Prototypes are usually destroyed after development of a given vehicle is complete, but this Ferrari LaFerrari prototype escaped that fate and is now up for auction on SBX Cars.
This car is a third-phase prototype designated by the factory as an F150 Protipo Preserie PS1, according to the auction listing. As a later-phase prototype, it's visually and mechanically identical to the production cars, but still can't be registered for road use.
Ferrari LaFerrari prototype (image via @sbxcars)
Unveiled at the 2013 Geneva motor show, the LaFerrari was the Ferrari's flagship supercar of the 2010s. It was notable as the first Ferrari designed in-house, without input from an external design firm, and the first production Ferrari with a hybrid powertrain.
A 6.3-liter V-12 works in conjunction with a hybrid system inspired by the Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) used in Formula 1 at the time. A peak 950 hp churns bespoke Pirelli tires, getting the LaFerrari from 0-60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds. Ferrari estimated a 217-mph top speed, but this prototype is currently limited to 30 mph.
Ferrari LaFerrari prototype (image via @sbxcars)
Ferrari built 500 LaFerrari coupes and 210 LaFerrari Aperta convertibles. The last of each body style were built for charity auctions. But a handful of prototypes released for sale have increased the number of these cars in circulation.
The prototype currently up for auction appears to be the same one that appeared at Mecum's 2022 Monterey Car Week auction as part of a trio of LaFerrari prototypes. Another later-build prototype, which was used by customers to configure their cars, sold for $2.2 million in 2017. An earlier test mule, based on a Ferrari 458 Italia, hit the block at a 2022 RM Sotheby's auction but failed to sell.
