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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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© Willem Verstraten/RM Sotheby’s
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Schumacher’s supercar
If you’ve ever had a disappointing company car, look away now.
This Ferrari F355GTS was one of the perks Michael Schumacher received when he signed with the Italian marque’s Formula One team in 1996. Not bad, eh?
RM Sotheby’s is hosting a no-reserve, sealed-bid auction for this rather special supercar. Tempted?
Bidding runs from 4-7 February 2025. If you want to find out more about it, here’s the story of Michael Schumacher’s 1996 Ferrari F355GTS.
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F1 record-breaker
This Ferrari F355GTS was apparently Michael Schumacher’s first set of company wheels from his time at Scuderia Ferrari, the team he joined for the 1996 F1 season and with whom he won five World Drivers’ Championships between 2000 and 2004.
At the time, it was the road car division’s latest supercar, having replaced the 348 in 1994.
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Championship drought
Michael Schumacher went to Ferrari on the back of two World Championship wins at the Benetton F1 team in 1994 and 1995.
After four years with the UK-based outfit, Schumacher took a risk when he moved to the Italian squad, which hadn’t won a title since Jody Scheckter’s 1979 victory.
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Into the history books
He needn’t have worried, though.
Schumacher and Ferrari grew to be one of the sport’s most famous partnerships, and the German maestro became a seven-time drivers’ champion.
Only Lewis Hamilton has matched his record.
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New-car day
All this lay ahead of a 27-year-old Schumacher, who was handed the keys to this Ferrari F355GTS in April 1996.
According to the notes in the car’s service book, it was delivered to Weber Management GmbH, the company owned by Schumacher’s manager, Wilhelm ‘Willi’ Weber.
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Podium finish
Not long after he took delivery of the F355GTS, Schumacher placed second in the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola on 5 May.
That same day, the F355 was serviced for the first time at Monaco Motors, the country’s official Ferrari dealership.
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Prancing Horse in blue
Reportedly, Schumacher specced the car himself.
Perhaps he’d seen enough red Ferraris at work, because instead of the obvious choice of Rosso Corsa, Schumacher opted for Blu Le Mans paintwork with a Pella Crema interior.
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Old-school charm
Ferrari’s F1-style, semi-automatic paddle-shift wasn’t available on F355s until 1997, so this ex-Schumacher car has a six-speed manual gearbox.
But who’s to say the German ace wouldn’t have picked the self-shifter given the choice?
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Supercar showdown
When the Ferrari F355 was released in 1994, it superseded the 348 as the marque’s mid-engined, V8-powered supercar.
Engineers threw everything but the kitchen sink at the F355 to stay ahead of rivals from Honda and Porsche.
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Decisions, decisions
At launch, buyers could choose between a hardtop Berlinetta and a targa-like GTS, such as this car.
A Spider variant, with a full soft-top, joined the line-up in 1995.
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Fast enough?
The Ferrari F355’s mid-mounted V8 engine makes 374bhp.
That’s probably plenty for most drivers, but it likely felt a little tame for Schumacher, who was more accustomed to his Ferrari F310 F1 car’s 700bhp-plus output.
The F355’s 183mph top speed isn’t to be sniffed at, though.
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Top step
After retiring from the Monaco Grand Prix on 19 May, Schumacher’s first victory with the Prancing Horse came at the 1996 season’s seventh round, in Spain, on 2 June.
Meanwhile, he continued to enjoy his Ferrari F355 on the road.
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Schumacher spotted
A newspaper clipping – one of many documents included in the sale – shows Schumacher behind the wheel of the F355 in Monaco.
There’s also a letter from Monaco Motors confirming the dealership maintained Schumacher’s car until September 1997.
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Changing hands
In May 2002, this Ferrari F355GTS was bought by Pierre Valentin of Mougins, France, who then sold it to its third owner, who lived in Vallauris, also in France.
The current custodian acquired the car from an auction at the 2004 Grand Prix de Monaco Historique.
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Showstopper
Following the sale in Monaco, the Ferrari F355GTS was driven to its new home in Belgium.
Since then, it’s been displayed at various Belgian car events and featured in magazines, including the March 2013 edition of Ferrari World.
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Next chapter
The Ferrari’s link to Schumacher and its dark-blue paintwork caught that enthusiast’s attention.
But, after 20 years of ownership, they’ve decided it’s time to find a new home for this special F355GTS.
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Special feature
If you tilt the driver’s seat forward to access the rear luggage space, you’ll find Schumacher’s autograph on the back of it.
The German champion signed it for a previous owner.
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Crossing paths
At the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix, the current owner had the opportunity to meet Schumacher, following his return to F1 with the Mercedes-Benz team.
Apparently Schumacher remembered the F355GTS and was happy to learn it was still being driven.
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Fun-size Ferrari
This Ferrari F355GTS was awarded Best of Show at the 2017 Spa Italia show in Belgium.
What’s more, model-car maker Minichamps reproduced this F355 in 1:43 scale as part of a series of Schumacher’s road and racing cars.
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Miles under its belt
The odometer shows 47,298km (29,390 miles).
When the current owner purchased this Ferrari F355GTS in 2004, it had covered 21,000km (13,048 miles) – they weren’t afraid to use it.
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Careful inspection
In 2020, this ex-Schumacher F355GTS was granted Ferrari Classiche certification.
It proves that the car retains its original chassis, gearbox, bodywork, paintwork and more.
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Power boost
The Ferrari Classiche certificate also states that this F355’s engine is not original, but the replacement unit is the correct type.
Supposedly, the car was fitted with an uprated motor when it was given to Schumacher. This hasn’t been confirmed, though.
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Extra reading
This Ferrari F355GTS has been serviced at authorised Ferrari workshops during its current ownership.
There’s a chunky history file that’s included in the sale, with invoices from Monaco Motors.
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Recent refresh
A Belgian Ferrari dealer in Wijnegem serviced this F355GTS in September 2024.
At the same time, the car’s dashboard was restored, a new windscreen was fitted and the battery was replaced.
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Get bidding
This modern classic Ferrari F355GTS, owned by seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, will surely get lots of attention when bidding opens on the RM Sotheby’s website on 4 February.
To find out more about the car, or to register for the no-reserve auction, click here.