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AssetID : 36843713
Headline : The £1.5m Boat: Only Ferrari Boat In The World That Set World Speed Record Is Going Up For Sale
Caption : The only boat to ever be powered by a Ferrari engine, which set a world speed record on water in the 1950s, is set to go up for auction in Florida.

Built in 1952 the Ferrari Arno XI, which was previously valued at £1.5million, was made for the 800kg class and contains a modified Grand Prix 4.5L V12 engine which can push out more than 550 horsepower.

Italian speedboat racer Achille Castoldi was determined to break the world record for racing the fastest boat and turned to Enzo Ferrari for help in powering a hydroplane.

Enzo and Castoldi built the only Ferrari-powered boat ever made with its upper body painted in Ferrari's signature red colour. This was paired with a three-point hydroplane constructed from hardwood with a mahogany veneer finish.

An impressive, modified Grand Prix 4.5L V12 which pushes out more than 550 horsepower powered the boat, allowing the Arno XI to reach a top speed of 150.49 mph on water. This record speed was recorded on Lake Iseo, also known as Sebino, in Italy, and it has yet to be broken.

The engine used was identical to the 385 horsepower Lampredi engine, which was named after the Formula 1 team's then technical director, used in the race car Ferrari 375.

Enzo also sent his Chief Engineer Stefano Meazza and some of the Scuderia Ferrari crew members to help make the hydroplane boat faster. The racing experts used things they had learned on the F1 race track to increase power, reports auction house duPont Registry.

For vintage collectors or Ferrari enthusiasts, the 1952 Ferrari Arno XI is now up for sale at duPont Registry, with the price available upon request.

According to duPont, the boat has been completely restored through Ferrari's classic car department, Ferrari Classiche. It was previously valued at £1.5million, reports YachtWorld.

After being used to set the speed record in the 1950s the boat was sold to engineer Nando dell’Orto. Since then it has only appeared in a couple of shows for special laps.

The boat also comes with a well-documented history file that includes hundreds of period photographs and handwritten notes from Ferrari's engineers.

A copy of the U.I.M. record certification that attests to Achille Castoldi's 1953 speed record is also included in the sale.
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