Here’s your chance to buy a Ferrari F50 that stands out even more than usual.
Next week, Sotheby’s Sealed will auction off a stunning 1997 example of the supercar finished in bright yellow. The decade-defining speed machine is one of just 31 examples that left Maranello in the head-turning color.
Near the very top of any list of the best Ferraris ever made sits the F50. The Italian marque tapped Pininfarina to help design a third supercar to celebrate its 50th anniversary (yes, that’s where the name comes from). The resulting vehicle pairs an outrageous sculpted body with a Formula 1-derived powertrain. The F40 was always going to be a hard act to follow, but the F50 was up for the task. It was also more exclusive, with only 375 examples rolling off the line between 1995 and 1997, compared to 1,315 of its predecessor.
This Italian-spec example, which Sotheby’s is calling “Maranello’s Best Kept Secret,” isn’t finished in the same Rosso Corsa you see on so many other F50s. Instead, the targa-top comes in one of the marque’s other famous colors, Giallo Modena, or bright yellow. The interior, meanwhile, is covered in black and yellow leather accented with carbon-fiber trim. Just as striking as all that is the 4.7-liter V-12 that sits in the engine bay. It’s based on the mill that powered the Scuderia Ferrari 1990 F1 car and produces 513 hp and 347 ft lbs of torque.
It may be 26 years old at this point, but the yellow F50 looks to be in fantastic condition. The auction house didn’t reveal how many miles the vehicle has on its odometer, but it said the car has been cherished by its current owner since they acquired it a decade ago.
With less than three dozen genuine yellow F50s out in the world, it’s rare to see one hit the market. And the auction house has high expectations for this example because of that. Sotheby’s estimates that the supercar will sell for between $3.8 million and $4.5 million. The auction is set to run from Sunday, October 1, to Thursday, October 5. If you’re interested in bidding, you can register here.
Click here for more photos of the Giallo Modena Ferrari F50.
