Estimate: €400,000 – €500,000 EUR | Offered Without Reserve
- Raced in the Tudor United SportsCar Championship
- Finished 6th in class and 23rd overall at the 2014 24 Hours of Daytona
- Powered by a 550 horsepower Ferrari F142 4.5-litre V-8 engine with sequential gearbox
- Offered with binders containing a Ferrari spare parts catalogue and 458 Italia GT3 technical manual
All details about the auction HERE at RM Sothebys Auction
The IMSA Tudor SportsCar Championship was introduced for 2014, formed following a merger of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series that both raced for the final time the previous year. The changes brought about revisions in vehicle classes for the 2014 racing season: The new Prototype (P) and Prototype Challenge (PC) classes were lightly amended; GT Le Mans (GTLM) hosted grand touring cars from ALMS; and GT Daytona (GTD) fielded GT and GX cars from Grand-Am with Porsche-based GT3 Challenge cars from ALMS.
Ferrari introduced the 458 Italia GT3 in 2011, alerting private race teams as the car was eligible for GTD-class competition. Compared to its GT2 counterpart, the model was lighter and more powerful. The car was propelled by Ferrari’s F142 4.5-litre V-8 twin cam engine, which produced an eye-watering 550 horsepower and redlined at 9,000 rpm. The model would go onto dominate its class in endurance racing and to this day, it holds the record for the number of titles won in international championships.
This example was purchased and raced in the GTD class by Level 5 Motorsports in 2014, and promptly fielded in the inaugural 2014 Tudor United SportsCar Championship series. Racing under the number 556, the Ferrari made its first appearance on 23 January 2014 at the 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona Beach, Florida. The 458 GTD was raced on Continental tyres and completed 661 laps during the 24 hours. Driven by Scott Tucker, Mike LaMarra, Terry Borcheller, Guy Cosmo, and Emilio Valverde, the 458 GTD finished 6th in class and 23rd overall. This was only slightly down on team’s other 458, which won the GTD class and finished 18th overall (in the process securing Ferrari’s 10th victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the first win at Daytona for a Ferrari since 1998).
Following the results for both cars, Level 5 Motorsports announced on 26 February 2014 that it was withdrawing from the IMSA SportsCar Championship series. The Ferrari was purchased by Mr. Guikas in 2017, and today offers the opportunity to acquire a highly competitive modern racing sports car.