c.2004 Ferrari Enzo Berlinetta
Coachwork by Pininfarina
Registration no. LEO3 VSA
Chassis no. ZFFCW56AX301 132648
Engine no. Tipo F140B 75017

'In 1999 we won the manufacturers' championship; in 2000 we added the drivers' championship for the first time in 21 years. We won the last championship of the 20th Century, and the first of the 21st Century. I wanted to celebrate this with a car very much like a Formula 1. After honouring Modena and Maranello, we felt this was the right car to honour the name of our founder.' – Luca di Montezemolo, President of Ferrari.

Fortuitously, the Enzo's announcement in mid-summer 2002 coincided with Michael Schumacher clinching that year's Formula 1 drivers' championship for Ferrari, his third in a row for the Italian manufacturer. Indeed, the German superstar had been instrumental in the Enzo's development, contributing much valuable input to the refinement of its driving manners.

Formula 1-derived technology abounded in the Enzo. Its electro-hydraulic six-speed manual transmission had already been seen in other Ferraris and was further refined, changing ratios in a lightning-fast 150 milliseconds, while the steering wheel with its plethora of buttons, lights and switches was guaranteed to make any F1 driver feel at home. Carbon brake discs had been standard F1 equipment for many years, but the Enzo's carbon-ceramic rotors represented a 'first' for a production road car. Double wishbone suspension, or variations thereof, is to be found on virtually every modern supercar, but the Enzo's incorporated pushrod-operated shock absorbers all round, just like a racing car's. In one important respect Ferrari's new sports car was superior to its F1 cousin, incorporating Skyhook adaptive suspension, a type of technology banned from the racetrack since the late 1990s. Constructed entirely from carbon fibre and Kevlar, the monocoque chassis tub was immensely stiff, a necessary requirement of the adaptive suspension.

It may not look like a Formula 1 car but the Enzo benefited from aerodynamic developments made in motor sport's premier category, enabling it to dispense with the rear wing of its F40 and F50 predecessors, employing a state-of-the-art under-body diffuser instead. Harking back to another landmark Ferrari - a Group 5 sports-racer this time - the doors opened upwards and forwards, just like those of the Tipo 512 of 1970. Although not as stark as that of an out-and-out competition car, the Enzo's interior was more functional than that of previous Ferrari road cars, boasting a mix of red leather trim and carbon-fibre panelling. There was not even a stereo system, the (optional) air conditioning being just about the only concession to creature comforts.

The heart of any car though, and especially of a Ferrari, is its engine; that of the Enzo being a 60-degree V12, a configuration long associated with the Italian marque and so the natural choice for a model bearing the name of the company's founder. Deploying four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing and variable length intake trumpets (the latter another Formula 1 spin-off) this 6.0-litre unit produced a mighty 660bhp, 33 horsepower more than its BMW-powered McLaren F1 rival.

Unleashing all this power in a straight line produced acceleration figures of 0-100km/h (62mph) in a little over 3.5 seconds, with 200km/h (124mph) achievable in 9.5 seconds. Yet applying the brakes hard enough could bring the Enzo back to a standstill in only an additional 5.7 seconds - impressive stuff. The top speed? A little over 350km/h (218mph). Hitherto, Ferrari had shied away from providing 'driver aids' on this type of car but perhaps not surprisingly given this level of performance, opted to fit traction control, anti-lock brakes and power-assisted steering to the Enzo.

A mere 349 examples of this 'legend in the making' were scheduled for production at a price of around $650,000 (approximately £450,000) apiece. As it happened, Ferrari ended up making 400 and, needless to say, had no trouble whatsoever in selling them all, one going to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.

Testing an Enzo at Ferrari's Fiorano track soon after its announcement in 2002, Car magazine's Mark Walton enthused: 'On the move, the Enzo is something else. It sounds absolutely unbelievable – so loud and crisp I can imagine farmers three miles outside Maranello looking up from their fields. It doesn't scream like an F1 car; it howls and bellows like a big-capacity Group C racer...' and that was before he had even sat in the car. Once out on the track, it did not disappoint: 'The Enzo lunges forwards so violently that it feels like it could cause brain damage – a big, muscular punch that makes your stomach lurch and your head reel with blood loss.

'As if that crushing power wasn't enough, the steering is unbelievably light, yet still pointy and full of feel. It feels so willing, so utterly in your control as you turn in...' Clearly, the next owner of the pristine example offered here has much to look forward to.

Left-hand drive chassis number '132648' was manufactured in Italy and delivered new to the USA 2004/5, but by June 2008 had returned to the EEC to be sold by Auto Salon of Singen with 130 mileage on the speedometer declared and, importantly, official 'Ferrari EEC Certificate of Conformity (for complete vehicles)'. The German Ferrari dealer invoiced an importing UK dealer, who paid nearly 600 euros (including 19% M.W.S.T.) for Enzo number 132648 27th June and applied for first UK registration 9th July of that year. The DVLA at Theale approval-stamped the Ferrari EEC Certificate of Conformity 11th July and assigned the UK registration 'RX08 H2L' 21st July, the last UK road tax issued by them for the car expiring 31st December 2008. Whereas the most recent 4th September 2011 dated V5C Registration Document records latest registration for the car being 'LEO3 VSA' and current registered keeper the NCA Trustee.
The 'manufactured in 2003' and car being 'rebuilt-assembled from parts some or all of which were not new' notes in this latest V5C would certainly seem to have been incorrectly declared by a previous owner however and would benefit from being amended for a new registered keeper by the DVLA, who will need to be satisfied by the receipt of written confirmation by Ferrari of the slightly later date of manufacture and that original components are fitted to the vehicle.

After six years preservation in storage, Enzo 132648 appears to be in very good overall and apparently largely original condition that would be commensurate with the total of only 1,285 miles currently displayed on the odometer. Serviced in February 2015 and MoT tested by official Ferrari agents Lancaster Colchester, the car comes with the MoT certificate, invoice and list of suggested further works required. Apart from the foregoing, there are no documents with this UK registered and therefore local import taxes paid supercar, which is sold strictly as viewed.