World Speed Record edition Ferrari up for auction

By Marc McLaren

| 21 Apr 2018

World Speed Record Ferrari up for auction

One of only 10 RHD Ferraris built to commemorate the marque's world speed record victory is to go on sale next month.

The 550 Maranello 'WSR' will be up for grabs at Silverstone Auctions' 'Sale of Ferraris in association with the Ferrari Owners’ Club of Great Britain' event, on 18 May.

The vehicle, which is said to be in excellent condition and which has only 42,786 miles on the clock, is expected to make between £140,000 and £170,000 when it goes under the hammer.

The 550 Maranello WSR is a rare beast even by Ferrari standards. A total of 33 were built to mark the world speed records set by a modified 550 Maranello, but of them only 10, including the one up for sale, are right-handers.

The WSR model was built to the exact specification of the record-breaking car, which set three world records in Ohio in 1998: one for driving 100 miles at an average speed of 190.2mph, one for driving for one hour at an average speed of 184mph and one for covering 100 kilometres at 188.9mph.

It features a 5.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine with Bosch Motronic fuel injection mated to a six-speed manual transmission and special features including a leather-trimmed roll cage, the Fiorano handling pack, carbon bucket seats with Daytona stitching and race harnesses, suede-covered steering wheel and a ‘WSR' commemorative plaque.

“We’re delighted to have consigned this one of 10, special edition production car to our inaugural Ferrari dedicated auction and to be offering our customers the chance to own a piece of Ferrari history,” said Guy Lees-Milne, general manager, Silverstone Auctions.

Other cars up for auction include a 365 GTB/4 'Daytona', 512 BBi and 365 GT4 BB – all in rare RHD config. In all, there will be 30 hand-picked Ferraris for sake, alongside a treasure-trove of Prancing Horse memorabilia.

For more info, head to the Silverstone Auctions website.