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John Elkann’s Ferrari FF goes under the hammer
Some Ferraris are rare. Others are unique. And then there are cars that feel almost mythical. Take this 2013 Ferrari FF, once personally ordered by John Elkann, today chairman of Ferrari. The car goes under the hammer later this month at RM Sotheby's, and is a textbook example of just how deep inside Maranello you need to sit to truly go wild on the options list.
This is no standard Ferrari FF. This is a Ferrari FF as only someone from inside the system could have specced it.
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The Ferrari FF: unusual, but ingenious
When Ferrari introduced the FF in 2011, it took some getting used to. A V12 Ferrari with four seats, four-wheel drive and a shooting brake body? Purists frowned, but connoisseurs saw the potential immediately. The FF was (and is) a genuine Grand Tourer, built to devour long distances quickly, comfortably and practically.
For John Elkann, grandson of Gianni Agnelli and then CEO of Fiat, the FF was the perfect canvas.
Exterior: Nuovo Blu, and nothing less
His personal FF was sprayed in Nuovo Blu, a special-order colour rarely seen on Ferraris. The deep blue perfectly accentuates the FF's long bonnet, muscular wheel arches and elegant roofline. Subtle, stylish and a world away from the classic Rosso Corsa story.
A spec that whispers, rather than shouts.
Interior: fabric… in a Ferrari
And then the interior. This is where it gets truly interesting.
Instead of leather, Elkann chose blue fabric seats, finished with white piping and embroidered Cavallino logos in the headrests. Fabric in a modern Ferrari is so rare that most customers do not even know it is an option. This is old-school luxury, approached in an almost couture-like way.
On top of that:
Carbon fibre interior trim in a matching colour
A full glass panoramic roof, rare on a Ferrari V12
A coherent blue-theme spec that is spot-on down to the smallest detail
This is not hypercar bling, this is intellectual luxury.
The essence remains Ferrari: naturally aspirated V12
Under the long bonnet sits what always made the FF so special: a 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V12, the same base unit as in the F12berlinetta.
651 hp
683 Nm of torque
0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds
Top speed: 335 km/h
And importantly: this Ferrari was used. With 9,965 miles on the clock, this is no museum piece, but a car that has actually done what it was built for: driving.
Going under the hammer in Paris soon
The car will be auctioned during the RM Sotheby's Paris Auction on 28 January. The estimated hammer price sits between $255,000 and $370,000, which, given the provenance, the unique spec and the current re-appreciation of V12 Ferraris, is anything but excessive.
In fact, this could well turn out to be a smart long-term collectible.
