Only Two Of These Ferraris Exist And One Just Shattered Records

This is one of just two Ferrari F50s painted in Giallo Modena from the factory.
The previous F50 sales record was for a low-mileage car that fetched $5.5 million.
Ralph Lauren owned this car for eight years before a Virginia couple purchased it.

This is officially the world’s most expensive Ferrari F50. Over the weekend, it smashed pre-auction estimates of between $6.5 million and $7.5 million, trading hands for $9.245 million. That’s roughly $4 million more than most other F50s sold over the past few years, and largely comes down to the rarity of this particular model.

The F50 in question was ordered new by fashion icon Ralph Lauren, who also has one of the world’s most valuable collections of Ferraris. This particular car is one of just 55 built to US specification and one of only two painted in Giallo Modena from the factory.

Read: This Ferrari F50 Could Become The Most Expensive Ever Sold

While Lauren rarely parts ways with one of his prized automobiles, he sold this F50 in 2003. It ultimately found its way into the garage of a couple from Sterling, Virginia, who have retained it ever since, and prior to this weekend, had not shown it in public since 2009.

Jorge Guasso/RM Sotheby’s

In preparation for the sale, the car was serviced by Ferrari of Central Florida at the end of 2024, had a new fuel bladder, tires, and brake components installed. The F50 was also Ferrari Classiche Certified in 2009 as retaining all of its original components. It traded hands with fewer than 5,400 miles (roughly 8,690 km) under its belt.

A Reputation Reconsidered

Not too long ago, the F50 wasn’t held in quite as high regard as its predecessor, the F40, nor even its successor, the Enzo. However, demand for pristine, low-mileage F50s has surged in recent years, driving up prices to previously unimaginable heights.

Perhaps this shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the F50 uses a Formula 1-derived naturally aspirated V12, which makes it unique even in the rarefied air where supercars of its ilk reside.

Prior to this weekend’s sale, the most expensive F50 ever sold at auction fetched $5.532 million in February. That example had been driven just 1,351 miles (2,174 km) before it changed hands.