This F355 was believed to have been specified by Michael Schumacher himself and was gifted to him after moving to Scuderia Ferrari in 1996 (Image: Willem Verstraten Fotografie for RM Sotheby’s)
While there’s plenty of memorabilia from Michael Schumacher’s storied Formula 1 career that sells for big bucks, fans of the seven-time champion now have the chance to buy one of his own cars.
Offered by RM Sotheby’s at its 2025 Paris auction on February 4-5, the unique 1996 F355 GTS is being offered with no reserve price, meaning it will sell.
Moving from Benetton to Scuderia Ferrari for the 1996 season, it was already clear what a generational talent Schumacher was, and this car was gifted to him by his new employers. After all, at the time, they couldn’t have him tootling around in a little Fiat, even if in 2009 he admitted that was his usual daily driver at the time on an episode of Top Gear.
Introduced in 1995, this ’96 example is finished in Blu Le Mans paintwork which is offset by a Pella Crema leather interior – quite the inverse spec of the Rosso Corsa Ferrari racers he drove at the time.
Perhaps most importantly, Schumacher opted for the standard six-speed manual rather than the flappy-paddle ‘F1’ gearbox (Image: Willem Verstraten Fotografie for RM Sotheby’s)
Believed to have been specified by Schumacher himself, the most notable inclusion in his own F355 is the standard six-speed manual gearbox, rather than the semi-automatic ‘F1’ gearbox.
The car comes with documentation confirming its connection to the F1 icon, with the service book noting its delivery to the company of his manager Willi Weber on April 30, 1996, while a letter from Monaco Motors confirmed which was its servicing dealer confirmed it was serviced for Schumacher by them until September 1997. The back of the driver’s seat was also signed by Schumacher at some stage prior to it falling into the hands of its current owner.
While it’s unclear how long Weber Management was the official owner of the car and how long Schumacher personally used it for, it was sold to a French buyer in 2002, while the seller acquired it at auction in 2004 during the Monaco Grand Prix, where he managed to speak to Schumacher who instantly recalled the vehicle.
It’s believed that Schumacher mainly drove the car around Monaco, with letters of authenticity supplied by the servicing dealer there (Image: Supplied)
Unsurprisingly, given its high-profile connection, the car has been featured in several magazines including Forza, Ferrari World, and Auto Trends Classic. It was also granted Ferrari Classiche certification in 2020, although this does show that the engine has been replaced prior to its last sale in 2004.
With no listed guide price, it’s unclear just how much the F355 will sell for. It’s not the only Schumacher item up for grabs, though, with two of his Ferrari racing suits on offer at a guide price of €30-50k each, along with a Ferrari F300 F1 engine signed by him valued at €60-80k.
Other highlights of the Paris auction without that connection include a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM worth more than €25 million and a 1970 Ferrari 512 M valued between €9-12 million.
You can view the full list of Paris auction lots on the RM Sotheby’s website.
With no reserve price set, the F1 legend’s former Ferrari will sell no matter what, but for just how much? (Image: Willem Verstraten Fotografie for RM Sotheby’s)
