First introduced in 2016, the Ferrari 488 GT3 and its GTE derivative featured a 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged Type-F154 V-8 engine developing around 600 horsepower, and a light-yet-sturdy aluminium chassis with integral roll cage. In GTE specification, the car became a mainstay of both the World Endurance and IMSA SportsCar Championships. Both the 488 GT3 and GTE have since scored more than 500 international race wins to become Ferrari’s most successful competition design ever.

The entry for the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship—and its LM GTE Pro class in particular—represented arguably its strongest since the series’ inception in 2012. As incumbent GT Manufacturers’ Champion, Ferrari returned with two Works-supported, AF Corse-prepared 488 GTEs, while there were further two-car factory teams from Ford, Porsche, and Aston Martin. The GT ranks included drivers such as Kévin Estre, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Darren Turner, and Andy Priaulx, underlining the collective commitment from all manufacturers involved.

AF Corse’s effort consisted of chassis numbered 3816—to be driven by James Calado and Alessandro Pier Guidi—and 3818, which was entrusted to Sam Bird and Davide Rigon. The former would bare the fabled race number 51, historically reserved for each season’s lead Ferrari endurance car, and it is this car which RM Sotheby’s is delighted to offer for sale here. The season started strongly for Calado and Pier Guidi, with the Silverstone and Spa Francorchamps Championship rounds yielding two 2nd-placed finishes in LM GTE Pro. At Le Mans, the pair were joined by experienced Ferrari GT racer Michele Rugolo, although a promising qualifying performance—in which they missed class pole by just 0.2 seconds—was followed by a troubled race in which they finished only 11th in LM GTE Pro and 46th overall.

If Le Mans had proved challenging, the remainder of the season for Calado and Pier Guidi was nothing less than stellar. Class wins at Nürburgring, Austin, and Fuji coincided with mid-season slumps for both the lead Ganassi-run Ford of Priaulx and Tincknell with teammates Bird and Rigon; a 3rd place in Shanghai and 2nd in Bahrain eventually secured them the GT Drivers’ Championship. Additionally, Ferrari won a second consecutive GT Manufacturers’ title, while AF Corse took home the Teams’ crown.

For 2018, ownership of chassis 3816 passed to Singapore-based GT squad Clearwater Racing. Team owner Weng Sun Mok was joined in the car by Japanese GT specialist Keita Sawa with Irish driver Matt Griffin; the trio duly contested five WEC rounds that year. The seasonal high point came in the 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, in which they finished an excellent 3rd in LM GTE Am, although their 8th in class—and 35th overall—in the car’s second consecutive Le Mans start was similarly noteworthy. Chassis 3816’s competitive swansong was in the 2019 Sebring 1000 Miles, although a qualifying crash cruelly sidelined the car from its final race.

Acquired by the consigning owner in 2021, chassis 3816 has benefits from an overhaul by its original factory-blessed constructors Michelotto Engineering at the company’s illustrious workshops in Padova, Italy. Boasting World Championship-winning, ex-Works status and unimpeached provenance, this car represents a spectacular, historic, and highly competitive prospective entry into the myriad events for which it is eligible.