RM Sotheby’s will auction off the two-door F355 GTS: the supercar that the Italian company gave to the team’s new driver in 1996. It is believed that this Ferrari was the first of Michael Schumacher: the future seven-time world champion and holder of a whole series of Royal Racing records. The history of the car is documented; The auction will be held without reserve.
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Michael Schumacher moved to Scuderia Ferrari from Benetton as a two-time (and current) world champion. The Italian team at that time (1996) had not won the championship since 1979. The German athlete was given a blue Ferrari F355GTS with a white leather interior; Schumacher insisted that the Targa have a 6-speed manual transmission.
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The service book indicates that the recipient of the supercar was the company of Schumacher manager Willi Weber, and the keys were handed over on April 30, 1996. The first maintenance was completed on May 5, 1996 in Monaco, the odometer showed 1639 kilometers. At least until September 1997, Michael used the supercar in Monte Carlo, and the owner did not change until May 2002.
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The 355GTS currently has about 47.5 thousand kilometers on the odometer. In 2020, the car passed Ferrari Classiche certification: craftsmen confirmed the originality of components, assemblies and paintwork. Motorists said that under the hood is not the original 3.5-liter V8, but an improved version of it. It is possible that the power unit was modified initially, but this is not known for certain.
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The auction house’s report contains information about regular maintenance at authorized Ferrari centers, numerous invoices, and the last major maintenance was carried out in September 2024: the battery, spark plugs, timing belt, rear brake pads and windshield were changed. RM Sotheby’s refrained from forecasting the price of the supercar.
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