- Ever dreamed of owning a collection of historic Ferrari racing machines? Well now you can.
- Granted, these Ferraris aren’t full-sized. But this is a complete and well curated collection.
- And it’s easier to house than the real cars would be. In fact, it comes with a gorgeous display case.
Are you a tifosi, one of the dedicated supporters of Ferrari’s F1 racing team, one of those for whom Maranello is the ultimate holy ground? Yes? Then this comprehensive collection of gorgeous racing Ferraris, which extend all the way back until the 1950s, is sure to peak your interest. But as those VW Beetle ads used to say, you have to think small.
Up for auction today at Bring A Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos) is a collection of 47 Ferrari F1 racecars in 1:43 scale, complete with a custom designed display case to show them off. It’s like a personal-sized museum of Ferrari excellence—and indeed, the case is designed to resemble the Museo Enzo Ferrari in Modena.
The display case is nearly six feet long, 31 inches wide, and 33 inches tall, and is made from aluminum. It features built-in LED lighting, the Scuderia Ferrari shields at either end, and a collage of Ferrari’s most iconic racing drivers covering the back wall. Note that Gilles Villeneuve is front and center, so you know that this is something made by a true Ferrari aficionado. And by the way, that chrome-cast cavallino rampante actually rotates.
The models on display are all by IXO, a specialist in 1:43 scale. The five F1 cars driven by Michael Schumacher in his dominant 2000–2004 championship wins are front and center, but you can pick out many favorites from the three rows on either side.
For instance, one standout is the #7 Ferrari 158 in blue-and-white livery. It’s the only one not to wear the Rosso Corsa red of the rest of the field, and marks one of those fun footnotes of Ferrari’s long racing history. Outraged that FIA racing officials refused to homologate his 250LM, Enzo handed back his competition license and had his cars run by the North American Racing Team (NART), who raced in blue-and-white. John Surtees won the driver’s championship in this car, becoming the only driver to win in a Ferrari that wasn’t red.
Pretty much every scale-sized model here has a great story like that to tell. This well-displayed collection is not likely to cost you as much as even a Ferrari Mondial these days, but you get a gorgeous conversation piece that’s nearly as good as having your own full-size Ferrari collection. And if you did own 47 Ferrari racing cars, how much would you drive them anyway? This format is much more convenient.
The auction ends on March 26, and there’s no reserve. The high bidder will take home the ultimate collection of pint-sized Ferraris. You don’t need to bring a trailer, just clear a shelf.
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
