World-famous auction house RM Sotheby's sold a one-of-a-kind Ferrari Testarossa Spider over the weekend, using Sega's OutRun as a way of attracting interest.
The 1990 Ferrari Testarossa Pininfarina Spider ‘Special Production’ went up for auction on the 5th of November, alongside a unique promotional video which made clear the connection between the car and Yu Suzuki's iconic 1986 coin-op.
The vehicle was commissioned in 1989 as "a bespoke project alongside cars made for Brunei royalty" and has never been previously registered for the road; only 413 kilometres on its odometer, meaning it's almost as good as new.
Even so, over €177,000 of restoration work was carried out on the car in 2021 by Pininfarina and Zanasi, including a full repaint and the installation of a new clutch and fuel pump; technicians also worked to disassemble, clean, and restore the engine and suspension, restoring the car to 'as new' condition.
Here's some background info from the listing:
Given the right level of status—and the bank balance to back it up—almost anything is possible in the world of collector cars. Behind doors which even the most astute of collectors may struggle to unlock, cars considered too wild for mainstream manufacture are created; bespoke projects straight from the imagination are brought to life. Perhaps one of the greatest examples of a collector’s vision made reality is this striking and rare Pininfarina-made drop-top, representing the peak of 1980s excess.
It is understood that towards the end of the decade, Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina was approached to undertake a custom project. The coachbuilder was commissioned to create a supercar unlike any other. It is thought that Pininfarina made seven almost identical but ultimately unique "Spider" adaptations of the bespoke order for Brunei Royalty, each finished in a different exterior and interior colour combination. In addition to these Brunei cars, a very small number of Testarossa Spiders were built for important clients, including the consignor.
The auction ended with the car selling for £1,467,500. Gulp.