News may have reached thine ears about the very first production Ferrari Luce selling for a whopping $40,000,000 (around P2.47 billion) at auction over the weekend. This, in any sane universe, is an insane amount of money for an automobile. Especially one that looks like...well. See for yourself.
It was sold under the auspices of RM Sotheby’s during its ‘The Monterey Auction,’ which, according to our sources, was an auction held in Monterey (California) at the conclusion of ‘Car Week,’ which is a week about (expensive) cars.
Insane amount of money, but not without cause. Every single dollar generated by that white ‘Tailor Made’ Ferrari Luce will be delivered to charitable initiatives through The Ferrari Foundation. Including “Ferrari’s commitment to advancing technical education and opportunity for future generations.” Fine and noble.
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But future generations might want to remember another weird slice of Ferrari history in the form of this exceptional Ferrari 400 Automatic i—another car that, at the time of its launch, also carried a mere whisper...nay, barleycorn of controversy.
Because it did not look like a ‘traditional’ Ferrari and was offered with a three-speed automatic slushbox. Plus, its 4.8-liter V12 could summon just over 300 horses. Not what you’d call ‘prancing,’ more ‘trotting.’
And yet...as we’ve mentioned here, five decades on, the 400i (earlier cars had carbs; this is a 1980 one with fuel injection) looks actually quite brilliant. Cool, clean, shorn of fussy aero detailing and scoops and vents and louvres and wings and all that jazz. And you can see where Ferrari’s modern headlight design originates from. So it’s...topical? Yes, topical.
It’s also extremely rare, with Ferrari recording just 883 unit sales of the 400i. Plus, this one we found happens to be 0.1695% (factoring in the current conversion rate) of the price of that Luce whopper, at £49,995 (around P4.2 million).
It’s in a cool Blu Sera Metallizzato color, features a tan interior and lovely five-spokes, and has been the subject of a £25,000 engine overhaul. So, it’s ready for you to just...float around in, arm out the window, shades on, cruising around at crawling speed while soaking up the Ferrari 400i-ness of it all. In an insane universe, it’s the only sane choice, right?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
