Postcard Maranello

After only four days back in the UK following the GP Historique du Monaco, it was a morning flight to Bologna and a 50km drive to Maranello, for Canadian auction house RM’s second all Ferrari sale at the Fiorano racetrack. Also planned was a visit to the adjacent Corse Clienti and FXX programmes, as well as a Ferrari factory tour, topped by an opportunity to watch the surviving Mille Miglia competitors pass through the Maranello checkpoint on their route back to Brescia.

Corse Clienti and FXX
With the auction lots on display inside the F1 logistics centre and at speed on the racetrack (the consigned 2006 Italian GT Championship winning Maserati MC12 doing some really hot laps), it was a short walk to two former Gestione Sportiva buildings which are now home to the FXX and Corse Clienti. Pride of place in the former was Michael Schumacher’s gleaming black example, alongside 12 others in various stages of preparation and repair, whilst across the courtyard was a truly rare sight…..27 F1 cars lined up in two rows with a 3-seater adjacent.

The Factory
Much has changed since my visit 12 months ago – the new staff restaurant and assembly plant are only days away from opening, whilst the engineering production facility has been revised with new exhibits and there is much evidence of the extensive usage of kaizen methodology (continuous improvement), which has delivered over 300 production changes to the site in the last 12 months alone. Adjacent to the old factory entrance, close to where Enzo Ferrari’s office was located, is the Classiche workshops – these were full of some very significant cars undergoing both maintenance (250 SWB, 512 BBLM and Daytona Spyder) and restoration (206SP and 250MM), whilst it was also interesting to note that the facade of the old factory has been preserved, despite the significant changes within.

Mille Miglia
“It is because of the Mille Miglia that the Italian automobile industry exists” – Enzo Ferrari.
Ferrari won the 1,000 mile sports-car race from Brescia via Rome back to Brescia 11 times in its 27 year history, although for many the best known memory of this epic road race is the 1955 win of Sir Stirling Moss and the late Denis Jenkinson in the factory Mercedes 300SLR in a record 10 hours and 7 minutes.

Now a 1,000 mile, three day regularity trial over a comparable route 388 crews assembled in Brescia for the start on Thurs May 15th and by the time they reached the Ferrari factory on the evening of day 3, the entry still took almost two hours to pass through the factory checkpoint. As proof of how important motor manufacturers view this event there was factory presence from amongst others:

Also going well in the cooler/wetter conditions were Dutch sports car legends Gijs van Lennep and Jan Lammers in a Porsche 550RS, the all German crew of Ruckwarth and Vlasov in the superb pre war Mercedes 720 SSK and event sponsor and CEO of Chopard watches Karl Scheufele in a Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing.

RM Auction
With 118 lots of automobilia and 45 cars, (44 Ferraris and 1 Maserati MC12) there was definitely something for everyone at Fiorano whether you needed a replacement rear deck for your 512BBLM, a complete F1 pitlane race control assembly (!) or an engine dynamometer complete with a 330GTC engine.

The backbone of automobilia offered was consigned by the founder of the Belgian agency Garage Francorchamps and one of the most significant men in Ferrari’s history, Jacques Swaters. Now 82 and with one of the most complete reference libraries anywhere in the Ferrari world, Swaters was present to see some significant prices realised for a portion of his collection.

Highly prized was a complete collection of sales brochures for all models which left the factory between 1947 and 1970 realising €51,750, whilst a complete collection of Ferrari yearbooks from 1948 to 2007 sold at €57,750. A selection of upholstery swatches from the ‘60s and ‘70s made €10,350 and the aforementioned 2004 pitlane control assembly reached €50,600 (all prices include 10% buyers premium and local tax of 20% on the premium).

Of the 45 cars offered, sadly 11 were no sales (including the Maserati MC12) but there were some exceptional prices as almost 1,000 bidders in the logistics centre and more on both the phones and the internet battled to secure their lot of choice:

Thanks then to Mariella Mengozzi from Ferrari and Terry Lobzun from RM Auctions for arranging access to Corse Clienti and the Factory for both the tour and the Mille Miglia. No more traveling for a few weeks for me, I’ve got some serious polishing to do. The Northern Ferrari Day and National FOC GB Concours are only weeks away.

Mouthwatering selection of Maranello's finest

275GTS, F40 LM, Lusso Competizione and 512M in the F1 logistics centre

Well documented with known history this 512 M made €2,090,000

My "car of the sale" - a simply stunning 250 Lusso

Little used in period 333SP was a surprise no sale

Painting depicts 6 decades of
Garage Francorchamps

Two men pivotal to the success of Ferrari - Jacques Swaters (left) and Enzo Ferrari

"Pratt perch" from 2004 sold well ..... monitors not included!

An alternative use for a 348 engine

Pedal cars and models plus 330GTC wall display from Garage Francorchamps in Zaventeem

Consigned separately but displayed together the 330GTC engine made €23,000 and the factory test bench €20,700

Photo of Jacques Swaters holding out the pit board for Mike Parkes' GTO in the '64 Reims 12 hrs with 45 Ferrari personnel's signatures realised €23,000

Jacques Swaters was present to see part of his collection sold...as was Jean Todt in the background

Seating for 1,000 in the F1 logistics centre and there weren't many spare

Coupé rebuilt by Dutch Daytona expert Piet Roelofs in '07 coupe ultimately sold at €275,000

The most expensive classic car ever sold at auction is now the the ex James Coburn 250 California Spyder

An Enzo and it isn't red! Matt Titanio 20 gloss really looked good and sold well

Bargain of the sale was this 360 GTC