Latest news with #GialloModena
Forbes
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
This Ex-Ralph Lauren Ferrari F50 Could Hit $7.5 Million At Auction
Just two U.S-specification Ferrari F50s left the factory painted yellow It's not every day that a Ferrari F50 comes up for auction. Those days are even scarcer when it's a yellow F50 we're talking about – and when the car previously belonged to Ralph Lauren? It's a truly unique moment. Lauren's classic car collection is world-famous, but opportunities to buy one of his cars come by very rarely indeed. The F50 coming up for auction this summer was first bought by the fashion mogul in 1995, then sold in 2003 and seldom seen since. Ferrari produced just 349 examples of the F50, a two-seat supercar with a Formula One-derived V12 engine and a removable hard-top roof, to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The vast majority of those 349 were painted red, with just 31 painted 'Giallo Modena' yellow – and of those, just two were built to U.S. market specification. This is one of those two cars. It is being offered for auction by RM Sotheby's and will go under the hammer in mid-August, during Monterey Car Week in California. It has had the same owner for the last 22 years and, the auction house says, has not been shown or displayed in public since 2009. It is described as being in immaculate condition and is showing fewer than 5,400 miles from new. The car was purchased new by Ralph Lauren in 1995, then sold to the current owner in 2003. The car carries a guide price of $6,500,000 to $7,500,000. This puts it firmly at the top end of the Ferrari F50 market, and demonstrates not only the draw of the rare color and Lauren ownership, but also the increasing appreciation of the F50 more generally. Initially seen as a car failing to out-do its F40 predecessor, the F50 value has surged from below the $1 million mark in the previous decade, to more than double that today. RM Sotheby's sold a red example with just 1,000 miles on the clock in February 2025 for $5,532,500, and another sold in the summer of 2024 for $5,505,500. Expanding on the significance of an ex-Lauren car coming up for sale, Sotheby's states, 'It is very rare that Mr. Lauren has parted with a car once acquired, making the opportunity to purchase a vehicle with his provenance quite a rarity. Nonetheless, Mr. Lauren retained the F50 until May of 2003, at which point it was made available for sale through Paul Russell & Company with 3,300 miles; it appears to have been sold into the hands of a dealer in Florida.' The yellow paintwork is contrasted by an all-back leather interior. The car is described as being 'the centerpiece' of its owners' collection, a married couple who are known as being avid Ferrari fans, and who have both competed in the company's Challenge race cars. Further explaining how rarely the car has been seen in public, the auction house said, 'Early in their ownership it was taken to a couple of events, including being driven for demonstration laps at Watkins Glen, and used as the poster car for the Burn Prevention Foundation Concours in 2005, as well as display at the Cavallino Classic in 2009. It is believed to have not been shown publicly since that year at the Celebration Exotic Car Festival in Central Florida.' As you would expect from a Ferrari of such significance, the F50 has received Ferrari Classiche Certification, which was reviewed and renewed in 2024 with a new 'Red Book' documentation folder due to arrive with the seller ahead of the auction. This process acts as confirmation from the Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy that all components remain original and are exactly as they should be.
