See the 1973 Ferrari 365 GT4 owned by F1 champion Niki Lauda

Formula 1 history is littered with iconic figures who have risen to the top of arguably the world’s toughest racing. One of them is Austrian Niki Lauda, who made his mark not only by his driving prowess but also by surviving a catastrophic crash in which he was involved and fighting Boeing to prove that the crash of Lauda Air Flight 004 was due to a mechanical failure.

His most successful racing moments will forever be associated with the Italian car company we affectionately call the Prancing Horse. Without a doubt, the most glorious period of his career was when he drove for Ferrari, when Lauda won two Formula 1 World Championships (out of three).

So there’s no doubt that Ferrari considers the Austrian to be one of the most important drivers in its history. So much so that earlier this month, at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, the Scuderia introduced a special uniform for its drivers, to honour Lauda’s first world championship victory exactly half a century ago.

This story is also about the Lauda-Ferrari duo, but it is not directly related to his Formula 1 exploits. Instead, it concerns a very special road-going Ferrari, whose first owner was a racer, and which is now up for sale for a pretty penny.

It was a 1973 Pininfarina Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2, delivered to Lauda as soon as he joined the Italian team, for his public road use. And although he didn’t own it until his death in 2019, it’s still an item that collectors and fans of Niki Lauda would probably pay a fortune to own.

The Ferrari 365 GT4 was introduced by the Italians in 1972 as a four-seat supercar, intended to replace the 365 GTC/4 and give the Italian-made cars a new look, significantly different from the previous fastback model - this was achieved with the help of Pininfarina.

With a 2+2 configuration, the 365 GT4 was produced in fairly limited numbers, with just 524 rolling off the assembly line, so in addition to its connection to the F1 champion, this special car is also part of a very carefully selected breed of ultra-rare Prancing Horses.

The Ferrari was delivered to Lauda in Argento Metallizzato with a blue body and leather interior, but that’s clearly not what we see now. It’s believed the car was painted red on the exterior and black on the interior sometime in the 1980s, when the then-owner decided to give it a makeover.

Lauda sold the car shortly after purchasing it in 1975, after which it ended up in Austria, where it remains to this day. Despite its many owners, the car remains largely original, including its 4.4-liter V12 engine and five-speed manual transmission. The odometer appears to show around 55,000 miles, or 88,000 km, since leaving the factory.

As you can see, the 1973 Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2 by Pininfarina is listed by RM Sotheby's as one of the stars of its mid-October auction in Munich, Germany. And we even know how much its current owner hopes to sell it for.

Despite being labeled a 1975 Ferrari for one reason or another, the car is expected to be one of the highlights of the auction, with an expected price tag of between 180,000 and 220,000 euros. That's equivalent to between $211,000 and $257,000 at current exchange rates.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/ngam-ferrari-365-gt4-1973-thuoc-so-huu-cua-nha-vo-dich-f1-niki-lauda-post2149056591.html