What will you ask Santa for this year? (Yes, we know it's only August; it's never too early to start thinking about these things...) Maybe a new Xbox? Some expensive perfume? A subscription to the Caravan Club?
€50 million for the real thing
We will be asking for one of these, a 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa racing car. Normally that would set Santa back about €50 million, and he'd have to hope for one to come up at auction between now and Christmas. However, if you're prepared to make one or two compromises, you could have one for a lot less than that...
The chief compromise is on size - for this apparently perfect 1957 Testa Rossa racer, complete with that achingly beautiful 'pontoon' bodywork by the great stylist Sergio Scaglietti, is actually a three-quarter scale replica, built by The Little Car Company. Instead of a 3.0-litre V12 engine, there's a 4kW electric motor and three batteries. Which makes it technically - officially, the first all-electric Ferrari.
That's because while this scale replica - designed to be driven by wannabe-Fangios of up to 14-years old or thereabouts - is made by The Little Car Company (justly famed for its miniature Aston Martin DB5 and Bugatti Type 35 replicas) it is all officially sanctioned and approved by Ferrari itself.
Based on original blueprints
The scale model has been created using digitised versions of the original 1957 Ferrari blueprints. That has allowed a fidelity that means even the steering setup and suspension geometry matches the original racing car's, which won three Sportscar World Championships and four Le Mans 24hrs. (The cam covers of its mighty V12 engine were originally painted bright red, hence the Testa Rossa (Red Head) name.)
That's not all. The wood-rimmed wheel? Made by Nardi, who made the 1957 originals', only now it has a quick-release mechanism to make getting in and out easier. The chrome wire wheels? Shod with your actual Pirelli tyres, made specially. The brakes are by Brembo (and actually feature regenerative braking). The suspension, coil-over-damper units, are made by Bilstein.
The body? No, that's not resin-injected glassfibre - it's hand-beaten aluminium, just as was that of the original Testa Rossa. The seat? Upholstered with the same leather as used by current Ferrari models, complete with 50s-style ribbing. The instruments? Designed to match those of the real thing, but repurposed to keep an eye on battery charge and temp, instead of oil and water.
Limited top speed
There's even a Manettino - that uber-cool, tactile switch that modern Ferraris use to let you choose between driving modes. Keep it in the lowest 'Novice' mode, and you get a 20km/h to speed, and restricted electric motor output. Dial it up to 'Comfort' and you can squeeze 45km/h out of it. Sport or Race? North of 60km/h, if your young 'un has what it takes...
You can choose from 53 official colours, or 14 original 1950s team liveries, plus personalisation options. Oh, and only 299 will be made, so it's a proper collectors' item.
So, what's the cost of all this? Well, that's the good news, as it's a bargain. €93,000, plus tax and shipping. Which is, of course, a lot of money, but considering that this is a 3/4 scale Testa Rossa, €93,000 is a lot less than three-quarters of the €50-odd-million cost of the real thing...