Web Release
15-02-2025
- Automotive
- Web Release
FERRARI UNVEILS 2025 LIVERY OF 499P NUMBERS 50 AND 51
Ferrari officially marked the start of its third season in the FIA World Endurance Championship's top class by unveiling the 2025 livery of the 499Ps which will compete under the official Ferrari – AF Corse team banner. The number 50 and 51 Le Mans Hypercars continue to uphold the legacy, prestige, and triumphs of the Maranello brand while reinterpreting the stylistic elements the 499P has inherited from the iconic 312 PB. The crews remain unchanged in 2025, a season in which Ferrari aims to contest the Manufacturers' and Drivers' World Championship titles while defending its Le Mans crown. Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen will share the number 50 car, while Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi will take the wheel of the number 51. The 499P, entrusted to the six drivers, will maintain the same technical configuration as the car that competed in the latter half of last season. The championship kicks off on Friday, 28 February, in Qatar. The livery. While preserving continuity, the 2025 edition of the 499P unveils striking design elements that make it instantly recognisable. The defining theme remains the Maranello manufacturer's signature red, which dominates the bodywork, complemented by Giallo Modena in a colour scheme already ingrained in the collective memory after the team's back-to-back victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Set to make its race debut in Qatar on 28 February, the 499P thus pays homage to Ferrari's recent history while still celebrating its predecessor, the 312 PB. This was Maranello's last Sport Prototype, which competed until 1973 before a 50-year hiatus that ended in 2023 with Ferrari's return to the top class of endurance racing. True to the philosophy of the Prancing Horse, the 2025 499P looks ahead, supported by the creativity of Ferrari's designers. The livery has been modernised with a new composition, blending red – a darker shade that reinterprets the colours seen on Ferrari race cars from past decades – with Giallo Modena, accentuating the car's body lines. The 499P's livery features a dominant glossy red finish, optimised for high car visibility, particularly in nighttime racing. This is complemented by matte accents that align with Scuderia Ferrari HP's Formula 1 single-seater design. The cockpit retains the signature yellow diagonal stripe – a hallmark of the 499P since 2023 – but unlike last season, this graphic now extends across the side pods instead of the lower section of the side. This design choice accentuates the side pods longitudinally, further enhancing the car's dynamic presence. The effect is particularly striking when viewing the 499P from above – such as from the grandstands – offering fans an original and innovative visual experience. The car. At the opening round of the World Championship in Qatar, Ferrari will take to the track with the 499P in the technical configuration introduced in the fifth round of the 2024 season contested in São Paulo, Brazil. This marked the debut of the first technical evolution package (joker), which featured updates such as a redesigned brake cooling duct system and, aerodynamically, the addition of flicks beneath the front headlights. Building on this configuration, the team worked throughout the winter to optimise the overall technical package, both in the permitted test sessions on the track and in the simulator. The winter development programme extended beyond the car itself – where meticulous refinements within regulatory limits enhanced reliability, incorporated regulatory updates, and fine-tuned every area where performance trailed the competition – but also focused on improving all race-related team operations. The powertrain. The 499P has a hybrid powertrain that combines an internal combustion engine – a mid-rear-mounted twin-turbo V6 – with an electric unit, the ERS (Energy Recovery System), on the front axle. While possessing bespoke characteristics, the internal combustion engine is derived from Ferrari's family of twin-turbo V6 engines, also found in road-going models – a testament to the technological transfer between racing and production cars. Current FIA WEC and Formula 1 regulations envisage the use of turbocharged V6 engines paired with an 800V hybrid system. This philosophy is exemplified by the Ferrari F80, the Maranello-based brand's latest supercar, which shares the same six-cylinder engine architecture and several components derived from the 499P. The team. As previously announced, the Ferrari – AF Corse team retains the same driver line-up that has competed in the Hypercar class since the 2023 season. In the 499P number 50, Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen – winners of the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans – will look to build on their endurance racing list of triumphs in the top class, which already includes six podiums and three Hyperpoles across the past two seasons, in addition to their Le Mans victory. Meanwhile, the sister car, the number 51, will again be crewed by Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi. They secured one victory – at the Centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023 – three podium finishes, and one Hyperpole. The goals. After finishing third in the Manufacturers' World Championship standings in 2024 and second in 2023, Ferrari's goal for 2025 is to score valuable points at every round of the championship to mount a challenge for both the Manufacturers' and Drivers' World Championship titles. A title win would see the Prancing Horse