The Wall Street Journal
RM Auctions is best-known for selling collectible cars including a lot of classic Ferrari racers. This spring auction house will offer a unique Ferrrari famous for its speed on the water.
Fans of hydroplane racing are likely to recognize the 1953 Arno XI, a racing boat powered by a Ferrari 12-cylinder engine that set a speed record of just over 150 miles per hour that still stands today. The boat is expected to fetch between $1.3 million and $1.9 million when it crosses the block during RM’s Monaco sale on May 11 and 12.
A wealthy boat-racing privateer named Achille Castoldi came up with the idea of building the Arno XI around a Ferrari engine and trying to set a world speed record on water. Castoldi was friendly with Ferrari’s famous grand prix team drivers Alberto Ascari and Luigi Villoresi, and convinced company founder Enzo Ferrari to help develop the boat.
Ferrari provided a 4.5-liter V12 that was the same type used in the Type 375 grand prix car that José Froilán González drove to victory at Silverstone in 1951. The engine was modified for the record run with twin superchargers that boosted it to more than 500 horsepower. Castoldi made the record run on Oct. 15, 1953, on Lake Iseo in northern Italy.
The record was for boats in the 800-kilogram class. These are smaller and less powerful than the unlimited hydroplanes with which many U.S. racing fans are familiar. Those so-called thunderboats used World War II-era aircraft engines with more than 2,000 horsepower before switching to turbine power in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
When Castoldi finished racing Arno XI he sold it to engineer and fellow racer Nando dell’Orto, who campaigned it for more than 10 years and racked up numerous wins. RM said the current owner bought the boat more than 20 years ago and restored it to show condition. The boat has also been used a number of times since its restoration.
RM said the Arno XI comes with “an extensive history file” that includes period photos and notes hand-written by famous Ferrari engineer Gioacchino Colombo during tests on Lake Iseo and bench testing at Ferrari’s Maranello factory.
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