When the Ferrari Leggenda e Passione auction in Maranello, Italy opens on May 17 you can bet they won't be celebrating the F1 car's 2009 performance. As of this writing, not a single point earned. It's not that the team and its drivers aren't capable of winning but all-new technical regulations found them lagging behind the competition. Thankfully the Ferrari Leggenda e Passione event is mostly about the past, when the legendary marque won every race worth winning.
RM Auctions, in association with Sotheby's, will lift the gavel on an exceptional, race-bred 1967 Ferrari 330 P4. One of the greatest sports-racing prototypes, it is one of only three P4s ever built. This car won the 1000-kilometre Trofeo Filippo Caracciolo in Monza and achieved a third overall at Le Mans in 1967. Legendary drivers included Lorenzo Bandini and Willy Mairesse, while Jackie Stewart and Chris Amon took the car to second place in the British BOAC International 500 at Brands Hatch, clinching that year's World Championship for Ferrari. Significantly, its offering at the May 17 event marks the first time this racer has come to market in 38 years.
Now in its third year, the single-day Ferrari Leggenda e Passione event is held within the factory grounds and is endorsed by the factory. With 34 historic cars certified by Ferrari Classiche and three Maseratis set to cross the block, RM anticipates considerable excitement among the incredibly loyal Ferraristes. Since I can hardly afford to attend let alone bid I'd be green with envy… if red was not the colour of the day.