The most expensive car that Sotheby’s is preparing to auction off at the first event of 2024 is a 2016 LaFerrari. It is part of the Ultimate Performance Collection, and it goes under the hammer alongside its siblings: a Lamborghini Centenario and a Ford GT.
LaFerrari was an out-of-this-world car from the very first moment the Italians unveiled it back in 2013 at the Geneva Motor Show. A decade ago, it was the company’s first full hybrid and came with the highest power output of any street-legal Ferrari up to that moment.
It was also the most expensive, rated at around $1.5 million. Exclusivity made the price skyrocket over the years. Ferrari was planning a run of only 499 such units. But the 500th LaFerrari Coupe was specifically built for charity to benefit the people of central Italy, who were affected by a massive earthquake that took place on August 24, 2016.
It is powered by a 6.3-liter V12 engine, longitudinally mounted on the rear axle. The power unit generates 789 horsepower (800 PS) and 516 pound-feet (700 Nm) of torque. A KERS unit provides short bursts of power: 161 horsepower (161 PS) for a total of 950 horsepower (963 PS). Those were enough for the car to flash from a standstill to 62 mph (100 kph) in 2.6 seconds and hit a top speed of 218 mph (352 kph).
Chassis number ZFF76ZHB000214219, the 2016 model has only 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) on the odometer and is presented in factory-fresh condition and classified as new, which might help with VAT. The car is estimated to fetch anywhere between 3.7 and 4.8 million euros, which translates into $4 to $5.2 million.
Photo: RM Sotheby's
And still, it would not be the most expensive LaFerrari ever sold. On December 16, the 500th example was sold for $7 million during a charity event. That is the price that made it the most valuable 21st century car ever sold at an auction.
That was until a LaFerrari Aperta was sold for $10 million. It was actually a car that had not even been built yet, so the organizers offered a digital representation.
Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, rapper Drake, Dwayne Johnson, Gordon Ramsey, and Justin Bieber have a LaFerrari in their collections.
The 2016 LaFerrari is part of the Ultimate Performance Collection, which is a trio of modern-day hypercars that will be auctioned off in Paris, France.
There is also a 2018 Lamborghini Centenario LP770-4 Roadster, one of only 20 roadsters ever made, with the other 20 featuring a coupe body style. Based on the Aventador SVJ, but being slightly lighter by 11 pounds (5 kilograms), the model came as a tribute to Ferruccio Lamborghini in the company’s centenary year. Lamborghini unveiled it in all its glory at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.
Photo: RM Sotheby's
It comes with only 71 kilometers (44 miles) on the clock and is in pristine condition. It is powered by the robust 6.5-liter V12 engine mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual gearbox. The V12 churns out 759 horsepower (770 PS) and 509 pound-feet (690 Nm) of torque, which made the Centenario run from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 100 kph) in 2.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 217 mph (350 kph).
The model that will go under the hammer at the first auction in 2024 comes complete with four-wheel steering, active aerodynamics, and a massive rear diffuser for better downforce at high speed. This 2018 Lambo is estimated to sell for an amount between 3 and 4 million euros ($3.2 million - $4.3 million).
The junior of the Ultimate Performance Collection is a 2022 Ford GT Carbon Series. Ford brought the second generation to Detroit for the 2015 North American International Show after a ten-year hiatus from the first generation, when everybody was thinking that the company had already given up on the GT.
But it made it in time for the 50th anniversary year since the GT40 won the 1996 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2016, the Ford GT completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans as well and won the LM GTE-Pro class, finishing first and third.
Photo: RM Sotheby's
The model that is for sale in January via RM Sotheby’s is finished in the factory-correct color combustion of White with grey and red competition stripes. The GT is set in motion by a 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine rated at 660 horsepower (669 PS). It has only covered 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) so far.
The American supercar, built in the last year of production of the GT, should go for anywhere between 750,000 and one million euros.
The 2016 LaFerrari, the 2018 Lamborghini Centenario, and the 2022 Ford GT will be auctioned off at the first such event of 2024, on January 31, at the Salles du Carrousel du Louvre in the heart of Paris.
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