It is not often that a vehicle like this one is put up for sale. The 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta is a majestic-looking thing, and it packs enough power to make your head spin after just a couple of laps on a track. However, that’s not why collectors are after this supercar. They want the exclusivity, but it looks like wealthy enthusiasts aren’t ready to splurge seven figures for it – yet.
The bright minds at Maranello decided to bring something special for Ferrari’s most well-off fans. To give the 458 a truly royal exit, they worked on it to improve a bunch of stuff and decided to offer around 3,000 units.
When we said that they “improved a bunch of stuff,” what we meant was that Ferrari made the award-winning naturally aspirated 4.5-liter V8 engine scream like there’s no tomorrow by turning it into the most potent power unit ever installed on one of its spiders back in 2015. Plus, the Prancing Horse automaker took some design cues from Michael Schumacher for this exciting model’s interior. It also added some aerodynamic gimmicks and used carbon fiber extensively for the sake of weight saving.
But the abovementioned aspects – or the Pininfarina design – are not what fascinate buyers. The magic lies within the numbers. Although nobody knows for sure how many 458 Speciale Coupe models were made, we definitely know that the 458 Speciale Aperta was limited to only 499 units, just like the LaFerrari. And that’s mostly why they’re so valued by collectors and Ferrari lovers.
But how much does that matter in today’s world? A 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta finished in Giallo Modena with black center stripes that has an Alcantara interior with yellow center stripes and shows just 2,777 mi (4,469 km) on the odometer just sold for the impressive yet apparently underwhelming sum of $850,000 after 29 bids. Back in 2015, this vehicle had a suggested retail price of $387,585. In today’s money, that would be a little bit over $435,000.
So, we could just assume this happy and lucky owner almost doubled the initial investment in just seven years on Bring a Trailer. Why is no one properly celebrating? Well, one of the reasons for this could be that some Ferrari owners and middlemen believe this limited-edition vehicle is already worth over $1 million. In fact, we found two Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta units on another auctioning platform with extremely low mileage that are being offered right now for more than $1,050,000. Admittedly, they have been up for quite some time now.
Interestingly enough, the seller had a reserve set for this rare Italian supercar. They anticipated a lower price and expected the Ferrari to fetch $815,000. Are the absent yellow brake calipers to blame? We will let you decide.
At the end of the day, there is a lesson to be learned here – we should listen to what the market is telling us. A car, even a prancing horse badged one, is worth as much as the buyer is willing to pay for it. This 458 Speciale A found a new home for $850,000, and it lives on to tell its story in another person’s hands. Now let’s hope the new owner will make good use of that 9,000-rpm tachometer.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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