Cult Ferrari 333 SP sports car that raced to championship glory is set for auction
This Ferrari 333 SP boasts multiple race wins and championship success. Now, as part of the exclusive Tailored for Speed Collection, it is due to be auctioned by RM Sotheby's with a £4m+ estimate
RM Sotheby's
Sponsored by RM Sotheby’s
Racing is the lifeblood of Ferrari and a Ferrari with racing coursing through its veins is predicted to be one of the star attractions at RM Sotheby’s forthcoming Tailored for Speed sale, with an estimate of 4.5m to 5m Swiss Francs (£4.18m-£4.64m).
The 333 SP, one of just 40 examples ever built, has a remarkable racing pedigree, one that proves how right Ferrari was when, in 1993, it made the decision to return to sports car racing after an absence of 20 years.
Like the best stories, this one begins with a vision — to put Ferrari back on top of a sport which, until 1972, it had dominated. It was a vision shared by two men: racing privateer and loyal Ferrari customer Gianpiero Moretti – the founder of the Momo automotive accessories manufacturer – and Ferrari North America CEO, Gianluigi Longinotti-Buitoni. Keen to emulate the success of Ferrari’s victorious P series sports cars of the 1960s and early 1970s, including World Championship winners the 250 P, 275 P, 330 P2, 330 P4 and 312 PB, the pair sought the services of top-flight racing specialists Dallara Automobili to lead their new car’s aerodynamic development, and race car engineers and designers Michelotto to build much of it.
In 1993, the wraps came off the prototype 333 SP. Built around a flat-bottomed carbon-fibre monocoque chassis and powered by Ferrari’s acclaimed 4.0-litre V-12 F310E, an engine closely related to the Type 036 Formula 1 motor of 1990, it already looked competitive. Buoyed by its reception, Ferrari gave the go-ahead for production and in 1994, the new 333 SP rewarded its creators with an astonishing five victories out of seven rounds in the IMSA sports car championship.
Proving this initial success was no flash in the pan, the following season, the 333 SP was victorious in the 12 Hours of Sebring and won both IMSA Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles. By the time it had run its last race in 2002, the 333 SP had contested no fewer than 350 races, scored 50 wins and amassed 12 major championships. By a strange quirk of fate, just as the 333 SP had arrived after a 20-year hiatus, so it would be 20 years before Ferrari would field its first prototype sports car of the modern era, the 2022 499P.
The 333 SP being offered in RM Sotheby’s forthcoming sale is such an example that’s worthy of its name. Wearing the striking red, white and green livery of Italian manufacturing firm Giesse, its team’s sponsors in 1998, chassis number 023 — the 22nd of 40 examples — can claim a championship-winning season plus numerous podiums. Later, in 2010, it was accorded Ferrari Classiche certification and as recently as 2021 received a full mechanical overhaul by Ferrari and Michelotto.
Remarkably, future racing success looked extremely doubtful when, as early as its first year, chassis 023 remained unused by its owner Noël Del Bello Racing. Fortunately, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, manager of the Renault F1 team in the early 1990s, could clearly see its potential and not only that, had the team, JB Giesse Racing, to realise it. Chassis 023’s first season in the 1998 International Sports Racing Series was crowned with the award of the Teams’ championship title.
Encouraged by this early success, for the next season the team fielded a trio of 333 SPs, with chassis 023 driven by 1998 champions Emmanuel Collard and Vincenzo Sospiri. Not only would the car start in all nine races of what was now called the Sports Racing World Cup but it opened the team’s scorecard in stunning style with overall victory at the first event at Barcelona. This was followed by another win at Monza two weeks later. Subsequent podium finishes were sufficient to earn the team the 1999 title and in 2000 chassis 023 was granted a retirement worthy of a champion.
In 2001 it was shown by its then owner, a world-class collector based in Canada, at the Festival Ferrari at Mont Tremblant and later, in 2006, at the Cavallino Classic. In 2021, it was acquired by The Tailored For Speed Collection, which promptly sent it to Michelotto for a full mechanical rebuild. The following year it was presented at the Goodwood Festival of Speed before being returned to Michelotto for servicing, ensuring the lifeblood of this important racer continues to flow.
The Tailored for Speed Collection contains some of the rarest and most sought-after supercars and hypercars, representing one of the most exciting collections to come to market in recent years.
Among the 42 lots are racing cars like the Ferrari 333 SP, cutting-edge hypercars including the Pagani Huayra Roadster BC, and limited-edition track-focused machines like the Ferrari FXX-K Evo.
The auction will be held at the Dolder Grand Hotel, Zurich, on Saturday 11 October. Click below for full details