Ferrari LaFerrari $1.416 million
2015 Ferrari LaFerrari shown
Vehicle no longer in production Above sports cars,
there are exotic sports cars. And the LaFerrari is poised to be the king
of all exotic sports cars. Its 789-hp V-12 gets a 161-hp boost from an
electric motor—that’s right, it’s a hybrid—enabling it to accelerate
like a Bugatti Veyron while achieving somewhat respectable fuel economy.
Far prettier than its predecessor, the Enzo, the LaFerrari is styled
like a ground-bound fighter jet. Its interior is custom-fit for its
owner—as it should be, given its sky-high price tag. Instrumented Test – 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari
Instrumented Test
Ferrari LaFerrari Tested: Yes, It's Hellaciously Quick
But the numbers only tell part of the story.
To test the Ferrari LaFerrari, we traveled to Italy to the storied marque’s personal track, Fiorano. Ferrari’s offer was this: We could either test there—or not at all. We chose to test.
The Fiorano circuit is nearly two miles long, a thirteen-turn rollercoaster built on what was once Italian farmland. Our usual testing venues, where we gather our zero-to-60-mph times, quarter-mile acceleration, braking figures, and grip numbers are nothing like racetracks. Putting a car through our battery of tests calls for a long, flat straight, usually one more than a mile in length, as well as a 300-foot skidpad to assess lateral acceleration.
But even when we test at our locations, Ferrari doesn’t just let us jump into its cars and test them. An engineer watches the proceedings and provides an often-valuable briefing on the subsystems of the car, and mechanics are there to swap out tires if necessary. When asked why all the bother, Ferrari says it wants the test to go smoothly and being there ensures that any problems that arise can be hammered out that day. Every modern Ferrari we’ve tested with the factory’s knowledge also had the automaker’s own test equipment inside the car to record what we’re doing and, as they tell us, as a backup should our own test equipment fail. We find this “generosity” completely unnecessary, however, and, aside from a recent McLaren 650S test, no other manufacturer proctors our normal battery of tests, and we test more than 200 cars per year.
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The Results: Apply an Asterisk as You Deem Fit
0 to 60 mph: 2.5 sec0 to 100 mph: 4.8 sec
0 to 150 mph: 9.8 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 9.8 sec @ 150 mph
Full disclosure: The Fiorano track introduces major limitations to our usual testing procedures. The straight has a slight kink in it as you pass under a bridge, and there’s not much space to accelerate beyond the quarter-mile. C/D procedure calls for running in two directions to offset any potential elevation changes and the effects of wind. Fiorano’s straight is ever so slightly downhill, but at least there was little to no wind on our test day. Ordinarily, we’d either reject the testing venue or we’d run in both directions and average the results. Running the straight in two directions is impossible, according to Ferrari, and reversing the FIA-approved racetrack would apparently poke the bureaucratic monster that rules over Italy. Or we might hit the bridge. Either way, that wasn’t happening. So we were unable to average our best runs in each direction and have to use the best in one direction here. The results, we must note, are uncorrected for ambient conditions, meaning they’re representative of what the LaFerrari did on this particular day. It’s the same policy we applied to our 2003 test of the Enzo, and, in any event, the weather correction wouldn’t have affected the LaFerrari numbers much at all.
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Making the performance even more remarkable is that the LaFerrari is rear-wheel drive. Ferrari’s launch control is easy to actuate and rips off consistent runs, but the 918’s four-wheel drive gives it an initial advantage. So the LaFerrari’s 2.5-second 0-to-60 romp can’t match the Porsche’s 2.2-second time to 60 mph. Initial traction gets the 918 to 60 in 114 feet; the LaFerrari needs 119. Still, the LaFerrari is pushing on your chest with a full g of force through 70 mph and it doesn’t taper off much after that. In the rolling 5-to-60-mph test, which removes the aggressive launch, the LaFerrari posted a 3.0-second time.
