For sale at BH Auction Japan – 2009 Ferrari 430 GTC

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All details about the car and the auction HERE

  • ◎Raced in the 2009 FIA GT Championship Series in the GT2 class
  • ◎Raced in the Super GT/GT300 class in 2010 and 2012
  • ◎3rd place podium finish in the 2011 Super GT Round 3 at Sepang
  • ◎In race ready condition

Ferrari F430 GTC took the place of the 360GTC which debuted in 2006. It is built for the FIAGT2 class race. The prestigious Michelotto Automobili was asked by Maranero’s Corse Clienti division to develop this car. Combined with the restrictor, the mid V8 Tipo F136 GT unit reduced the displacement to 3997cc in order to gain the best performance.

Aerodynamics was refined by attaching a rear wing to the body. In their first race in 2006 at the 12 Hours of Sebring, due to a wheel nut trouble they finished 11th. Still they were able to show that the car had the potential to win in this class. Later they won the opening race at the Europe Le Man Series and FIGAT championship

The car won various titles after this. The car won the FIAGT2 Manufacturers Cup and the Drivers title in 2006 and 2007, FIAGT2 drivers title in 2008, American Le Man GT2 series Manufacturers Cup in 2007 and Le Man LMGT-2 class in 2008. The car put up for auction was produced in 2009 and its chassis number is “F131EVOGTC2640”.

The Ferrari works, AF Corse, raced this car under the name of PecomRacing at the FIAGT Championship GT2 class. It was the 3rd F430GTC that they raced and it was driven by the Argentine Matthis Russo and Luis Perez Companc. It finished 12th in the Tourist Trophy, 10th at the Algarve, and 12th at the Circuit Paul Ricard. In 2010, the Japanese LMP Motor Sports purchased the car. The team owner Yutaka Yamagishi and Hiroshi Koizumi raced in the SUPERGT Series, GT300 class as “NAC Eisei COM LMP Ferrari”. In the 6th race, they finished 7th with a team ranking of 13th.

In 2011, in collaboration with the animation “Shinryaku! Ika Musme”, they rapped the car with Ika Musume design, and entered as “PACIFICNAC Ika Musume Ferrari”. As Hideki Yamauchi as the new driver, they finished 4th in the qualifier at the opening series, Okayama International, and 2nd for the Super Lap. For the race they finished 5th.
At the 3rd race, at Sepang International Circuit, they finished 3rd and in the 6th race, at Fuji they finished 7th. The team ranking remained the same as previous year at 13th but they left a strong impression.

In 2012, with Takuto Iguchi and Yamagishi as drivers, they continued to race as “PACIFICNAC Ika Musume Ferrari”, but their best finish being 7th at the fifth race at Suzuka 1000km and team ranking 18th, it proved to be the last year that F430GTC#2640 raced.The F430GTC is the epitome of the Ferrari GT Racer of the 2000s, and considered a success. #2640 had success in Europe and Japan and is still in ready-to-race condition. Of the only 53 F430GTC that was produced, it has a unique history. The F430 GTC, a Ferrari GT racer representing the 2000’s and said to be a successful work, was active in the European and Japanese race scenes. Furthermore, # 2640, is still in excellent “ready to race” condition. You can say this is one of the F430 GTCs, which is said to have produced 24 units, with an unusual history, created by Michelott’s own hands. It also holds a qualification for participation in the Ferrari Club Competizione GT, which has been attracting attention in recent years.

For sale on ebay – 1997 Ferrari 355 Challenge, road legal restored

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Details about the car and the ebay auction HERE

Asking US $ 199.000

VIDEOS posted HERE (The first video as created for Petersen Museum’s upcoming virtual Cars & Coffee. The others are clips showing how amazing this car sounds and its real world usability on and off the track.   Please note : The tire marks on the road are NOT from the Ferrari.)

