It’s impossible to forget the endless line us journos and photogs formed back at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show debut of the LaFerrari. And while Ferrari’s first hybrid was a shock back then (pun intended), it’s arguably even more influential nowadays when the supercar/hypercar segment takes electrification more seriously. So, to see an abandoned LaFerrari, even as a rendering, is also an event.
Maranello only built 499 examples of its now-retired halo car, with the entire lot having been sold out prior to the said debut. Alas, not all of them may be in one piece today. While we have yet to see an unfixable LaF crash, there’s at least one example that fire might’ve consumed beyond the point of recovery, as this was the victim of an arson attack in the British town of Over Peover back in December 2020.
Speaking of which, digital artist Al Yasid (@al.yasid) shows us a LaFerrari that got “left behind”, to use his words. For some reason, the rear lights are still on, but the short animation shows clear signs of a crashโthe resulting dirt on the car might be a light matter, but the unnatural position of that rear wheel spells trouble.
The three LaFerrari prototypes that are now in private hands
However, Ferrari has quietly “updated” the LaFerrari population by offering three prototypes used to develop the 950 hp (963 PS) hypercar to civilians, probably last decade.
Together with a test car for the F12 Tour De France, the LaF prototype trio made headlines last month, as the vehicles crossed the auction block during Mecum’s Monterey 2022 event. However, it’s worth noting they are not road-legal, so perhaps we could see them on the track someday.
It all started with the 2011 F150 Muletto M4, a 458-based Phase 1 test mule running an early version of the LaFerrari’s V12 with no hybrid hardware, which was mostly used for emission testing. Given the 458 look and the said tech side, this prototype sold $715,000, which is considerably less than its siblings.
Next up, there’s the 2012 F150 Mulotipo MP1. A second-phase machine, this sports a pre-production LaFerrari chassis and tub, as well as a prototype iteration of the V12 engine+HYKERS electrical system. And that bumped the price to $1.595 million.
The most expensive of the bunch was the 2013 F150 Prototipe Preserie PS1, which is as close as you can get to a production LaFerrari. This traded hands for $2.5 million, which is still less than the value of a production LaFerrari, which normally ranges between $3 and $5 million, mostly depending on the mileage (more than a few collectors lock these beauties up in garages). For the record, the original price of the hybrid hypercar stood at about $1.5 million back in 2013.
Oh, and the said F12 TDF prototype, known as the MP4, this mixes a standard F12 Berlinetta hood with a TDF front apron, but there are no details about its V12. Regardless, it sold for $660,000 (for the record, production F12 TDFs regularly start at this point, but a few have crossed into the seven-figure zone, with the most expensive of them having gone past the $1.3 million mark).
With the LaFerrari and F12 TDF prototypes showcased in the Mecum YouTube video below, there’s no mention of these units being sold directly by Maranello.
However, the Mecum auction listings do state that “a handful [of prototypes were] offered up to Ferrariโs most faithful followers”. That suggests these were private salesโperhaps collectors with access to Ferrari’s halo cars are making room in their garages for the confirmed-but-not-described LaFerrari replacement, which should land in the next few yearsโright now, Ferrari is gearing up for the September 13 launch of the Purosangue, the Prancing Horse’s first SUV.