Last night, one of the rare, limited edition (all sold) Ferrari LaFerrari hypercars were sold at auction and raised an impressive $7 Million. This money will go to the the reconstruction efforts of Central Italy in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes of 2016. With Italy being the home of Ferrari, its great to see the company giving back.
The auction was held in conjunction with the National Italian American Foundation’s Earthquake Relief Fund. The price tag of more than double the original price from the factory, represents a record for the most valuable 21st Century automobile ever sold at auction.
All proceeds from the auction will go toward the reconstruction efforts in the areas affected by the earthquake. Even the auctioneers, RM Sotheby’s graciously donated their expertise to raise the highest amount possible. If you’re wondering where the LaFerrari came from, its out of Ferrari’s own collection.
While all LaFerrari’s are special, this one is absolutely unique, with a custom livery with a distinctly Italian theme: a red exterior with a white dream line on the hood and rear windshield. A small Italian flag on the hood serves as a reminder that this is a gift by Ferrari to its home country. The car will also feature a commemorative plaque.
Far too often we think of automotive companies as big engineering machines designed to turn profits, but its times like these that you remember there’s people at the heart of these companies and the people at Ferrari clearly have a big heart. Australia is fortunate we don’t suffer from earthquakes, but if we did, its hard to think of many companies that’d come to the party in support of their country like this.