Five legendary Ferraris for sale by RM Sotheby's

The auction house offers you its "Big Five".

Ferrari-Big-Five-Sothebys

By: Nikola Jelicic

Published by: Brian Potter

Apr 15, 2024 at 7:11am ET

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RM Sotheby's has become accustomed to offering some of the craziest models or examples from the history of the automobile, and once again the auction house has struck hard. From 31 May to 1 June 2024, the 'Dare to Dream' sale will take place, and this type of event has never been so aptly named.

The programme features 299 lots, ranging from supercars to racing pictures, a replica helmet and the bonnet of a Porsche once owned by Steve McQueen. But while each of these items is very interesting, we're going to focus on the five stars of this forthcoming sale. These are the 'Big Five', or in other words, five models that have revolutionised the history of Ferrari.

Ferrari 288 GTO 1985

Estimate: $3,750,000 - $4,000,000 (£3,000,000 - £3,200,000)

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We begin this list with "the cornerstone of the Ferrari hypercar dynasty" as described by the RM Sotheby's website. This is, of course, the superb Ferrari 288 GTO, the rival of the Porsche 959 and Lamborghini Countach. The Italian beauty, which was limited to 272 examples, has just 26,617 km (16,539 miles) on the clock and joined the Dare to Dream collection in 2015.

Prior to that, this twin-turbo V8 Ferrari was owned by Ian Poulter, a five-time Ryder Cup winner, who kept it for 26 years. It was the subject of a historical report by Marcel Massini (a human bible of the late Enzo's marque) and got its Ferrari Classiche red book.

Click here to see all the photos of the Ferrari 288 GTO!

1990 Ferrari F40

Estimate: $2,750,000 - $3,250,000 (£2,200,000 - £2,600,000)

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After the GTO, here's the Ferrari that shouldn't even be mentioned any more. Quite simply, it's the most beautiful car in the world (yes, ladies and gentlemen), competing with the Mercedes 300 SL: the legendary F40. Estimated at over 3 million dollars, and also equipped with the twin-turbo V8 engine, this car was originally intended to be produced in 400 examples, but 1,315 of them were eventually sold.

This example is impeccably preserved and has just 1,606 km (998 miles) on the clock! But the Italian has been 'driven and maintained continuously' (well, not too much) since it arrived in the collection, again in 2015. Its water pump has been replaced and its turbo unit rebuilt in 2020. The air conditioning system was also recharged last year. Like all Ferraris of this standing, it has the Ferrari Classiche certificate of authenticity and the red book.

Click here to see all the photos of the Ferrari F40!

1996 Ferrari F50

Estimate: $3,800,000 - $4,500,000 (£3,050,000 - £3,615,000)

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Here's one whose popularity has only grown over the years. Limited to 349 examples, the Ferrari F50 was designed as a Formula 1 car for the road. The gamble paid off, however with all the faults that go with it! More brutal than the F40 and not as comfortable as the McLaren F1 (ask Jeremy Clarkson what he thinks of it), it had trouble convincing people. But in recent years, its popularity with collectors has soared, so it's no surprise to see it included in this Big Five.

Equipped with a naturally-aspirated V12 engine (derived from Formula 1, that is), this 519-PS F50 can propel you to 62 mph in 3.6 seconds. This figure seems almost derisory today (and it's quite crazy to write these words) compared with the performance of some hypercars of the modern era, but for its time, it was completely insane.

This example, the 182nd built, was owned by a Monaco-based collector for the first 13 years of its life and joined the Dare to Dream collection in 2015, as did the previous two cars. With 20,910 km (12,993 miles) on the clock, the F50 offered for sale by RM Sotheby's has also obtained its Ferrari Classiche-certified red book.

Click here to see all the photos of the Ferrari F50!

Ferrari Enzo 2003

Estimate: $3,750,000 - $4,250,000 (£3,012,000 - £3,410,000)

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If you were born in the 2000s, this car was probably a big part of your wildest dreams. This is the Ferrari Enzo, named in honour of Mr Ferrari. Its design easily distinguishes it from its predecessors and its 6-litre V12, which differs greatly from that of the F50, propels this masterful car to 225 mph.

Still on the subject of figures, this 660-PS Ferrari was tested by Evo magazine at the Nürburgring, five years after its launch. The Enzo clocked a time of 7 min 25 s 7, just seven tenths slower than the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 released 8 years later.

To return to this particular example, it belonged to the 'Caiola' family until June 2006, when it was sold to a Beverly Hills-based supercar collector. Later, the Enzo, with 8,607 km (5,348 miles) on the clock, joined the Dare to Dream collection in 2015 (but you guessed it), this is the very first example to be presented in the United States. It's hard to resist this car if you can afford it, and when you know that the great Michael Schumacher worked on it (the FXX says hello)...

Click here to see all pictures of the Ferrari Enzo !

2015 Ferrari LaFerrari

Estimate: $3,850,000 - $4,250,000 (£3,100,000 - £3,410,000)

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We conclude with the final, more modern jewel in this collection, a Ferrari LaFerrari. Inspired by the Enzo, this model is just as spectacular as its predecessors and is by far the most powerful, with 963 PS. Above all, it is the first hybrid Ferrari in history, of which only 499 were produced, including this one.

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The car, valued at around $4 million, has had two owners and was destined for the Canadian market as it was delivered new via 'Ferrari of Alberta' in May 2015. With 2,842 km (1,766 miles) on the clock, this example of the LaFerrari is accompanied by the Ferrari Yellow Book. And surprise, surprise, this car joined the Dare to Dream collection in 2016!

Click here to see all the photos of the Ferrari LaFerrari and if you would like to see all the lots in this collection, open this link!