RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction has always been held in high regard as Car Week’s flagship collector car event, and the 2025 edition will be headlined by an absolute stunner of a supercar: this exceptionally rare Giallo Modena Ferrari F50 formerly owned by Ralph Lauren. Years of speculation have been put to rest by its reappearance, and now the opportunity to acquire this legendary F50 awaits a new owner at this year’s Monterey Car Week.
The F50 has emerged as a true standout even as values of Ferrari’s original “Big Five” supercars including the 288 GTO, F40, Enzo Ferrari, and LaFerrari continue to rise. It marks the end of an era: the final naturally aspirated, manual transmission supercar with a direct F1 connection and open top adaptability developed by Maranello. The particular example highlighted here really is one of the most compelling modern Ferraris coming to market in recent years, especially for collectors who seek an emotive driving connection on top of rarity and provenance.
RM Sotheby’s Car Specialist Zach Oller said, “The Ferrari F50 is quickly becoming one of the most collectible road cars of all time. In the world of collector cars, multiple factors influence desirability — rarity, provenance, and the badge itself. And when you’re talking about Ferrari, those details matter even more. This car checks every box. The spec is exceptional: finished in ultra-rare Giallo Modena, one of only two US-delivered F50s in yellow. The provenance is unmatched — it was owned by Ralph Lauren. And in terms of condition, it’s one of the finest examples known to exist. This is the kind of car that rarely surfaces — and when it does, the entire collector world takes notice.”
With the F40 having become an acclaimed legend in its own time as Ferrari’s 40th anniversary supercar, this raised the stakes in the 1990s for a new flagship to celebrate the vitally important upcoming 50th anniversary, which everyone knew would demand an even more extraordinary machine. Four years of development were then poured into a purely road-going car that nevertheless embodied strong links with contemporary Ferrari racing technologies of the time. A Formula 1-style carbon fiber lightweight tub with a core structure of Nomex honeycomb formed the base of its chassis, around which Pininfarina’s designers drew its curvaceous bodywork from carbon fiber and Kevlar.
Power came from a new naturally aspirated V12 engine, the Tipo F130B that originally began life as Ferrari’s 1992 Tipo 036 F1 powerplant, before being further developed into 4 liter form for the 333 SP that won many Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles in FIA and IMSA GT sports car racing from 1995 to 2001. The engine was enlarged to 4.7 liters for the F50 and tuned for more road oriented and tractable power delivery. Nevertheless it still remained a very racy sort of engine, producing 513 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 347 ib-ft of torque at a similarly peaky 6,500 rpm.
The resulting performance figures were astonishing for the time, with 0-60 mph in just 3.6 seconds, 0-100 mph in 8.5 seconds and an all-out maximum speed of 202 mph. These numbers remain impressive today, but what truly made the F50’s legend was the way that it drove. The Tipo F130B V12 engine was famously mounted directly to its chassis as a load-bearing structural element, with the rear pushrod suspension attached to its gearbox. A wide mesh grille over the tail’s span provides a tantalising glimpse of these glorious mechanicals.
Adequate stopping power was provided by Brembo brakes with sizable 14 inch front and 13.2 inch rear rotors, clamped by aluminum pistons. This all made for an incredibly connected and emotionally stirring driving experience, with all of the F50’s dynamic responses and V12 power delivery transmitted practically unfiltered into its cabin and lucky occupants’ seats.
Indeed they are reminded of that every time they climb aboard the F50, with the interior’s focused LCD instrumentation and very puristic steering wheel being constant cues that this is a very serious all-business driving machine, even being leather trimmed and equipped with air conditioning. This was a supercar intended to stand tall shoulder to shoulder with the world’s very best, and that it did, running head-to-head with the likes of the McLaren F1 at the dawn of the modern hypercar age. A removable hard targa top accompanied every F50 in a dedicated road case, there for days when inclement weather prevented open top driving, but not the owner’s enjoyment of slotting the next gear home and unleashing every soulful howl up the V12’s thrilling powerband again.
F50 production ended at only 349 cars, the famous practice of making one less than expected market demand having been instituted during Luca di Montezomolo’s highly successful stewardship of Ferrari. As the saying goes all of them are special, but some more so than the others — something especially true on multiple fronts with this example. Only 55 F50s were made for the US market, with just two being finished in Giallo Modena (FER 102); chassis s/n 104798 here is one of the lucky pair, its bright yellow paintwork accented with a Nero leather interior.
Befitting its exceedingly significant status, this F50 was ordered by none other than Ralph Lauren, a name known not only for founding one of the world’s greatest fashion houses, but also for having amassed an incredible sports car collection made up of the finest and most valuable globally known examples. Mr. Lauren rarely parts ways with any car once acquired, making this an extremely rare opportunity to obtain one with his provenance. Nonetheless, Mr. Lauren retained ownership until May 2003, at which point it was sold to a Florida-based dealer through Paul Russell & Company with 3,300 miles on the clock.
In the winter of that same year, this F50 was acquired by its current owners from Ferrari of Washington in Sterling, Virginia, with barely 100 miles having been added to its odometer. The passionate husband-and-wife pair both enjoy Ferraris and have became avid tifosi in their best golden years, eventually developing a competitive drive and even racing their own Challenge cars. The F50 quickly became one of their collection’s treasured centerpieces, but they had purchased it purely out of love, not for flaunting or to seek any kind of social validation, and it seldom ventured out into the world as they both valued their privacy.
Even with that, it was brought out for several events earlier in their ownership, most notably being driven for demonstration laps at Watkins Glen, and used as the 2005 Burn Prevention Foundation Concours’ poster car. It was also displayed at 2009’s Cavallino Classic, while its final public appearance was at that year’s Celebration Exotic Car Festival in Central Florida.
This F50 shows just under 5,400 miles at the time of cataloguing, and has been freshly serviced at the end of 2024 by Ferrari of Central Florida in line with the owners’ meticulous care of their collection, including replacement of its racing style fuel cell bladder, tyres and brake components. Suitably thorough documentation is provided in a meticulous file of invoices covering numerous services performed throughout the last two decades, including rectification of the dreaded “sticky buttons syndrome” in 2014 that often affects older supercars. Its Ferrari Classiche Certification was also reviewed and renewed last year, confirming that all components remain original and exactly as they should be in what is such a well-kept and much-loved example, with a new Red Book due to be received by the time that it should be sold. The extensive documentation is accompanied by an original owner’s manual, along with the Ferrari “duplicato” warranty book signed by Ralph Lauren.
Naturally, the F50’s full Schedoni Cuoio leather luggage set including suit carrier also comes included. Among the world’s F50s with low mileage, this example stands out by being one of only two sought-after US spec cars in this desirably rarefied color, coming in absolutely immaculate condition inside and out with an unblemished “no-stories” history starting from Ralph Lauren and continuing over 22 years into its present owners’ excellent care. Chassis s/n 104798 has always been ideally kept, remarkably well-loved, and driven considerately. Now, in the year of the F50’s 30th birthday, it has proven to be one of the best of its kind, and is definitely worthy of consideration by anyone wanting to acquire an F50 of their own when it goes up for auction on 15-16 August at the Monterey peninsula. More images comprehensively detailing its stunning condition can be viewed at the F50’s auction listing here.
