Undoubtedly Ferrari’s most significant and eagerly awaited car of the 2010s, the LaFerrari brought Ferrari boldly into the future as it would be the marque’s first hybrid hypercar. Mating Ferrari’s traditional V-12 engine alongside an electric motor made for a truly incredible driving experience, one which continues to influence Ferrari’s current models to this day. Needless to say, numerous lessons were learned in the LaFerrari’s development, and it can be argued that the development of this car was more important than the development of any other car in Ferrari’s recent history.

Dubbed internally as project code “F150,” the research and testing phases of the supercar’s progression were divided into three cycles. The car offered here was internally designated “M6” and was the first test mule for this project. Built on the basis of Ferrari’s existing Type F142 platform, the 458 Italia, M6 bears much likeness to the 458 cosmetically, with the later prototypes appearing much more visually similar to the production-ready LaFerrari. Although the LaFerrari was built on a carbon fiber tub, M6 would utilize the 458’s aluminum chassis which was modified to fit a V-12 Type F140EB engine. Engineers also adapted the shock tower around the prototype as part of their research into weight distribution of the car.

Offered for sale alongside a number of exterior panels that it wore during factory testing, it’s important to note that the car is accompanied by a factory-issued “Yellow Binder” Attestato per vetture Serie speciale. This yellow binder outlines the car’s usage by Ferrari. First built up by Ferrari between February and April of 2012, from May 2012 to March 2013 the car was used for developing the brake systems. This testing was undertaken entirely at Ferrari’s own Fiorano circuit from June to September of 2013. The binder further outlines that the car was used for development of the suspension, brakes, steering, and tires for the LaFerrari as well as being the LaFerrari prototype first fitted with the LaFerrari-specific Electronic Stability Program (ESP) system.

Once LaFerrari production was well underway and all the production cars had been allocated, Ferrari began to offer its LaFerrari development mules for sale once it was clear that they were no longer required for testing. This example, sold to its first private owner in July 2016, was offered subject to a refresh and repaint by Ferrari, on the understanding that the car was not homologated, therefore could not be registered for road use nor be used on public race circuits. However, this very collectable part of Ferrari history could be used on private land with its running powertrain. Furthermore, it is important to note that upon a successful sale, a service will be carried out by Carrozzeria Zanasi in Maranello to ensure the car is in running and driving order, with these costs covered by the consignor.

Today, over a decade since M6 was lapping Fiorano all in the pursuit of developing Ferrari’s next hypercar, this prototype is a fascinating part of not only the history of the LaFerrari, but the history of the numerous hybrid models that would follow in its footsteps. Thus, this is a car that would stand proud within any collection of Maranello’s latest and greatest supercars.