Mike Tyson’s Old Ferrari F50 Could Deliver A $9 Million Knockout
Celebrity-owned cars can be a dangerous gamble. Sometimes the famous name adds serious value. Other times, bidders care far more about service records, originality, and mileage than whose name once appeared on the title. However, the Ferrari heading to RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction is not some ordinary celebrity hand-me-down.
It is already one of the rarest analog Ferraris ever built. It has barely been driven, carries the right certification, and comes with the sort of history collectors love. Its first private owner also happened to be one of the most intimidating athletes on the planet. Now, nearly 30 years after “Iron” Mike Tyson briefly owned it, this Ferrari F50 is returning to California with a multimillion-dollar estimate and a genuine chance of delivering a knockout result.
Mike Tyson Bought This Ferrari After Reclaiming His Crown
The car is officially listed as a 1995 Ferrari F50, although it completed assembly in February 1996. Finished in the classic combination of Rosso Corsa over a Nero interior with red seat inserts, chassis 104220 was built for the United States and delivered to Beverly Hills Sports Car in California.
Dealer and broker Nader Amirvand acquired it before selling it to Mike Tyson, who had recently reclaimed the heavyweight championship. If you have just returned to the top of boxing, there are certainly worse ways to celebrate than buying Ferrari’s latest flagship. Tyson was already famous for his extravagant car collection, which included everything from Rolls-Royces and Bentleys to several Lamborghinis. However, the F50 may have been one of the most serious performance cars to enter his garage.
His ownership did not last long. Tyson sold the Ferrari back to Amirvand later in 1996, but that brief connection is enough to give this F50 something most examples cannot match. Ferrari built only 349 F50s, and just 55 were specified for the American market. Only one can claim Mike Tyson as its first private owner.
This Ferrari Put A Formula 1-Inspired V12 On The Street
Tyson’s name will attract attention, but this car does not need a celebrity connection to be special. Ferrari built the F50 to celebrate its 50th anniversary, giving it a carbon-fiber tub, removable hardtop, six-speed manual transmission, and a naturally aspirated 4.7-liter V12 related to an engine used in its 1992 Formula 1 car. The road-going version produces 513 horsepower and 347 lb-ft of torque.
The F50 could accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds and reach 202 mph. Those numbers remain impressive, but they only explain part of its appeal. There are no turbochargers muting the V12, no dual-clutch transmission changing gears for the driver, and no complicated hybrid system filling in the gaps. It is loud, physical, and proudly old-school.
The engine is also bolted directly to the carbon-fiber chassis, making it a structural part of the car. That helps explain why an F50 delivers considerably more noise and vibration than the average modern hypercar. Ferrari essentially gave its customers a roofless racing machine and included air conditioning as a peace offering.
Signed Boxing Gloves Come With The $9 Million Ferrari
After leaving Tyson’s collection, this F50 passed through the hands of several respected collectors. Its maintenance history includes an engine-out service, clutch rebuild, replacement fuel tank, lighting upgrades, and more recent major servicing by authorized Ferrari dealerships. It received Ferrari Classiche certification in 2008, confirming that it retains its original matching-numbers engine, transaxle, chassis, and bodywork. The odometer currently shows just 6,196 miles.
The next owner will also receive the factory hardtop, tools, owner’s manuals, sales literature, three-piece fitted luggage set, and extensive documentation. As a wonderfully theatrical finishing touch, the package includes a pair of Everlast boxing gloves signed by Tyson.
RM Sotheby’s will offer the F50 without reserve during its Monterey auction on August 15, with an estimate of $7 million to $9 million. That means it will sell regardless of where bidding stops, although nobody should expect a bargain.
Tyson’s ownership may push the final number higher, but the celebrity history is really the bonus. Underneath it sits a low-mileage, Classiche-certified American-market F50 with its original major components intact. The signed gloves simply make an already heavyweight Ferrari even harder to ignore.
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