did in its 1990s heyday. This particular car is painted in the deliciously rare NART Blue, paired with a sumptuous brown leather interior. Mileage? 908 kilometers. That’s fewer steps than most of us take on a trip to the pub.

After a proper detail, the car’s lines once again glistened like liquid metal, the 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 promising its 485 horsepower symphony to a very lucky new owner in New York. Consider this: most Maranellos out there have lived the life of a true GT, storming across continents. This one has barely made it to the grocery store.

BMW M5 (E39, 2002)

Next up, the one that petrolheads will argue over until the end of time: the E39 M5, the sports sedan against which all others are judged. This Carbon Black masterpiece has covered a scarcely believable 6,838 kilometers in 22 years. It has never changed hands since new. And yes, it’s got the six-speed manual gearbox and the 4.9-liter V8 with 400 horsepower—the recipe for one of the purest driver’s sedans ever built.

Inside, black leather and wood trim remain untouched, like a Bavarian time capsule. Now in Colorado, its new custodian essentially owns one of the best-preserved examples in the world. Lucky sod.

Ford GT (2006)

And then there’s the American hammer blow: the 2006 Ford GT. A retro homage that didn’t just nod to Le Mans history—it bellowed, wheelspun, and blew the doors off contemporary Ferraris. This one is painted in retina-searing red with white racing stripes, and like the others, it’s barely been touched. Odometer: 1,159 kilometers. Registered? Not once. It’s as close as you’ll ever get to buying one brand new today.

Underneath that aluminum skin sits a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 with 558 horsepower, paired with a six-speed Ricardo manual. Back in 2006, this was Ford flexing against the Europeans, and two decades later, it’s still one of the most charismatic supercars America has ever built.

The Rest of the Stash

Of course, those three are just the tip of the iceberg. Peek further into the Newport Beach vault and you’ll find an eclectic mix of Americana and oddities: a 1973 De Tomaso Pantera, several generations of Chevrolet Corvette, a 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, a Dodge Viper GTS, a Plymouth Prowler, a Dodge Ram SRT-10, and even a couple of Bricklin SV-1s. It’s a museum masquerading as a garage.

Some of these machines are destined to go back into climate-controlled hibernation, while others will roar back to life on public roads, scattering pedestrians with noise and nostalgia.

Final Thought

Every enthusiast dreams of finding a forgotten barn, peeling back the tarp, and discovering greatness. In this case, the cars weren’t in a barn—they were hiding in plain sight, napping in a Newport Beach garage. And now, thanks to one man finally deciding to part with his collection, three of the finest machines of the last 30 years are back in circulation. Dusty? Sure. Glorious? Absolutely.

Source: Silver Arrow Cars

News

$26 Million Ferrari Daytona SP3 Steals the Show at Monterey Car Week Auction

Auction week in Monterey always delivers drama, but even seasoned bidders did a double-take when the hammer fell on a Ferrari Daytona SP3 at RM Sotheby’s. The price? A staggering $26 million—more than ten times its original sticker.

This wasn’t just any SP3. Ferrari built the car specifically for the event, a one-off finished in exposed carbon fiber with a bold yellow livery stretching nose to tail, plus a bespoke interior plastered with prancing horse motifs. The sale benefitted the Ferrari Foundation, the automaker’s U.S.-based 501(c)(3) supporting education. If you’re going to write a big check, this was the place to do it.

The Daytona SP3 itself hardly needs an introduction. Launched in 2021 as part of Ferrari’s exclusive “Icona” series, it was essentially a LaFerrari without the hybrid trickery, clothed in bodywork that channels the P3 and P4 endurance racers of the 1960s. Production was capped at 599 cars, each starting around $2.25 million, and every slot was spoken for before the public even saw the car. Predictably, examples quickly began trading well above MSRP. Just not ten times MSRP.

With RM Sotheby’s gavel drop, this SP3 now holds the record as the most expensive new Ferrari ever sold at auction. It also took the top spot for Monterey Car Week overall, edging out another Maranello masterpiece: a 1961 Ferrari 250 California Spyder Competizione that crossed Gooding & Christie’s block for just over $25 million.

For perspective, the next-highest seller at RM Sotheby’s was a Ferrari F40 LM at a mere $11 million—a bargain in this rarified company.

In a weekend defined by stratospheric sales, Ferrari proved once again that nothing tugs at a collector’s wallet—or heartstrings—like a prancing horse.

Source: Ferrari