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At least the LaFerrari’s braking numbers don’t require any hemming or hawing. There’s enough of a flat and even surface before Turn Twelve to perform our 70-to-0-mph test. Stops from 70 took only 136 feet, and the LaFerrari hooks to the ground as if it stubbed its toe. Regenerative braking can erase up to 0.4 g of braking force, but the big carbon-ceramic rotors are the main retardants. Stops are repeatable and incredibly stable due to the dynamic aero that flips up the air brakes under severe deceleration. Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires developed for the LaFerrari are the only rubber available. When asked if Pirelli’s stickier Trofeo R rubber was considered, an engineer quipped, “Our owners might have to drive home in the rain.” A clear criticism of the slick tires that General Motors puts on the Camaro Z/28, and not the first time Ferrari personnel commented to us on the Z/28’s rubber. We’ve driven the Z/28 in the rain, though, and it’s not impossible. Which leaves us dreaming of a LaFerrari on Trofeo Rs.
Fiorano might not be ideal for our normal tests, but it is a racetrack. After straight-line testing in the morning and a pasta-filled lunch, we spent the afternoon hammering the LaFerrari at a place where Villeneuve, Schumacher, Ickx, Lauda, and Prost lapped. Our guide is Ferrari’s test driver Raffaele de Simone, who can hustle the LaFerrari around Fiorano in 1 minute, 20 seconds. His on-track orientation for us lasts all of 1:21.50 seconds. Our best lap is a less-impressive 1:23.39.
Numbers Are Far from the Whole Story
You now know what the LaFerrari did to the test equipment, but the numbers don’t reveal what the car did to us. De Simone claims that a major goal in the development of the LaFerrari was to make the limit accessible. “We could’ve made a race car, but only a race car driver could enjoy it.”Instead it’s a $1.4-million hypercar with the soul of a racing go-kart, one that mixes huge lateral grip with the ability to slide the car. Like a racing kart, small slips and slides happen in the LaFerrari and none of them feel lethal or surprising. There’s no snapping, no unsettling events, no twitchiness. The limit isn’t a cliff, but rather a very steep ramp. Approaching the limit calls for Adderall levels of attention, but going off the edge doesn’t necessarily mean a fall. Even the seating position is go-kart-like, with the seat set low and the backrest laid back. What’s astonishing is that a car as quick as the LaFerrari can be playful and forgiving—it’s not exactly a puppy dog, though. Let’s go with bear cub.
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Our savior is the LaFerrari’s chassis. Mounting the batteries as low as possible gives an impossibly low center of gravity that’s 1.4 inches superior to the Enzo’s. And there’s also the surprisingly light and quick steering (1.8 turns lock-to-lock). It’s as if the car has the perfect caffeine buzz—the LaFerrari is never nervous, just alert and ready. How important is the center of gravity? Ferrari presented a graph of the relationship between the height of the center of gravity (CG) and the horsepower required to compensate for a higher CG. A 1.2-inch drop in CG has the same effect on Fiorano lap times as adding 50 horsepower. The message from an Italian power broker? Power actually isn’t everything.
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The quiet sidekick to the superhero V-12 is that electric motor. Electric motors aren’t sexy and this one stays in the background, quietly fattening the torque curve and improving fuel economy. The integration of the electric motor is so subtle and the flow of electrons from the 2.2-kWh lithium-ion battery pack so graceful that you don’t notice the second source of power, and it simply makes the V-12 feel like the most amazing naturally aspirated engine you’ve ever laid into. For example, to make the V-12 more responsive, the electric motor can work against and strain the V-12 in certain cruising conditions. Hit the accelerator and the motor releases its hold on the V-12 and the engine spins like the flywheel just disappeared; the word “zing” isn’t zingy enough to describe the feeling. This strategy may be responsible for the quickest-ever passing times we’ve recorded. Going from 30 to 50 mph requires 1.5 seconds, from 50 to 70 just 1.6.
