A great automobile, like a painting or a sculpture, does not simply spring into being: It requires countless hours of refinement carried out in secrecy, so as not to spoil the impact of the eventual big reveal. So it was with the LaFerrari, the groundbreaking hybrid hypercar that debuted at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.

In the years leading up to the LaFerrari’s public emergence, Ferrari created a number of design studies and built a series of test mules and prototypes for the project it had internally codenamed “F150.” The LaFerrari Protype offered here, designated “Proto F 150 - P2” in the accompanying Yellow Book issued by Ferrari Classiche, is a rare opportunity to peer behind the curtain at—and indeed, to own a piece of—the creation process of one of the most significant cars of the modern era.

Some of the so-called test mules for the nascent LaFerrari were evidently based on the 458; these were used in the development of the LaFerrari’s hybrid powertrain. Though technologically interesting, these used a modified version of the 458’s aluminum chassis, rather than the production version’s carbon monocoque, and they did not share styling with the finished LaFerrari.

The chassis offered here is particularly noteworthy because, in its styling and underpinnings, it hews closely to the production car—yet it is powered by a naturally aspirated, 6,262-cubic-centimeter F140 FD V-12 without any version of the HY-KERS hybrid system installed. In production cars, the V-12 produced 789 horsepower out of the LaFerrari’s 950 total system horsepower; however, the rating of the engine in this prototype application is not stated.

The accompanying Yellow Book records this chassis’ bodywork as Rosso with unfinished carbon fiber over Pelle Rosso, though it now wears a full camouflage wrap (as seen in pictures captured by eager spy photographers ahead of the LaFerrari’s debut). Its interior substantially resembles that of the final car, though with fascinating divergences: The steering wheel is a different shape, and decidedly non-production electrical equipment is positioned in the passenger footwell.

While most manufacturers retain or destroy their test vehicles, Ferrari occasionally makes prototypes available to its most loyal customers. Once the LaFerrari’s specifications were finalized and production was underway, it became clear that the program’s development chassis were of no further use to the company; a select number were sold privately with the understanding that these were non-homologated vehicles that could not be registered for road use. This car was one of the few that were permitted to leave the premises at Maranello, and it was acquired by the consignor in 2022.

With its curvaceous, production-style bodywork still swathed in the dazzling camouflage that so tantalized enthusiasts worldwide ahead of the hypercar’s debut, this remarkable, non-hybrid LaFerrari prototype is being offered to the public for the very first time. It would be a truly unique addition to any significant collection of modern Ferraris—and will surely serve as a focal point at marque-focused gatherings for years to come.