► LaFerrari number 500 up for auction
► Proceeds to aid Italy’s earthquake recovery efforts
► Will be sold on 3 December by RM Sotheby’s
Thought LaFerrari production had ended with car number 499? Think again. Sergio Marchionne, Ferrari CEO, announced in August that the company would build one more LaFerrari – bringing the total to 500.
It wasn’t an effort at further lining Ferrari’s coffers, though, by any stretch. Instead, the last (really, this time) LaFerrari has been ‘created as a gift from Ferrari to its home country of Italy’.
Not just as a static display, mind; no, Ferrari is putting its 500th LaFerrari to much more constructive use. It will be auctioned, and the proceeds from the sale will be used to assist Italy in its recovery from the earthquakes that devastated the country in 2016.
Tell me more about the auction…
The funds from the auction, which will be carried out by specialists RM Sotheby’s, will go towards both Italy’s reconstruction and aiding victims of the earthquake.
Rob Myers, CEO and Chairman of RM Sotheby’s, said: ‘The earthquakes which have struck Central Italy this year devastated the lives of thousands of people, and the money raised by the sale of this LaFerrari could not be put to a better use. The auction will be an historic event, and the generosity of Ferrari will change lives in the areas most affected by the natural disaster.’
Ferrari is no stranger to donating its cars for good causes. It previously donated a 599XX and F430 for earthquake relief, as well as the 400th and final Enzo to a charitable organisation.
What about the car itself?
LaFerrari No. 500 – pictured above – is no standard offering. It features a bespoke livery and interior which pays tribute to Italy, and bears a special plaque. In recent history, LaFerraris have knocked on the door of £4 million at auction; here’s hoping this car goes for much, much more.
The auction of the LaFerrari will take place on 3 December, during the Ferrari Finali Mondiali weekend in Florida. You can find out more about the sale here.
Read CAR magazine’s LaFerrari review