Presented by RM Sotheby’s – With a frontline racing career spanning some 11 years and spanning two FIA GT championships, a win in the Le Mans class and an overall victory at the 24 Hours of Spa, the Ferrari 550 GT1 deservedly occupies a place in the pantheon of all-time greats. GT competition cars.

Remarkably, Ferrari’s last serious GT offering had been the powerful Group 4 Daytona some three decades earlier. However, while this project had been factory-led, no such blessing, at least initially, was to come for the 550. Ferrari made it clear that any racing version should be developed privately, with the Italian race preparation company Italtecnica and their British counterparts. Prodrive takes the lead. In fact, it was not until 2003 that the N. Technology squad, approved at the factory, decided, a little late, to develop its own version.

One of four Italtecnica cars built, chassis 115811 was purchased by wealthy Italian Andrea Garbagnati, making his racing debut in the first round of the 2001 FIA GT Championship at Monza. Entered by Team Rafanelli, the car was driven by former Formula 1 drivers Emanuele Naspetti and Mimmo Schiattarella. Despite having finished fifth at the start, their race ended with a retirement due to a failure of the management just after the distance of two thirds. In the second round in Brno the pair had a largely uneventful run to finish fifth, while at Magny-Cours two weeks later they recorded a valiant fourth behind winner Lister Storm and two Chrysler Vipers. After another fifth at Silverstone, a busy start to the season of five races in seven weekends ended with a visit to Zolder in Belgium in mid-May. Naspetti took a well-deserved pole position, although once again bad luck ensued with the car being abandoned again due to an accident.

The season resumed at Spa in early August for the series’ blue ribbon event, the 24 Hours. Naspetti was retained as the lead driver in 115811 with Schiattarella replaced by two-time Spa winner Eric van de Poele; Belgian amateurs Philippe Steveny and Martial Chouvel also join the team. After qualifying second, Naspetti got off to a flying start, even briefly taking the lead in the third hour. However, the early pace had taken its toll, with the car giving up after just six hours with a broken crankshaft.

A truncated season saw the car compete on the A1-Ring in late August, but the team opted to miss the final three rounds of the championship at Nurburgring, Jarama and Estoril. In Austria, Naspetti was teamed up with Marc Duez, and after a somewhat lackluster qualifying session – which only left the duo in 13th place – the car retired again with engine problems, this time shortly before halfway through.

After sleeping for most of the 2002 season, 115811 was loaned to former touring car team Dart Racing for the final three rounds of that year’s FIA GT Championship. Although driven by Austrian Dieter Quester and former Le Mans class winner Luca Riccitelli, very experienced and supported by Red Bull, the alliance was not successful, with all three races: Enna, Donington and Estoril – ending in retirement.

For 2003, car owner Garbagnati handed the preparation responsibilities to JMB Racing, entering selected events in the Italian FIA and GT championships. Once again the first was a disappointment, with drivers from Terrien, Derichebourg and Pescatori enduring dismal reliability and retiring from all four starts. However, an otherwise disappointing season was saved when Garbagnati himself shared the car with Ferrari test driver Andrea Bertolini in two Italian GT races on the A1-Ring, securing overall victory in both.

The 2004 season featured the competitive swansong of 115811, with JMB lead driver Lorenzo Casè securing three overall wins in the car at Imola, Magione and Vallelunga en route to third place in the year-end standings . Fittingly, Vallelunga’s victory would be the car’s last contemporary race, with Casè sharing the car on this occasion with future Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 supremo Toto Wolff.

After the end of its contemporary racing career, the car was sold to Frenchman Bruno Tortara, then to an anonymous German collector, the latter commissioning former JMB engineer Jean-Christophe Noël to undertake a complete restoration. It was acquired by the seller in 2018, who restored the spectacular Red Bull 2002 livery and undertook a complete rebuild of the engine and gearbox.

Subsequently tested by three-time Le Mans winner Marco Werner, chassis 115811 is now fully race-ready and ready to do battle once again. It would undoubtedly be a competitive and spectacular entry into the burgeoning Endurance Racing Legends and Masters Endurance Legends series, while its eligibility for factory-staged Ferrari Club Competizioni GT events further strengthens its already considerable status. Indeed, with its attractive lines, its 6-liter V12 with classic front engine and its unmatched accompanying soundtrack, the 550 Maranello has long been considered a worthy successor to the 250 GTO, 275 GTB / C and Daytona; a distinction that will surely only become more cemented in the years to come.

This vehicle will be offered at the new RM Sotheby’s sale in Milan, which will take place on June 15 at Palazzo Serbelloni in Italy. The sale will be broadcast live and remote auction options are available.