What do billionaires with a keen interest in cars do? They buy cars! Lawrence Stroll pushed his keen interest one step forward and entered F1. However, way before Stroll led the consortium to buy the now Aston Martin racing team, he was spending a fortune buying cars. The Canadian made one such multimillion-dollar purchase in 2013 for a rare Ferrari.

The Canadian has always been a car enthusiast. He even owned a race track near Mont Tremblant, Quebec, to test out all his cars. This is exactly why Lawrence Stroll bought a rare 1967 Ferrari despite owning 20 other Ferraris.

The previous owner auctioned the 1967 Ferrari in 2013 and Stroll paid a massive $27.5 million to win the bid. The $27.5 million fee became a United States record at the time for a car sold in an auction. One of only ten in the world, the rare red Ferrari 275 GTB/4*S N.A.R.T. Spider’s single family ownership only added to its value.

However, the then-US record was only second in the world behind the sale of a 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196. The Mercedes was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and was sold for $29.7 million.

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The Ferrari N.A.R.T. which stands for North American Racing Team, is definitely one of Stroll’s most expensive cars. Obviously, apart from the F1 challengers.

The $27.5 million payout was a bittersweet moment for the former owner of the rare Ferrari, as the car carried sentimental value.

Former owner of the rare Ferrari shares parting words before F1 owner Lawrence Stroll’s purchase

Eddie Smith Jr.’s late father, the owner of the rare Ferrari, took delivery of the car in North Carolina in 1968. The car had since been in the family until the auction was preserved in a special garage.

Speaking to the media at the auction, Eddie Smith Jr. said, “This is a bittersweet moment for us. Ferraris came and went, but this one never went, thank God. We enjoyed it as a family for 45 years.”

He had advice for Stroll as well: “Drive it, love it, enjoy it, and more importantly, share it with others so they can see it.”

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