The former Ferrari driver and two-time Formula 1 World Champion is selling his personal Ferrari Enzo – which might be the rarest and best example of the already highly coveted supercar, and not just because he owns it – at a specialised Ferrari auction in Monaco in just over a week's time.
Fernando Alonso is on cloud nine right now. The 41-year-old Spaniard has been experiencing an unprecedented career revival since joining new team Aston Martin at the start of this year's season – after years of being cast as the villain of F1 and struggling to regain the success he found with Renault back in 2005 and 2006, he's now back on top.
Finally, back in a competitive car and with a team that's giving him the support he's craved his entire career, we're seeing a new Alonso: gregarious, charming, and now finally the hero, with fans of all stripes now cheering on 'Magic Alonso'. Alonso's never been happier, and he's full of praise for Aston Martin, a team he's instantly made his own and fitted like a glove.
RELATED: Aston Martin’s Recent Financial Success Proves It Pays To Be In Formula 1
Maybe as a sign of his newfound love for Aston Martin (as well as a desire to rid himself of all the negative memories of his ill-fated stint at Ferrari, perhaps), Alonso is now selling his Ferrari Enzo at the inaugural June 8th Monaco Car Auction in the cashed-up principality, where only last weekend he took home another trophy after coming second in the Monaco Grand Prix.
Alonso confirmed on Instagram that he's selling his Enzo. Image: screenshot
Alonso's Enzo isn't just any Enzo, though. According to the auctioneers, it's "Scocca no.1" – that is, it's chassis number one, and has the Ferrari Classiche certification to prove it. The first example of one of the most iconic supercars of all time? Now that's pretty special.
On top of that, it's only got 4,800 km on the clock. It's barely been run in. Oh, and it's been owned by Fernando bloody Alonso. Perhaps it's not a surprise, then, that commentators are tipping this Ferrari to sell for over $8 million AUD.
Officially known as the Type F140 or the Enzo Ferrari, the car is, as you may have guessed, named after the founder of the great Italian sports car marque of the same name. It ranks as one of the most coveted and iconic supercars ever made.
Produced from 2002 to 2004, the Enzo was designed to be like a street-legal Formula 1 car. Not only did the car use then-groundbreaking F1 technologies such as a carbon fibre body and the transmission from Ferrari’s contemporaneous F1 car, but it also featured technologies F1 cars aren’t allowed to use, like active aerodynamics and traction control.
A Ferrari Enzo on track. Image: supercars.net
Powered by a 6.0L V12 engine, the Enzo makes 485kW, has a top speed of over 355km/h and does 0-100km/h in 3.6 seconds: figures that still hold up today, almost two decades after it first hit the market. It remains one of the most powerful naturally aspirated production cars in the world, 18 years after it ended production.
Only 400 were ever made, and the car was originally only sold to existing Ferrari customers – specifically, those who had previously bought the F40 and F50, with all cars but one sold in this way even before production began. Enzos regularly sell at auction for over $6.1 million AUD: the last example ever produced (which was previously owned by Pope John Paul II) sold for a record $9.2 million AUD.
Alonso raced for the Scuderia Ferrari squad from 2010 to 2014, but Ferrari produced the Enzo from 2002 to 2004, so it's not clear how he got his hands on it – it's unlikely that it was a gift from the team or something.
Alonso isn't the only F1 driver to own an Enzo. Ferrari built a custom example for Michael Schumacher as a gift, which had special touches like electric windows, a Bose stereo, Rosso Scuderia brake calipers and Schumi's logo on the seats and door sills. It even had the legendary seven-time World Champ's signature and then-Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo's autograph on the hood.
WATCH current Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc chase down thieves in his custom Ferrari 488 Pista below.
Some fans have joked that Alonso was getting rid of the Enzo to make room for an Aston Martin Valkyrie – which might not be that far off from the truth.
RELATED: From The Factory To The Freeway: How Aston Martin Makes Automotive Perfection
Back in January, Alonso took delivery of a customised Aston Martin DBX 707, of which he said that his "expectations were exceeded" and that it was a "dream car". However, we wouldn't be surprised if he ends up swapping out the Enzo for the new Aston Martin DB12 super tourer, which broke cover last week.
In any case, an Aston is a better company car than an Alpine...
The post Fernando Alonso Puts His $8 Million Ferrari Enzo Up For Sale appeared first on DMARGE.
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