The Ferrari ‘Big 5’ Is The Ultimate Collection Of Prancing Horse Hypercars

This coveted quintet of flagship Ferraris could fetch more than $20 million at auction.

Brandon Friederich

Mar 18, 2024

2015 Ferrari LaFerrari (Darin Schnabel/Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)

Assuming that money is no object, RM Sotheby’s upcoming “Dare to Dream Collection” auction presents a chance to jumpstart a Ferrari collection by acquiring five of the most elite Prancing Horses ever made.

Within the featured lots is the Ferrari “Big 5″—the LaFerrari, Enzo, F50, F40 and 288 GTO. Also known as the “Hyper 5,” this covetable quintet represents the apogee of the Maranello marque’s automotive prowess across the cars’ respective eras.

2003 Ferrari Enzo (Darin Schnabel/Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)

Billionaire real estate mogul Luc Poirier, whom Maxim interviewed in early 2024, counts the Big 5 among his Ferrari collection, which is believed to be the largest in North America. Poirer estimates there are fewer than 30 private collectors who have assembled the Big 5, and now the right well-heeled bidder can join that exclusive club.

Working backwards from the most recently produced hypercar, there’s a 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari with just 1,766 miles on the odometer that the auction house has valued between $3.9 and $4.3 million. Its heart is a 6.3-liter V12 engine, directly lifted from the experimental FXX model, that originally developed 789 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. A rear-mounted electric motor derived from the company’s Formula One Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) brings total output up to 949 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque.

1996 Ferrari F50 (Darin Schnabel/Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)

A 5,349-mile 2003 Ferrari Enzo features the same valuation as the LaFerrari. This tribute to Enzo Ferrari debuted the purpose-built Tipo F140B V12, ultimately developing a still-formidable 651 horsepower and 485 pound-feet of torque.

Meanwhile, a 12,993-mile 1996 Ferrari F50 valued between $3.8 million and $4.5 million was also an apex automobile in its day, thanks to a 4.7-liter V12 that launched the car to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds on the way to a 202-mph top end with 513 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque.

The preceding Ferrari F40 was the fastest car on Earth upon debut, with a twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter V8 that was good for 478 horsepower, 425 pound-feet of torque, a 60-mph sprint in 4.1 seconds, and a record setting 201-mph top speed. The car offered by RM Sotheby’s shows just under 1,000 miles on the odometer, helping it achieve a valuation between $2.8 million and $3.3 million.

1990 Ferrari F40 (Darin Schnabel/Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)

The cornerstone of any Big 5 collection is of course the Ferrari 288 GTO, which rivaled the Lamborghini Countach and Porsche 959 for 1980s-era bedroom poster beatification.

With production capped at 272 examples, the twin-turbo V8-powered race car for the road was hailed in the August 1984 issue of Road & Track: “The progressiveness of the [288] GTO’s flow of power and its remarkable control are as good or better than anything I’ve ever experienced…The grip of the car on the road is phenomenal and noticeably increases with speed.”

The example on-offer at RM Sotheby’s, valued between $3.8 and $4 million, has been driven 26,617 miles and benefitted from 26 years of single ownership before changing hands twice in the 2010s

1985 Ferrari 288 GTO (Darin Schnabel/Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s)

The “Dare to Dream Collection” sale will take place from May 31 to June 1 in the collection’s home, a 17,000-square-foot exhibition space in the heart of Toronto, Canada, the week prior to the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada in Montreal. There’s no better time and place to acquire the Ferrari Big 5.