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.

27 F1 Ferraris in the Corse Clienti workshop	The 3 seater F1 - not a PhotoShop job after all!	Schuey's FXX	206 SP under restoration in the Classiche workshops

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:

• BMW - provided a pre war BMW 328 (1of 7 in the entry) for their mobile "Tradition Ambassador" and ex saloon racer Prince Leopold von Bayern.

• Porsche - supported the Director of its Stuttgart Museum Klaus Bischof in a 550RS Sport.

• Mercedes - had a 300SL Gullwing for ex former F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen and a 300SLR for longtime “Oldtimer” ambassador and fellow F1 driver, Jochen Mass.

• Audi – supported four pre war Wanderer W25K’s, one of whom was driven by their CEO Rupert Stadler. His engine blew entering the checkpoint and maybe the ever present Jean Todt had a chuckle at Herr Stadler’s misfortune.

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.

Sale record-breaking California Spyder outside Enzo Ferrari's house	Unsurprisingly, Rob Myers the "R" of RM Auctions looks well chuffed	246S Dino Sport currently available from RM by private treaty	"I told you we should have turned left"
Prince Leopold von Bayern drove BMW Mobile Tradition's pre war 328	"Blower" Bentley of Ford/Ford outside the Ferrari Factory	Alfa Romeo 6C 2500S of German crew Askochenskiy and Thiesen made it back to Brescia	Mercedes 720 SSK of Ruckwarth/Veloz leaving the Factory and heading towards Modena

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:

• Generating the most publicity was a stunning car, the ex James Coburn 250 California Spyder sold to UK radio/tv "personality" Chris Evans for a new world record price for a car at auction - €7,040,000. Let's hope he has has more luck with this one than his 575.

• Fresh from its competition in the Grand Prix Historique in Monaco the previous week, the 1950 166/195 that has been campaigned in race meetings and tours across the world by Americans Steve and Lynn Dudley has a new Argentinian owner, who paid €517,000 for this very original car. Interestingly the new owner has confirmed that they will not restore it, preferring its originality.

• From one extreme to the other………. RM sold two cars which were almost certainly European auction records for the tipi. Mayston-Taylor had consigned his award winning 275GTB/4 and this immaculate, restored car sold for €1,320,000, whilst a 250 Lusso which was the subject of a 4 year no expense rebuild in the Netherlands, realised €759,000.These were undoubtedly two world class cars and proof that the global Ferrari market will pay top money for the very best condition, rare tipi.

• There were two California Spyders in Maranello …..and the other also sold. A prominent US collector paying €2,365,000 for a matching numbers, long wheelbase example with competition history that has been in the UK in recent years. It was displayed at the Goodwood Festival of Speed “Style et Luxe Concours” in 2006 and compared to the ex Coburn car where the chassis/engine numbers don’t match, this seemed like a really good deal!

• One of my favourite sports racing Ferraris has always been the 250LM. Sleek, lithe and purposeful, the example on offer was probably the best known example of the tipo extant. With a documented history both on and off the track and race ready, it seemed like a very good buy at €4,510,000.

• For those looking for a more recent tipo, RM offered and sold two Enzos (Enzi?), an ’03 spec with 5,655 kms from new, where the entire Maranello build crew had signed the inside door (€770,000) [as opposed to the more traditional approach of stuffing a copy of Gazzetta dello Sport inside a sill - Ed.] and a unique ’04 UK registered example, ordered in Matt Titanio 20 gloss with 2,752kms went for €852,500.

• After a mammoth auction totalling nearly 7hrs, things often go quiet and a bargain can be had!. RM was no different. One of the last lots available was the 2005 Italian and Spanish GT Championship winning 360GTC, complete with pit equipment and ready to use, it was a bargain at €115,500.

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.

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