Beautifully restored and offered for sale is perhaps the very last Ferrari Road & Track vehicle in the long history of drive to the track, race and drive home Ferraris.  The end of an era that made Ferrari famous, from the 250 TDF, SWB and GTO and ending with this F355CH.

This Ferrari 355CH is believed to be the only Factory-built 355 Challenge car that was actually Titled by an authorized Ferrari dealer. (New Jersey Title) Thus, this car is 100 percent legitimate to drive on the street as well as race on the track.

Unlike the 360, 430, 458, etc. Challenge cars that came after this model, this Ferrari has true dual road and track specification. For example, it has power windows, power mirrors, power locks, a leather dash, console and trim, analogue gauges, and yes, BEST OF ALL…. THE VERY LAST MANUAL GEARBOX FERRARI RACE CAR EVER BUILT BY FERRARI! I’ve taken this car grocery shopping at Costco. It gets relatively good gas mileage and is a blast to drive!

It sounds amazing and even shoots flames when driving (see photo). In the video at the shift point you can actually hear this race car sound.  Handling is simply unreal. I’ve taken the car on Mulholland Drive and it truly drives like it is on rails. Turn-in is instant with amazing front and rear grip. At speed you can really feel the carbon fiber rear wing stabilizing the handling! No comparison between this car and a regular F355 as this is so much more precise and handles so much better and is so much faster and stops so much quicker. Far more fun and engaging than any of the more modern Ferraris, including the 488 Pista.

A brief history is provided below explaining how most 355 Challenge cars were not actually built at the factory but were sold as regular 355s with dealer installed kits.

However, this is a rare, fully factory built 1997 355 Challenge car….and one that has been restored with:

  1. New paint using the classic yellow formula as used by Enzo Ferrari on the 275GTB.
  2. New leather interior including the dash and trim around the rear window and rollcage.
  3. Refurbished original 355CH seatbelts.
  4. Restored 355CH wheels.
  5. New Pirelli Trofeo tires, perfect for road and track use.
  6. New 355 CH seat covers and cushions imported from Italy.
  7. Air horns installed for use on street (race cars don’t normally have horns.)
  8. Engine out service and detailing with recently changed belts and just changed again engine and gear oil (Redline synthetic) and filter.
  9. Suspension and brakes serviced and detailed.
  10. H&R springs fit to make this Ferrari truly street friendly with well lubricated spring perch collars making ride height super easy and doable simply by rotating the springs themselves by hand.
  11. New windshield as original windshield had pitting typical of a car of this age.
  12. New battery.
  13. Trickle charger installed.
  14. Fire extinguishing system still in place.
  15. Remote Battery kill switch retained.
  16. Full rollcage comes with the car but for street use purposes the front section has been removed.
  17. New front marker lights.
  18. Alcantara headliner
  19. New Ferrari floor mats (Challenge cars have no carpet but floor mats add nice touch and protect the black paint finish.)

 Simply put, this is the best condition F355 Challenge on the market and the ONLY 355CH built by the factory with a road legal title.

This car comes with a a 355 Challenge manual and a binder documenting its history and also included is , which is summarized as follows: Owned over the years by several Gentlemen Racers. They never actually took possession of the Ferrari. Instead, it was maintained by Classic Coach in New Jersey and when they wanted to drive the car at a race Classic Coach would bring the car to the track (Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, the Pocono, Moroso, Sebring, Daytona, etc.), perform services as the pit crew, and then take the Ferrari back to their shop where they would service it, which is reflected in the binder. Prior owners include notable collectors.

This car is also believed to be the car driven by Paul Newman at Lime Rock in 1999. I have not been able to confirm for sure, one way or the other, whether this is certain, but one thing I have confirmed is Newman lived nearby the owner of this car (a neighbor) and both men frequented nearby Lime Rock raceway (which was ~69 miles from Newman’s home and the home of the owner of this 355 CH).

A bit of history regarding why this car is a truly “Factory Built” 355 Challenge Car unlike most other 355 Challenge cars.

All 1996 and later 355 Challenge cars were, by order of Ferrari, to be sold MSO (Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin and expressly to be sold without a road Title. 