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In addition to carbon-ceramic rotors, the LaFerrari decelerates with the help of air brakes and the electric motor. Heavy regenerative braking takes some load off the discs and the air brake adds drag and downforce and stabilizes the car. Braking hard requires a lot of pedal pressure and the ABS comes in shockingly late. We kept braking later and later on track and there wasn’t even a hint of fade or any change in the brake pedal’s firm resistance.
A second here and a second there eventually add up to a day with the LaFerrari, which leaves us feeling it’s the most joyous hypercar. It will make you feel like a hero as you slide it around, while also requiring patience on corner exit or you’ll start drifting. Next to the 918, the Ferrari comes off as mischievous and willing to play, as the Porsche’s four-wheel-drive setup takes some of the spirit and challenge out of lapping it. If we had to guess, the 918’s record time at our Lightning Lap competition at VIR might not fall to the LaFerrari, but the latter car would be more involving and more fun. Perhaps someday Ferrari will let us whip the LaFerrari around VIR and we can find out once and for all. We won’t even mind if they watch.
The 16 Million Dollar Ferrari & The Most Expensive Cars at Pebble Beach Auction
Photo: Gooding & Co.
The actual auction bid came in at a record $14.9 million but the buyers’ premium bumps it up to about $16.4 million. The new record holding race car was the original prototype for the 1957 Testa Rossa model. Only about 40 of the cars were actually produced. Worthy of note: prior to this year’s record setting Ferrari, the previous title was also held by a Testa Rossa which sold in Italy for $12.9 million in 2009.
$78 Million+ Racked up at Pebble Beach Car Auction: The pricey Ferrari wasn’t the only collectible car making news in 2011. The Concours d’Elegance, which hosts what is considered the world’s foremost multi-million dollar car auctions, saw its share of automotive extravagance with a fleet of drool worthy cars bringing in premium prices to the tune of more than $78 million.
- See more at: http://blog.themoengroup.com/2011/08/26/the-16-million-dollar-ferrari-the-most-expensive-cars-at-pebble-beach-auction/#sthash.Rqh4sGLj.dpuf
The 16 Million Dollar Ferrari & The Most Expensive Cars at Pebble Beach Auction
Photo: Gooding & Co.
The actual auction bid came in at a record $14.9 million but the buyers’ premium bumps it up to about $16.4 million. The new record holding race car was the original prototype for the 1957 Testa Rossa model. Only about 40 of the cars were actually produced. Worthy of note: prior to this year’s record setting Ferrari, the previous title was also held by a Testa Rossa which sold in Italy for $12.9 million in 2009.
$78 Million+ Racked up at Pebble Beach Car Auction: The pricey Ferrari wasn’t the only collectible car making news in 2011. The Concours d’Elegance, which hosts what is considered the world’s foremost multi-million dollar car auctions, saw its share of automotive extravagance with a fleet of drool worthy cars bringing in premium prices to the tune of more than $78 million.
- See more at: http://blog.themoengroup.com/2011/08/26/the-16-million-dollar-ferrari-the-most-expensive-cars-at-pebble-beach-auction/#sthash.Rqh4sGLj.dpuf
16.4
million dollars for a Ferrari. It’s a record breaking price for the
collectible car that now holds the title of the most expensive car sold
at auction… EVER. The 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa, shattered the record
this year at the big daddy of classic car auctions, the annual Pebble
Beach Concours d’Elegance.
The actual auction bid came in at a record $14.9 million but the buyers’ premium bumps it up to about $16.4 million. The new record holding race car was the original prototype for the 1957 Testa Rossa model. Only about 40 of the cars were actually produced. Worthy of note: prior to this year’s record setting Ferrari, the previous title was also held by a Testa Rossa which sold in Italy for $12.9 million in 2009.
$78 Million+ Racked up at Pebble Beach Car Auction: The pricey Ferrari wasn’t the only collectible car making news in 2011. The Concours d’Elegance, which hosts what is considered the world’s foremost multi-million dollar car auctions, saw its share of automotive extravagance with a fleet of drool worthy cars bringing in premium prices to the tune of more than $78 million.
