Even in the outlandish world of car collectors, it’s not every day you come across one who’s so wealthy they forget they own an example of one of the greatest supercars ever made. Which is why Ion Țiriac, ex-tennis player and coach turned billionaire, is making waves for his collection. Not to mention his forgotten Ferraris. While the Țiriac Collection museum in Romania currently houses one Ferrari F40, it’s another example he once owned that’s stirring up attention.
As a quick reminder of how momentous the Ferrari F40 was back in 1987, it was the most powerful Ferrari road car, and the first car ever to breach the magical 200mph barrier. It got there courtesy of a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V8 extensively made of lightweight magnesium, pumping out a claimed 471 horsepower, though everyone thought Ferrari was being modest there.
The Ferrari F40 was also the last model to be built while Enzo Ferrari was still alive, immediately making it an instant collectible. It was a big, big deal and everyone wanted one — Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour and Nick Mason had one each.
Considering only 1,315 units were produced between 1987 and 1992, it took more than just money to get your hands on one back then. Though money certainly helped — the Ferrari F40 was priced at $400,000 (equivalent to approximately $1 million today) when new, with a planned production run of just 400 units.
In an interview on the Țiriac Collection’s YouTube channel, the 85-year-old tycoon recounts the story of how he tried purchasing a Ferrari F40 with clout. And what better clout than through Gerhard Berger, Ferrari’s own F1 race driver at the time? The next part of the story is a little unclear, but Țiriac, a longtime Monaco resident, claims that Stefano Casiraghi, husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco, attempted to buy the car from him for one million dollars. He turned the offer down and instead, later purchased another Ferrari F40 for $700,000 and had it parked in Munich with a few other Ferraris, as he didn’t have the space for it in Monaco. It’s only after 10 years that the owner of the garage housing some of Țiriac’s cars reminded him of the priceless pieces of automotive history that hadn’t been touched in a decade!
Of course, Țiriac had these ‘forgotten Ferraris’ recommissioned directly from the Ferrari factory in Maranello and promptly sold the lot since he still didn’t have the space for them. Fortunately, Țiriac’s first Ferrari F40 still survives in the Țiriac Collection in Romania, for the world to appreciate.
Ion Țiriac, the first Romanian to grace the Forbes list of billionaires
By his own admission, Țiriac was “the greatest tennis player, who couldn’t play”. Ion Țiriac, while successful in his game till a point, was certainly better known for his playboy ways. After quitting playing tennis professionally, Țiriac turned coach, went on to train and manage one of tennis’ greatest stars, Boris Becker. It appears Țiriac’s greatest successes came from his dogged determination and hard work, amassing billions through clever deals in spheres from real estate to financial institutions and cars.
Ion Țiriac had become so rich by the late ‘80s that he had his own bank — the Tiriac Bank, which was post-Communist Romania’s first private bank. Jumping on the Forbes list of billionaires in 2007 as the first Romanian, Țiriac’s net worth in 2024 is valued at $2.1 billion according to Forbes. The Tiriac Collection houses over 150 cars, or just about half the cars owned by Ion Țiriac. The collection also houses all seven Rolls-Royce Phantom classic series’ cars, the only place in the world one can find them housed together. It’s a great reminder that hard work pays off — even if it means you occasionally forget a Ferrari F40 along the way.