claim its first endurance racing world championship trophy since 1972, when it last triumphed in the World Championship for Makes. The calendar. The Lusail International Circuit will host the Prologue (21–22 February) and the Qatar 1812 km (28 February). The world championship will then stop at Imola, Italy (20 April), Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (10 May), Le Mans, France (14–15 June), São Paulo, Brazil (13 July), COTA, USA (7 September), Fuji, Japan (28 September), and Sakhir, Bahrain (8 November). Antonio Fuoco, 499P #50: 'The team will have even more experience this year than last season. I believe that, in particular, we have enhanced our control and management of the car, fine-tuned the set-up of the 499P, and made progress in overall performance. My wish is to contend for the Manufacturers' and Drivers' world titles and try to repeat our victory at Le Mans.' Miguel Molina, 499P #50: 'Our aim for 2025 is to continue building on our work over the past two seasons. Competing for a third consecutive year alongside Antonio and Nicklas will be a great help, but we know the level of competition is constantly increasing. We will need to be highly consistent in every race to win as many points as possible, hoping to finish on the top step of the podium in every race.' Nicklas Nielsen, 499P #50: 'Winning at Le Mans in 2024 motivates us to compete for victory in this year's 24 Hours as well, but I think our goal now is also to win the world championship. The race I am most looking forward to – aside from Le Mans, of course – is our 'home' event at Imola. Racing in Italy with the Prancing Horse is always special. When you wear these colours, you feel part of the Ferrari family, and the warmth and support of our fans is fantastic.' Alessandro Pier Guidi, 499P #51: 'Over the winter, we conducted a few track tests and carried out extensive simulator work, doing everything possible to optimise every aspect of the 499P. The 2025 calendar is identical to 2024, which allows us to optimise a lot of things at circuits where we have already proven our speed, and to improve on tracks where we have encountered some issues. This season, I expect an even more competitive championship. To achieve our goal of winning the world titles, we must further improve our performance and score points in every race.' James Calado, 499P #51: 'Last year, we often found ourselves leading races, showing as a team that we know how to perform at a really high level. However, there is still room for improvement. We approach the 2025 season with optimism, fully aware of the 499P's high-level characteristics and our team's strength – factors that put us in a good position in the fight for the world title.' Antonio Giovinazzi, 499P #51: 'Last season, we delivered strong performances, and the entire team made significant progress. Our shared goal for 2025 is to continue on this path, knowing that we are a great team – albeit still relatively new to the top endurance class. The 499P has already proven to be a fast and reliable car: by learning from past mistakes, we will aim to win again at Le Mans and compete with top-level rivals for the world championship title.' Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Ferrari Endurance and Corse Clienti: '2025 will see us in our third consecutive year in the top class of the FIA WEC, aiming to build on all the strong results we have achieved so far and, above all, become even more consistent. In previous seasons, we experienced highs and lows – mainly because 2023 was our debut year, and in 2024, the team had to continue progressing within a category that was still new to us. This learning phase has continued, and in the 2025 season, I hope we can be front-runners in the fight for the world championship title. We have to be humble, as we are competing against many manufacturers in this championship, some of whom are more experienced than us, having been involved in this category for much longer. We have made several organisational changes and continue to do so. I believe we have taken a crucial step forward, particularly in our technical knowledge of the car. Let's remember that the technical development of the 499P took place in an exceptionally fast-paced and intense timeframe ahead of its race debut in 2023. If we had more time to begin with, we could have accelerated this learning phase, which instead, we continued during the races of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. We have therefore improved both our knowledge of the car and all operations, both on track and at Maranello, showing growth on all fronts.' Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Endurance Race Cars : 'Over the winter, we worked on the car and all our operational tools, seeking to optimise them in every area while improving our racing team. From the second half of the 2024 season onwards, we introduced many modifications to the car, all compliant with the regulations. Half of these focused on improving reliability, around a quarter on regulatory updates, while for the rest, we sought to optimise all areas where we found performance gaps with our competitors. In 2025, while there are no 'joker' updates, there are many areas for improvement. Over the winter break, we worked hard to expand the set-up window, evaluating new philosophies aimed at better exploitation of the aerodynamics on the one hand and of tyre performance in all conditions on the other. To complement all this, we are committed to the continuous development of control systems. This aspect continues to improve across all areas to enhance precision and provide ever-faster responses to driver inputs.'