- See more at: http://blog.themoengroup.com/2011/08/26/the-16-million-dollar-ferrari-the-most-expensive-cars-at-pebble-beach-auction/#sthash.Rqh4sGLj.dpuf
$16.4 Million 1957 Ferrari Testa
Rossa The actual auction bid came in at a record $14.9 million but the buyers’ premium bumps it up to about $16.4 million. The new record holding race car was the original prototype for the 1957 Testa Rossa model. Only about 40 of the cars were actually produced. Worthy of note: prior to this year’s record setting Ferrari, the previous title was also held by a Testa Rossa which sold in Italy for $12.9 million in 2009.
$78 Million+ Racked up at Pebble Beach Car Auction: The pricey Ferrari wasn’t the only collectible car making news in 2011. The Concours d’Elegance, which hosts what is considered the world’s foremost multi-million dollar car auctions, saw its share of automotive extravagance with a fleet of drool worthy cars bringing in premium prices to the tune of more than $78 million.
- See more at: http://blog.themoengroup.com/2011/08/26/the-16-million-dollar-ferrari-the-most-expensive-cars-at-pebble-beach-auction/#sthash.Rqh4sGLj.dpuf
A California auctioneer Goodings & Co., sold a 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa for $16.4 million on Saturday, the highest price ever paid for a car at auction. The previous record was $12 million, also for a 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa.
The car is the first of Testa Rossa built and was used as a prototype for the many others that came during the 1950s and 1960s. The car has 300-horsepower, a 3.0-liter V-12 engine, a four-speed manual transmission and was used in races in both the U.S. and Europe.
(GALLERY: 12 Things You Should Stop Buying Now)
While the price would certainly seem to be an indicator of great strength in the classic car market, the truth is actually more complicated. It’s a tale of two markets. As the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported back in 2009, “One restorer estimated that sale prices for 1960s muscle cars are down by as much as 40 percent in the past two years. Yet at the other end of the market, the rarified air of multimillion-dollar luxury cars from the 1930s, sales are just fine.”
The wealthiest buyers are finding their collecting tastes somewhat immune to the recession. But the more aspirational collectors are tightening their belts, and so the middle and lower ends of the market are often getting hammered. And that dynamic isn’t just limited to classic cars; it’s happening across the antique market. Jean R. Vidos, president of New Orleans Auction Galleries, told me that “average and middle of the road antiques have become overly accessible, which has driven the prices down.”
An opportunity, perhaps, for small-time collectors.
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A 1961 Ferrari California Spider
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A 1962 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider
A 1962 Ferrari 250 GT Spider Sold 21.7 Million The Original # 1 Car that Was Ever Made that was in the Movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off
The 1962 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder may have been introduced to the mainstream by the classic 1986 John Hughes' film Ferris Bueller's Day Off (of course, that car was a replica), but the iconic convertible has long been one of the most desirable collector cars for those in the know. With a little over 100 built, California Spyders rarely come up for sale, and when they do, they bring big money. Back in 2008, a 1961 model set a record for a car sold at auction with a $10.9 million price tag.
Those wanting to add a 250 GT California Spyder to their collection (and have the means) will have a chance later this month in Monterey, with a 1962 SWB (Short Wheel Base) model crossing the block at RM Auctions' event. One of just 37 SWB cars with the more desirable enclosed headlight design, the car is finished in Rosso Corsa paint and has a tan leather interior. Under the hood is Ferrari's legendary 3.0-liter V12, the same powerplant in the 250 GTO. RM estimates the value of the car to be in the $7.5-9 million range.
Scroll down to read the official announcement from RM, and check back in a few weeks for our complete Monterey coverage including results from the auction. BLENHEIM, Ontario (August 2, 2012) – RM Auctions, the world's largest collector car auction house for investment-quality automobiles, is honored to announce the addition of a stunning 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder, chassis 3119 GT, to its Monterey sale, August 17–18 in California.
