A one-of-a-kind vintage Ferrari that was built with the personal involvement of Enzo Ferrari himself and holds a speed record which hasn’t been broken for almost 70 years is not just special but something that is truly unique. A machine that should easily feature on the top for highly collectible Ferraris; and, it’s up for sale, giving a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Ferrari collectors to get their hands on it. However, it’s not a bespoke version of 250 GTO we are talking about; not even a Le Mans racer! It’s the only Ferrari-powered hydroplane in history that had set the world speed record on water in 1952. With a Shark-like face and fin and Ferrari’s iconic bright red racing livery, the three-point hydroplane is a thing of beauty – much like the Ferrari road and race cars from that era.
Named Arno XI, the boat was built in 1952 with the only aim of shattering the speed record in the 800-kg class. When Enzo Ferrari learned that famed Italian speedboat racer Achille Castoldi working on the project and the boat is painted in Ferrari red, he decided to lend some help via his Scuderia F1 team. Instead of the 385 hp, 4.5L V12 engine from the Ferrari 375 that was originally intended to outfit the boat, it was powered by Ferrari’s powerful race-prepped Grand Prix engine that churned out somewhere between 550 and 600 hp. As a result, the Arno XI smashed the record hitting a top speed of 150.49 mph, a mark that still stands today. Before retiring, the boat later made another in the 900-kg class but failed to make its mark. Since then, the Ferrari-powered boat has been a part of many boat shows over the years. It recently was restored by Ferrari Classiche and is now available for purchase exclusively through DuPont Registry.
[Via:InsideHook]
