AUTONEWS

See why Felipe Massa's LaFerrari is no ordinary LaFerrari

Although Felipe Massa never won a Formula 1 World Championship with Ferrari (despite briefly believing he would in 2008), his time with the Scuderia left an indelible mark on Maranello. This affection was even reflected in one of his road cars, the Ferrari LaFerrari he bought during his last year in Italy.

Massa – as is typical of Ferrari drivers – didn't miss the opportunity to get his hands on one of the 499 units of the pinnacle of the Italian brand's sports car range at the time, the LaFerrari. He requested it during his last season at Ferrari and the car was delivered to him during his time at Williams, with a message inside: "Grazie Felipe" (Thank you, Felipe).

It was a thoughtful gesture from Luca Cordero di Montezemolo himself, one of his biggest supporters, who kept him on the team for eight seasons, even though the Brazilian was almost always overshadowed by his teammates, especially Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, and Fernando Alonso. The team boss wanted to leave this message for his protégé on a plaque located between the seats, as a sign of respect.

Although he didn't win a title, Massa took home a beautiful souvenir from Italy: his personalized LaFerrari. He didn't opt ​​for the Corsa red paint for the body (although he used it in some details, such as the front splitter, side skirts, mirror supports, and brake calipers), but rather for black (including the Alcantara interior). The wheels are FXX-K, an option available only at Ferrari Atelier, and the front and rear diffusers are made of carbon fiber.

The LaFerrari was a sufficiently advanced car and, of course, with performance that met the needs of a Formula 1 driver (top speed exceeding 350 km/h and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 3 seconds).

It was one of Maranello's first hybrids, combining an 800-horsepower V12 engine with an additional 163-horsepower electric motor. Although it didn't exactly qualify as a hypercar (more than 1,000 horsepower), the LaFerrari was a worthy representative of Ferrari against the Porsche 918 Spyder or the McLaren P1.

The Brazilian kept the car for seven years and drove 3,000 of the nearly 4,000 kilometers now on the odometer. Its next owner, a client residing in Denmark, is now auctioning the vehicle through RM Sotheby's, to the delight of a wealthy collector... probably a Formula 1 fan.

Its third owner will also be able to boast the signature of its illustrious original owner. This, coupled with the natural appreciation of one of the jewels of Ferrari's recent history, leads the company to expect an offer between 4.5 and 5 million euros for this supercar.

That's practically triple the price of one and a half million for which it was put up for sale in Spain.

Watch the video below of Felipe Massa driving his LaFerrari(Monaco license plate: MC3223) through the streets of Monaco back when he was still a Williams driver.

Autonews and Mundoquatrorodas