Alain Prost's Ferrari F40 sold at auction and the result exceeds expectations

Almost a month after announced its auctionthe Ferrari F40 delivered new to Alain Prost has just written a new chapter in its already exceptional history. Expected to fetch between $3.2 and $3.7 million at the Abu Dhabi auction, it finally changed hands for more than expected. A performance worthy of the unique pedigree of this example, directly linked to one of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history.

A royal gift for Alain Prost's arrival at Ferrari

The story of this F40 begins in November 1989, at a pivotal moment in the career of the four-time world champion. Fresh from winning his third title, Alain Prost left McLaren to join Ferrari. He became the first driver recruited by the Scuderia since the death of Enzo Ferrari. To welcome its new champion, the Prancing Horse marque handed him the keys to what was then the world's fastest road car. Built for the Swiss market, in the purest configuration, the F40 bearing chassis 83249 was delivered to Alain Prost, who would never use it. Before handing it over, he signed the car's roof. His signature, protected by a thick varnish, remains perfectly visible today, adding a sacred character to this already unusual model.

After Prost, the F40 joined the collection of racing driver Graham de Zille, who cared for it and used it in a report for Motor Sport magazine in April 1997. The following decades saw the car travel between the UK, Jersey and then France, always within meticulous private collections. In 2016, it received Ferrari Classiche certification, confirming that it retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox and bodywork. That same year, she returned to Maranello to take part in the competition celebrating Ferrari's 70th anniversary, where she came a superb second in her class. At the time of sale, the car had just 2,961 miles, or 4,765 km, an almost unreal figure for a 1989 F40.

A long-awaited auction... and a historic result

This F40 had already briefly resurfaced in May 2023, when its estimated price hovered between 2.5 and 3 million euros. But in just two years, the F40 market has exploded, and exceptional examples have multiplied on the international scene. At the December 5, 2025 sale in Abu Dhabi, Alain Prost's F40 was estimated at between $3.2 and $3.7 million. In front of an audience of international buyers, its crystal-clear history, remarkable condition, very low mileage and, above all, its direct link to one of F1's most emblematic drivers unleashed the bids. The hammer finally fell at $3,886,250, confirming the almost mythical aura of this model.

The greatest driver of his era needed a road car to match.

Completed in late 1989 in pure early specification, it left the factory without catalytic converters or adjustable suspension and entered private hands. Its first owner kept it only briefly but left one unforgettable... pic.twitter.com/i1LydyiYA9

- RM Sotheby's (@rmsothebys) December 3, 2025