Photography courtesy of Artcurial
It’s impossible to understand this car without understanding the man who asked for it, but sadly, there’s not enough Internet to adequately profile Gianni Agnelli. Heir to the Fiat empire that his father founded, Gianni took control of the firm in 1966. It’s difficult to imagine a man who’s influenced Italy’s automotive industry more than him…but less in an engineering or design sense, and more in a Machiavellian one.
The year is 1986, you’re the richest man in—to quote Wikipedia—“modern Italian history”, you have several houses, mistresses, and your rolodex has names like “Kissinger”, “Rockefeller”, and “Kennedy” in it. The cars you have in your garage were hand-picked, just like your renowned wardrobe, and if you’re going to drive—instead of taking the yacht, helicopter, or jet—it’d better be a special experience.
Silver on the periodic table is “Ag”, just like the first two letters of Agnelli’s last name, so the car must be silver. It should also be fast but unique, and not so highly strung as to be uncomfortable with life at a slower pace. The ultimate in style would be a Testarossa Spider, only Ferrari didn’t offer a Spider. As if that was a problem when L’Avvocato called…
To be offered by Artcurial at its upcoming Retromobile sale on February 5 next year, this unobtanium-grade Ferrari “gifted” to Agnelli was acquired by the consignors’ father, who played poker with the industrialist. It’s not the fastest machine from Maranello, there aren’t winner’s trophies in the trunk, and most people will think it’s an aftermarket conversion—the uninformed may also ask, “What’s with the blue stripes and dark blue interior?”
But if you know who this car was built for, and that it was tailored to Agnelli’s exacting specifications, then how could you not fall for this one-off silver Ferrari Testarossa? Even the Cavallino Rampante on its nose was cast in silver.
Matthieu Lamoure at Artcurial told me that the car is being fully serviced before the sale, and has approximately 22,000 kilometres on the clock.
If you’re interested, you have until February. May I suggest playing some high-stakes poker in the meantime?
History
– Built for the Fiat President Giovanni Agnelli
Specifications
~390 horsepower, 4,943-cc DOHC flat 12-cylinder engine with fuel injection, five-speed manual transmission, front and rear independent suspension, and four-wheel power disc brakes. Wheelbase: 100.4 in
Vehicle information
Serial no.: 62897
Engine no.: ZFFTA30B000062897
Valuation
Auction house: Artcurial Motorcars
Estimate: €680,000–900,000
Price realized: TBD; Auction on February 5, 2016
Image Source: onlyexotic.com
