F1 legend Alain Prost’s signed Ferrari F40 expected to fetch up to £2.6m at auction
It'd be worth even more, had he actually driven it
Former Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost’s Ferrari F40 will go to auction this month, with bids as high as £2.6 million expected.
The car, which was delivered to Frenchman Prost after he joined the Ferrari F1 team in 1990, is currently in Lyon, France, and will be auctioned without a reserve. However, auctioneer RM Sotheby’s estimates a sale price of between €2,500,000 and €3,000,000 (between £2.2m and £2.6m).
That’s despite the fact Prost never drove the car, which was built in late 1989 and comes in a desirable early specification without catalytic converters or adjustable suspension.
After winning his third driver’s title in controversial fashion in 1989, Prost moved from McLaren to Ferrari for the 1990 season, and was rewarded with the then-new F40. It was delivered to his address in Meribel, France, but Prost confirmed he had never driven it and sold it shortly after.
Before he sold the vehicle, however, Prost signed the car’s roof, which was then covered in thick clear coat, meaning the autograph remains visible today.
The buyer was UK-based Graham de Zille, who had already owned a number of Ferraris and is now active in the Ferrari Challenge Series. As a result, the car was registered in the UK and the European-specification odometer was replaced with one that read in miles. The car then went through the hands of various UK-based owners before returning to France.
In 2016, the car’s chassis number of 83249 was granted Ferrari Classiche certification, which confirms it has the original chassis, engine, gearbox and bodywork. And to add to its history, the car participated in the Fiorano concours, celebrating Ferrari’s 70th anniversary. It placed second in its class.
That’s no surprise when the car has covered fewer than 3,000 miles, and comes with the history file, owner’s manual and replacement service book, as well as a set of tools, its original front spoiler and Schedoni luggage. And, of course, it still has Prost’s signature protected by clear coat on the roof.
Although Prost’s time at Ferrari was short — he was sacked in 1991 after criticising the team’s deficiencies — he was already a legend of the sport, and he went on to win his fourth world title in 1993, driving a Williams.
When he retired at the end of the 1993 season, partly due to an ongoing feud with rival Ayrton Senna, Prost held the record for grand prix victories. Only in 2001 — when Michael Schumacher won his 52nd race — was the record eclipsed.
Until recently, Prost was still involved in Formula 1, having worked as a special adviser and non-executive director of the Alpine F1 team (formerly known as Renault). And his status is such that his signature and ownership have added enormous value to his old F40, even though he never drove it.
Ferrari F40s are rare beasts — just 1,315 were made — yet it has a folkloric reputation among enthusiasts, and the price is accordingly high. RM Sotheby’s is currently auctioning a fully restored F40 in similar specification, albeit without the Prost influence, and the expected sale price is some €2.3-2.8 million (£1.9-2.4 million). That’s around £200,000-£300,000 less than Prost’s F40 is expected to fetch. It’s thought that if Prost had driven his car, the difference would be even more significant.
The signed F40 will go up for auction with RM Sotheby’s on May 10, with sealed bids accepted online. The auction will run until May 12, when the vehicle will be sold to the highest bidder.
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