Considered one of the most beautiful and desirable Ferraris in existence, the California Spyder is the epitome of prestige and magnificent styling, featuring stunning bodywork designed by Pininfarina and masterfully executed by Scaglietti, all married to Ferrari's iconic 3-liter Colombo V-12. In total, just over 100 California Spyders were produced between 1958 and 1963. The example on offer is one of only 37 short wheelbase variants completed in the highly desirable covered headlight configuration, ranking it among the most attractive and desirable of all.
"A true dual-purpose automobile, the 250 GT SWB California Spyder remains one of the world's most coveted automobiles," says Rob Myers, Chairman and Founder, RM Auctions. "As one of only a very small group of covered headlamp versions produced, the example on offer is emphatically one of the most desirable open GT cars ever made, combining all of Ferrari's finest work: perfect design with tremendous performance."
Ferrari Classiche certified and finished in the attractive color combination of Rosso Corsa over a tan leather interior, chassis 3119 GT was sold new in March 1962 through Jacques Swaters' Garage Francorchamps SA in Belgium, before being imported into the United States in 1970. The recipient of an award-winning restoration, it enjoyed a successful showing at the 40th annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in 1990, where a class award confirmed its authenticity, extraordinary desirability, and the high quality of its restoration. A matching-numbers example and professionally maintained over its known ownership, it is offered for auction ready to be toured or shown at the most exclusive venues around the world (Estimate: $7,500,000–$9,000,000).
Myers adds, "The opportunity to acquire a short wheelbase California Spyder rarely comes along, particularly one of this pedigree and exceptional rarity. We are truly delighted to present this stunning automobile on behalf of its owner at our upcoming Monterey sale. A magnificent example of one of the world's most revered Ferraris, we expect it to garner strong interest when it crosses the podium on August 18th."
Continuing RM's global leadership in the presentation of important and historic Ferraris at auction, chassis 3119 GT is joined by no less than 13 other investment-quality Ferraris in Monterey, including the extraordinarily rare 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta 'Tour de France,' chassis 0585 GT, the very first 14-louver Tour de France built of a total of nine units and featured in the Hollywood classic The Love Bug, and the hugely valuable 1955 Ferrari 410 S Berlinetta, chassis 0594 CM, featuring striking, one-off Scaglietti Berlinetta coachwork. A full list of Ferraris on offer is available online at www.rmauctions.com/monterey/ferrari.
A tradition spanning over 25 years, RM's highly anticipated Monterey, California sale, held during the same weekend as the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, returns to the Portola Hotel & Spa and Monterey Conference Center, August 17–18. In 2011, RM once again achieved the highest results of the Monterey week, generating more than $80 million in sales, the highest auction tally ever achieved on the Monterey Peninsula.
Photographer: Mathieu Heurtault/Gooding & Company via Bloomberg While the century is just fifteen years old, the Bailon collection uncovered in a barn in France has already been dubbed “The Barn Find of the Century,” and for once, that might not be hyperbole. It might actually wind up having eighty-five years of staying power because included in the stash of sixty exotic European classics was and ultra-desirable 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider.
It was found under a stack of magazines in a scene not unlike one you might find in your Uncle Cletus’ barn covering a ’72 Gremlin assuming your Uncle Cletus covered his Gremlin with back issues of Paris Match.
The rare Ferrari in dirty, as-found condition just sold at the Artcurial auction held in conjunction with the much-loved French classic show Rétromobile for a whopping $15,913,940 not including the 10% buyer’s premium. The bidding started at $7 million. Best known to Americans as the car that Ferris Bueller appropriated on his day off, the California Spider is one of the most glamorous open cars that date to the so-called “Enzo Era” when charismatic founder Enzo Ferrari ruled his company with an iron fist. This car was once the property of French actor Alain Delon and had been famously and extensively photographed on the French Riviera with Delon’s girlfriend Jane Fonda long before her infamous trip to Hanoi.
