Ferrari made its early reputation on the excellence of its engineering: race cars that were conceived and bred by a racing driver. An engine dynamometer, for testing performance of newly built motors and refining their power, was an important tool for such efforts.

This engine dynamometer was obtained directly from the Ferrari factory in Maranello, where it had been in use for several years on the automaker’s earliest models, by the renowned Belgian dealer Jacques Swaters’s Garage Francorchamps in 1953. It was used by their facility for thirty years before being acquired directly from the Francorchamps Collection in 2008, then passed to noted collectors Paul and Chris Andrews of Texas. The Andrews Collection exhibited the dynamometer with numerous highly significant Ferraris in their renowned facility, until it was acquired by the present owners, themselves aficionados of the Prancing Horse, in 2015.

The dynamometer remains a functional unit, which can be turned on with the twist of an ignition key and the press of a button. It is presently fitted with a 4.0-liter V-12 engine, number 5263, originally mounted in a 330 GT 2+2 and complete with its trio of Weber carburetors, but could be mated to any Ferrari V-12 that the new owner desires. The exhaust exists out the back through a set of headers and exhaust pipes, and the engine is kept cool during testing by a side-mounted radiator. It is noted that the engine roars to life in an instant and can be controlled by the operator with ease.

It is rare indeed for a private shop to have its own dynamometer, much less one with such distinguished provenance to what is inarguably one of the most revered and legendary automotive factories in the world. That makes this a very special, distinguished piece of equipment indeed, the ultimate conversation piece for one’s collection, and also perhaps one of the most significant pieces of Ferrari memorabilia to be offered in recent years.