To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Sealed July event, Bidding Closes 16 July 2026.
Offered Without Reserve | £5,000,000 - £6,000,000 GBP
- Ferrari Classiche certified in 2016, retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox, and bodywork
- Just under 26,200 km from new
- Annual service carried out by Maranello Egham in May 2026, minimal mileage accrued since
- Japanese delivery example, delivered new to Cornes Motors in Tokyo in January 1998
- Originally finished Rosso Corsa, repainted Nero by Carrozzeria Zanasi in 2016
- Accompanied by its correct flight case, soft top, roll hoops, and tool kit
Please note that this lot is subject to VAT on the full purchase price. For any questions, please contact RM Sotheby’s.
Of the entire production run of Ferrari’s F50, only four cars would leave the factory with Nero DS paintwork. Of course, the vast majority of the production run was finished in the traditional Rosso Corsa, with other colours consisting of Giallo Modena (31 cars), Rosso Barchetta (8), and Argento Nürburgring (4). To many, it is the four Nero cars that are the most desirable of the entire F50 production run, with black paintwork perfectly suiting the car’s menacing character. It should come as no surprise that those four cars are hugely sought after with each kept in long-term private collections. As such, a handful of F50s originally finished Rosso Corsa have been repainted Nero since leaving the factory by owners seeking to have what was otherwise unobtainable
Leaving the factory in Rosso Corsa, chassis number 106715 was the 244th F50 produced by the factory. Destined for Japan when new, despite being completed by the factory in 1996, the car was noted as being sold to its first owner in January of 1998 via Cornes in Tokyo. The car was registered in Sagami, southwest of Tokyo, with its first owner according to Ferrari historian Marcel Massini. Later that year, the car was seen at a Ferrari collector Yoshido Matsuda’s Ferrari Brunch meeting.
In 2001, the F50 was spotted once more, this time registered in Kobe. Sometime shortly thereafter, the car was repainted white and was seen finished as such at a supercar meet in Gotemba, near Mount Fuji. An F50 anywhere would have been eye catching, but an F50, likely at that point the only white-painted F50 in the world, would have been that much more attention grabbing. Taking things a step further, the car was modified by the famous Japanese tuning company Liberty Walk with black Eneki wheels, a modified rear grille, and painted rear diffuser. Importantly, the car’s carbon fibre bodywork remained unmodified and all of these changes were easily reversable.
In November of 2015, the F50 would finally leave Japan and was purchased by a well-known collector of exotic supercars and imported to the U.K. where it remains today. The car was granted Ferrari Classiche Certification in September of 2016, having been repainted back to red by that point, and the accompanying certification binder confirms that the car retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox, and bodywork.
Shortly thereafter, the car was repainted once more, this time in black, helping it yet again to stand out in the proverbial sea of Rosso Corsa. This repaint was carried out by Carrozzeria Zanasi, the same place where all of Ferrari’s brand-new Tailor-Made cars are painted. Simply stated, this is as close as one could come to having a factory repaint. Chassis number 106715 was no stranger to the top-tier automotive events in the UK, and on display at Salon Prive in 2016 and 2022, as well as Goodwood Festival of Speed in both 2016 and 2025.
With its most recent previous owner, the car was regularly serviced by the official Ferrari service centre Maranello Egham, with annual service carried out by them in 2022, 2024, and 2026. Following the car’s last service in May 2026, it was noted that the tyres are presently 10 years now and the fuel cells will need replacing if the next owner wishes to drive the car regularly. Importantly, the car is accompanied by its correct flight case, soft top, roll hoops, tool kit, and a set of owner’s manuals.
Many who have been privileged enough to drive the F50 among its predecessors and successors (288 GTO, F40, Enzo, and LaFerrari) argue that the F50 provides the most rewarding driving experience of that distinguished family of supercars. Jethro Bovingdon perhaps best summed up the F50 when he said in Evo magazine, during a direct comparison with three of the greatest cars to ever wear a Prancing Horse badge: ‘The Enzo is more sophisticated and arguably a greater achievement, but Ferrari perfected what we think of as a supercar when it made the F50. It’s the most engaging physically and emotionally, which is why it’s the best supercar Ferrari has made.’To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at
rmsothebys.com/auctions/s0726/.