The 'Unicorn' Enzo – Rare Maserati MC12 To Go Under Hammer
When it first arrived, the Maserati MC12 was considered a bit of an ugly duckling. The unloved younger sibling of the Ferrari Enzo, it utilised the Maranello flagship’s V12 engine and carbon chassis for underpinnings in a bid for glory in GT1. The MC12 road car is in a very real sense, a homologation car, with the GT1 version amassing a smattering of victories across its five year career.
The road car never received much love, but as time has worn on, the MC12’s rarity and mystique has afforded it a certain unicorn status among enthusiasts and buyers alike. With a final production number of 50 for the road car, these things don’t come up for sale very often.
As such, here is a stunning 2005 example offered by RM Sotheby’s in Monterey on behalf of the Riverside International Automotive Museum. Originally purchased by one Doug Magnon, this car has been under the loving and caring ownership of Magnon and the Riverside International Automotive Museum since its manufacture. Though not legal for road use (as per the terms of the USA Show and Display import law), the car has seen regular usage on race tracks around the states, as well as in the industrial complex of the museum to keep it in good running order. This particular car was used by Derek Hill to take his father Phil Hill for a lap around Laguna Seca in 2008 for what is believed to be one of his final visits to a motor circuit before his sad passing. Phil Hill was the only American born driver to ever win an F1 World Drivers Championship.
In total the car has covered 6219 miles, and has had a replacement engine and windscreen, all above board and to the correct standard. The MC12 is considered by many experts as the ultimate Maserati with its rarity and motorsport pedigree. These rarified road-going homologation cars are becoming more desirable and are coming up for sale less and less often as collectors scoop them up and stow them away. This car surely has to be one of the modern gems of the 2016 RM Sotheby's Monterey Auction.
How do you rate the MC12 amongst the crop of Millennial super-sportscars? This or an Enzo?
Maserati
MC12
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