Ferrari Meera S heads to auction in February

The Meera S began life as a Ferrari 400i before Giovanni Michelotti reworked it into a bespoke grand tourer for Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. It is described as the last Ferrari built by Michelotti, adding another layer of scarcity to a car already defined by its one-off status and unusual features for the era, including four-sided wipers, dual-zone front air conditioning and a rear-view camera and monitor setup.

That rarity is reinforced by the paper trail. Ferrari Classiche carried out a 252,100-euro restoration in 2010, rebuilding the engine and electrical system and replacing the exhaust, which should help reassure bidders about authenticity and drivability. For investors in collector cars, documented restoration history can be as important as the badge itself, particularly when the asking range sits well below the cost of the work already done.

The broader auction backdrop remains supportive for standout classics even as generic used-car auctions can disappoint. The market continues to favor cars with celebrity, royal or design-house provenance, while ordinary luxury models often fail to attract enough bidders to clear reserve prices.

For buyers, the key catalyst is the February auction itself: if interest expands beyond the current estimate, the Meera S could test how much collectors are willing to pay for rarity, story and restoration in a market increasingly split between trophy assets and everything else.