Rock legend Eddie Van Halen unfortunately passed away at age 65 back in October, making a bad year even worse. In the time since, the world’s been reminded of his car hobby, which included more than a few stellar collector examples. He owned a beautiful red Lamborghini Miura, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS and a pair of Audi R8s—one V8 and one V10. The car in question now, though, is a 2000 Ferrari 550 Maranello track car once owned by Van Halen that’s headed to auction. Lightly modified to go racing, it’s being sold on Gottahaverockandroll.com, with a reserve of $200,000.
The car was bought by Van Halen to race with his brother, according to the ad, and it’s apparently far from stock. It has aftermarket bucket seats, a roll cage, and racing harnesses instead of regular seatbelts. That all complements the 550 Maranello’s standard running gear, which includes a 5.5-liter, 485-horsepower V12. Like every other example, this one comes with a six-speed manual transmission and a gated shifter; no automatic transmission was offered.
This particular example has 28,000 miles, so it’s been well-enjoyed over the years. Mechanically, it’s said to be in excellent condition as a result of service by “the top Ferrari mechanic.” Their words, not ours, but it’s safe to assume Eddie Van Halen had connections. He reportedly owned the car for about a year before selling it to a friend, meaning the famous rocker didn’t own it at the time of his passing.
Gottahaverockandroll.com says it will issue a certificate of authenticity along with the vehicle when it’s sold, ensuring that it won’t be mistaken for a regular black Ferrari any time soon. It’s expected to sell for somewhere between $250,000 and $350,000.
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