Andy Murray was forced to sell dream Ferrari with eye-watering insurance after hating it
Andy Murray's brief fling with his Ferrari ended swiftly as the tennis star sold the luxury car only a few months after purchasing it. The Glasgow-born superstar, who turned professional in 2005, quickly made a name for himself on the ATP Tour and secured eight tournament victories in his first three years.
However, 2009 marked a turning point for Murray, who clinched six tournament wins that year, including two ATP Masters 1000 events. With his prize money mounting and an additional two victories in 2010, upgrading his vehicle was on his agenda, particularly after passing his driving test that year.
While he learnt to drive in a Volkswagen Polo, Murray felt a flashier car would fit given his burgeoning success on the tour, leading him to splurge a hefty £177,000 on a red Ferrari F430. Despite the allure of the vehicle, he didn't keep it for long and chose to sell it just a few months later.
In addition to the eye-watering price he paid for it, he also had to fork out £100,000 for the car's insurance. He was labelled 'high risk' by insurers due to being under 25, male and a new driver at the time.
In a 2016 interview with The Telegraph, he revealed the attention he garnered from driving the car played a significant role in his decision to part ways with it. And it led to him changing the vehicle out for a more understated model.
"When I started to do quite well on the tour I thought I'd treat myself to a bright red Ferrari," said Murray. "I had always had a soft spot for them as a car brand and, when I was in the position to afford one, I decided to go for it.
"However, I had to pay an incredible amount to get insured on it and, after a couple of weeks of driving it around, I realised it wasn't quite my style."
He further explained that the compact size of the car posed challenges when he wanted to drive friends around. And it proved to not fit his means considering it wouldn't even accommodate his tennis gear.
The Glaswegian was a no-frills kind of player throughout his career, and it's clear that attitude extends to his personal life too. And aside from the practicality, or lack thereof, Murray was clear the Italian stallion simply didn't suit him.
"I'm not flash by any means, but a bright red Ferrari is a definite head-turner and I hated that," he continued. "It was also incredibly impractical, particularly when it came to finding space for a friend or for my tennis bag, so I decided to sell it after a few months."
It was a full circle moment for Murray, who initially splashed out £200,000 on an Aston Martin before reverting back to the Polo he learnt to drive in. And that everyday run-around remains part of his car collection more than 15 years later.
It's a testament to Murray's down-to-earth nature that he still has that car despite boasting a reported net worth of around £110million. That's according to his position in this year's Sunday Times Rich List.
Among the other cars in his collection is a Mercedes AMG GTS, which reportedly came fitted with a tennis ball paint job. And he also owns a Tesla Model X, a BMW i8 and a Jaguar I-Pace.
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