The reason for this is simple: Ferrari started the Challenge Series with OBD1 cars. However, starting in 1996 Federal law required all cars sold in America to be OBD2. Yet the Challenge series needed more cars over the next several years. So when a car was needed, Ferrari would pull a 355 from the assembly line and build an OBD1 Challenge car. Of course, it would have been illegal for Ferrari to sell OBD1 cars after 1995 given the laws requirement that cars be OBD2. Ferrari’s way around this was to sell the post 1995 F355 Challenge cars built at the factory as MSO-only and to not sell them with titles.

However, for whatever divine reason, this F355 Challenge was actually titled by a Ferrari authorized dealer and so it became the only known legitimately titled F355 Challenge car, and as such, the last Ferrari ever built to race and be driven on the street.

This is quite profound when you think about it as this is the formula used by Ferrari during much of its history, including its glorious 250 era where the 250 TDF, 250 SWB, 250 GTO and 250LM all could be driven on the road, raced and then driven home.

Thus, this is the last Ferrari race and road car and the last factory built race car with a manual gearbox.  Now that I think about this fact and this car’s historical significance, its a bargain at this price point.  The car was featured in a museum for approximately one year and given its historical significance, it may well yet again one day be featured in a museum.  For now though, best to enjoy this most versatile of Ferraris! 

For sale – 1989 Ferrari F40 JGTC

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Details and more pictures HERE at ClassicDriver

An exciting opportunity to acquire the Taisan Japanese GT race winning Ferrari F40.
Ready to use and still road registered this 1990’s GT car is well documented in various Ferrari racing annuals

When the Japan GT Championship started in 1994, Team TAISAN surprised the racing community when they entered a Ferrari F40 to the series. Influenced by the car’s success in the Italian GT Championship, Team TAISAN purchased a street-legal F40 (S/N: ZFFG134B000080780). Starting from a totally stock F40, the team made modifications and improvements during the season and for each race. The team also invited Oscar Larrauri, winner of the Italian GT Championship and former F1 driver to drive for Team TAISAN. In Round 5 at Mine Circuit, Oscar Larrauri was paired up with Tetsuya Ota and they sensationally captured the race win.

At each round of the race, the F40 was modified, troubleshooting whatever came up during the previous race. Although the F120A V8 unit which made 478ps/577nm of power and torque was untouched, they installed a one-off straight exhaust pipe for better response (the car is now installed with a silencer). Most of the modifications were done to its chassis and aerodynamics. The front clam shell was widened by 5mm on each side which the team considered as their original F40LM spec front cowl. The rear wing was also changed to a custom adjustable rear wing.
For the car’s suspension, the team installed uniball mounts from the F40LM car and the wheels were changed to a set of light-weight magnesium wheels from OZ Racing to reduce unsprung weight. The front roll bar which came on the stock F40 was reinforced and other modifications were made as they raced in the series.

This car is listed as a JGTC spec race car, however no drastic changes were made and the car is still a street-legal Ferrari F40. The original engine which the team raced with has been replaced but the car remains road registered. Maintained in good original condition, the car runs well and would be an exciting road car or could also be used in historic racing such as the GT90’s series or Endurance Legends series where it is sure to turn heads. The exterior remains unchanged from the car’s racing years and is complete with its period livery.

One of the last true GT cars that can be driven to the track, raced and driven home again…

DSC Retro: CARE Racing Ferrari 550 Maranello, By The Numbers

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The latest of our resurrected DSC Archive features saw the then DSC Deputy Ed look at the history of the 10 CARE Racing Ferrari 550 Maranellos – produced by Prodrive, the predecessor programme to the Aston Martin DBR9, and campaigned in GTS and GT1 with much success from 2001 to 2006.

The piece has been suitably updated to encompass the entire contemporary racing career of the cars.

CARE Racing Ferrari 550, By The Numbers

Full Story here at www.dailysportscar.com