Choose Your Track Weapon: Three Ferrari Challenge Cars Headed To Auction

Recently, we pitched a soon-to-be-auctioned, retired Aston Martin Vantage GT4 racing car as a high-class track day toy. But if you prefer Italian flair to British brutishness, we have an option B. As well as an option C and an option D.

Three different Ferrari Challenge racers are all heading to the same auction, presenting a potentially tricky choice for anyone looking for a track hack from Maranello. To help make your decision - whether real or imaginary - a little easier, allow us to run you through the trio.

First up, there’s this 2000 Ferrari 360 Challenge. It’s a significant car as far as Ferrari customer racers go since it was purpose-built for competition from the factory, compared to its Challenge predecessors which were merely converted road cars. Being the oldest of the three it’s - as you’d expect - the least expensive, with an estimate of £60,000 - £70,000. Which is also a lot less than you’d pay for a 360 Challenge Stradale, we’d like to point out.

Its original owner competed in three seasons of the Ferrari Challenge with the car before it was sold to the current UK Ferrari Owners Club president, who used it only for occasional track days. The 360 changed hands again in 2016 and was put back into action for stints in the AMOC GT Challenge and the Ferrari Club Racing Series.

If that’s a little too old for you, consider this gorgeous 2006 F430 Challenge, which looks fabulous in Rosso Scuderia and has an estimate of £75,000 - £85,000. It’s powered by the same 4.3-litre naturally-aspirated V8 as the road car, but with 300kg less to cart around.

142 were made, with its run as the official Ferrari Challenge car lasting from 2006 - 2011, at which point it was replaced with the 458 Challenge.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. This 458 Challenge is a 2012 model, fitted with the ‘FF Corse GTC Aero Kit’. Like the other two it shares its engine - a 562bhp 4.5-litre N/A V8 - with 458 road car, along with its seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.

However, despite being stripped out and featuring a bunch of carbonfibre panels and polycarbonate windows, it’s just 10kg lighter than the road-going 458. You can partly blame the in-built air jacks and competition fuel tank for that.

Despite being the most powerful and angriest-looking of the three, it should be the most approachable - it still has ABS and traction control. Its estimate is £100,000 - £120,000.

Which will it be for you?