Stay up-to-date via RSS!

At first glance it looks like a 348. And that’s exactly what Ferrari wants you to think: to ward off spy photographers and Nikon-armed ne’er do wells, lurking here underneath the body of one of the more lackluster Ferraris in existence lies the prototype for one of the greatest.

Back in 2000, two years before the Enzo was announced at the Paris Motor Show, three engineering mules M1, M2, and M3 were developed with the intention of transferring high-tech F1 wizardry to the street. It had been something Ferrari had dabbled with in earnest, most notably in the F50, which had an F1-drived engine and suspension bits. And while the engine was the race-honed V12 that would later go in the production car, the all-aluminum F140 good for 660 horsepower, the daddy of the Enzo was actually a mishmash of parts from the Ferrari brain trust: the drivetrain, brakes, and suspension were lifted from the 355 Challenge. The radiator came from a 550. The interior and switchgear was pure 348, while the dashboard was modified to fit the 360′s. And the fenders and hood were custom-made composites: no black canvas Boy Scout tenting here or Razzle Dazzle camouflage here.

Thanks, in part, to that unusual body. Passers by might notice it for a run-of-the mill 348, complemented by generic-looking gold wheels. The elongated rear end might seem a little strange, however. And then, those sneaky car spotters will get close to notice the details: hey, those exhaust pipes are mounted funny. And what’s that giant aluminum thing in the back window?

To be honest, I never was a fan of the Enzo’s styling—it seemed like too many ideas at once, and F1 styling never translates well to the road. (Just look at Mercedes’ attempts, which, as Top Gear pointed out, could be mistaken for something quite rude.) But for some reason, the 348 mule just looks right: somehow, the 80s styling of the 348 translates well to Caminoesque proportions. It’s certainly one of the most well-finished, meticulously detailed and cleverly-disguised prototypes ever built. Owning a (hopefully) priceless piece of Ferrari history doesn’t hurt, either.

The M3 prototype was auctioned at Sotheby’s in 2005. We’re not sure which one of the three this one is, but like the M3 it will probably sell for around the same Jay-Leno-attainable price of $236,300, and we’d only be shocked if it didn’t.

And if you play it right, you can trick those gullible journalists into the next Enzo successor. It’s not exactly hard to do.

Ferrari Enzo Prototype for sale: Anamera

- Blake Rong

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 10:10 am and is filed under News, Photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.