Owning any Ferrari is a significant thing for most owners, but how significant are most Ferraris? Some are achingly expensive and historically significant, but a Ferrari 458 Italia is, for the most part, just a car. A great car, a desirable car, but just a car. But sometimes things are more than they seem. This Ferrari prototype, known internally as the F150-M6, is a lot more than just a stupendously ugly, hacked-up 458. It it, in fact, an early Ferrari LaFerrari prototype, used to develop the car’s mechanical components.
That includes the Type 140FB V-12 engine fitted with the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), a race-bred performance hybrid powertrain. It produces a stonking 950 horsepower, still an impressive figure ten years later. It’s somewhere in there, under the hose and wires that looks more like the conduit aisle of a Home Depot rather than the engine bay of a rarified Ferrari.
This early prototype was sold after development was complete to a private owner, even though it couldn’t be made road legal. Who knows what it was used for—the ultimate golf cart?—but now it’s for sale again, through RM Sotheby’s. It’s estimated to bring up to approximately $2 million at auction.
One one hand, that’s a lot of cash for something that is difficult to use and even more difficult to look at, especially with the camouflage panels in place. On the other hand, it’s a monumental bargain, the ability to see how Modenese sausage is actually made. For someone with an engineering background, this is probably a fascinating artifact that shows just how early development of an advanced, rather novel powertrain for Ferrari is actually carried out.
The more you think about it, the more it seems remarkable that it wasn’t simply crushed when the job was done. What automaker wants their rough, ugly, possibly unreliable or dangerous mule out there making an impression on people? (Or, if you’re in the automaker’s legal department, getting hurt and aiming a lawsuit at you.) So, the specialness of the situation begins to reveal itself.
The car underneath the fugly camo is actually kind of attractive, in a cyberpunk sort of way—an advanced, electrified powertrain hacked into an existing model, with rivets and ersatz access panels all around. It’s a hover-repulsor retrofit away from a spot in a Blade Runner sequel. It’s sinister, it’s purposeful—it’s undeniably cool if you’re not too precious about Ferraris to appreciate it.
This very, very unique Ferrari crosses the block in Monaco on May 14, 2022. We suggest bidding early and often if you want to make it yours.
Keyword: Want to Own the Ugliest Ferrari LaFerrari Ever Made?