A 1995 Ferrari F50 that once belonged to Mike Tyson is back on the market — and this time with a price tag worthy of the boxing legend. The super sports car will go up for auction at the traditional RM Sotheby’s house in Monterey, California, with an estimated auction between US$ 7 million and US$ 9 million and, most surprisingly, with no minimum reserve price.
In practice, this means that the highest bidder takes the car, no matter the value. For one of the most coveted models in Ferrari’s history, it’s a bold gamble by the auction house.
A rare among the rare
(Photo: RM Sotheby’s | Disclosure)
The 104220 chassis is the 73rd of only 349 units produced between 1995 and 1998 and one of 55 configured for the North American market. Manufactured in November 1995 and finished in February of the following year, it left the factory in Corsa Red, with a black interior and red details on the seats.
According to RM Sotheby’s, the car now clocks in about 9,970 km and has undergone a complete overhaul at Ferrari of Newport Beach before the auction. In 2008, it received the Ferrari Classic certification, which attests that the engine, gearbox and bodywork remain the original factory ones.
The link with “Iron Mike”
(Photo: RM Sotheby’s | Disclosure)
According to brand historian Marcel Massini, Tyson bought the F50 in 1996, shortly after regaining his heavyweight titles. The relationship was brief: later that year, the boxer resold the car to the same dealership. Even so, the name of one of boxing’s greatest idols has remained glued to the chassis since then. To reinforce the bond, the lot includes a pair of boxing gloves autographed by Tyson himself, in addition to the factory hard roof, tools, manuals and a set of custom-made suitcases.
Formula 1 engineering on the streets
(Photo: RM Sotheby’s | Disclosure)
The F50 was created to celebrate 50 years of Ferrari’s road cars, with a proposal that is simple in concept and brutal in execution: to bring as much Formula 1 technology as possible to a model with a license plate. The naturally aspirated 4.7-liter V12, derived from the F1 program, delivers around 520 hp (382 kW) and works as a structural part of the carbon fiber chassis — a solution taken directly from single-seaters.
The design is signed by Pininfarina, with a removable roof that allows you to switch between barchetta and berlinetta configurations. References at the time point to performance from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and a top speed close to 325 km/h.
With lean production and rare history, the F50 is part of the select group of Ferrari’s six most celebrated hypercars, alongside 288 GTO, F40, Enzo, LaFerrari and F80 — which only increases collectors’ appetite for this example.
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