Almost new Ferrari Enzo heading to auction

From March 15 to 17 RM Sotheby's will auction a rare 2003 Ferrari Enzo with only 227km on the odometer, almost all of that coming from factory testing before delivery.

Delivered new to Japan, this collector's item has remained largely out of sight for much of its life, having never been registered for use on the road.

The Enzo, named after Ferrari's founder, was launched in 2002 with a 6.0l V12 engine and F1-derived technology  such as a carbon-fibre body, automated-shift manual transmission and carbon-fibre-reinforced silicon carbide ceramic composite disc brakes. It also boasted technology not allowed in F1, such as active aerodynamics.

Just 399 examples built, with one additional Enzo created for Pope John Paul II in 2004.

Ferrari packed the model with space age materials and innovative solutions to reduce weight and improve performance. Power is rated at 485kW horsepower and 657Nm of torque.

While more than 70% of Enzos were finished in Rosso Corsa (Red), a handful of examples were painted in other colours on request, with Giallo Modena (Yellow), Nero Pastello (Black), and Rosso Scuderia (Bright Red) proving popular options. Among the rarer shades was Argento Nürburgring 101/C, and only nine Enzos had grey paint like the car being auctioned.

The car has much of its factory protective packaging, including plastic on the door sills, tape wrapped around the ignition key, and even plastic covering on the brake and throttle pedals. It is accompanied by its original owner’s manuals, car cover, spare key ( enclosed in a Ziploc bag alongside the manuals) and factory three-piece fitted luggage set which has never been unwrapped.