Last year, auctions at Gooding, Bonhams and RM Auctions reached a record tally of almost $400 million, led by a $38.1 million Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta that set a record for a car sold at auction globally. Values are stablizing after rising along with other high-end collectibles as wealthy individuals’ appetite for alternative investments grows.
Prices are “flat at a very high level,” said McKeel Hagerty, chief executive officer of Hagerty, a Traverse City, Michigan-based insurer and classic car database. “There is still very high demand for important cars.”
The estimate for the Ferrari -- the first time since the 1960s that this car with the chassis 3095 GT is coming to a public sale in the U.S. -- is $16 million to $18 million, according to Santa Monica, California-based Gooding.
More Valuable
In February, the same model fetched the world record for its category at auction, selling for $18.5 million in Paris. The car offered in California hasn’t had a full restoration, which makes it unusual for a car of its kind and possibly more valuable, said Larry Fisher, executive director of the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California.RM Sotheby’s -- created when Sotheby’s auction house took a 25 percent ownership interest in RM Auctions in February -- will auction a yellow 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione for more than $17 million. It’s one of about 45 of its kind, RM Sotheby’s said.
1960
Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione, estimated at more than $17
million. Photographer: Patrick Ernzen/RM Sotheby’s via Bloomberg
The yellow Ferrari and an orange 1998 McLaren F1 sports car, estimated at more than $12 million, are part of a private collection of 25 autos that includes 10 Ferraris, two Lamborghinis and two Bugattis that will be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s. The seller is an unidentified collector based in Florida.
Private Collection
The sale is expected to total more than $80 million, which would be the highest ever for a private collection sold during a single-day car auction. Bonhams set the record last year for the category at $66 million.Also included in this sale is a 2005 Ferrari Enzo the factory built as a gift to Pope John Paul II, estimated at $4 million to $6 million. It’s the 400th version and last one built, according to RM Sotheby’s.
The 1998 McLaren F1 sold for $13.8 million. Photographer: Katya Kazakina/Bloomberg
Another notable car coming to auction is a 1956 Fiat Eden Roc created for Gianni Agnelli, who became the Fiat chairman in 1966 and who wanted a car to take guests from his estate in Nice, France, to the beach. The open air Eden Roc looks like a cross between a Volkswagen van and a road-ready motorboat. Gooding has a low estimate of $250,000.
Unusual Item
“It’s an example of a really unusual item that never comes up for auction,” said David Gooding, president and founder of Gooding.Bonhams will offer a 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Competizione Alloy Berlinetta, a sports car that placed third overall at the 1959 Tour de France car race with an estimate of $9 million to $12 million. The auction house will also sell a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO with a high estimate of $3 million and a 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic for as much as $2.4 million that’s had the same owner since 1979.
Sold:
California sale sees one of 36 GTOs become the most valuable car sold at public auction
Ten minutes. Ten minutes. Three collectors literally phoned in bids over the course of nearly ten minutes - moving in million dollar increments - the winner securing one of only 36 Ferrari 250 GTOs ever built.
The final price? $48.4m after fees, making this little Ferrari a big story. It now becomes the most expensive car ever sold at public auction
(though a little off the reported $70m paid for a 250 GTO a couple of months back at a private auction).
Still. Nearly fifty big ones for an old car built in the 1960s. But of course, no Ferrari 250 GTO is just an old car built in the 1960s. This one in particular is the third of the run – chassis number 3413 – and was tested by F1 world champ Phil Hill for the 1962 Targo Florio. It won there twice over the next two years. And took the Italian National GT Championship in 1962.
Today, it was sold with its original engine, gearbox and Series II body following two decades of being in the custody of Gregory Whitten. “My journey with the 250 GTO has come to an end,” he said. “But I am excited to see how this fantastic car is enjoyed by the new owner.”
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