The Italian supercar maker no longer holds the rights to one of its most famous and expensive vehicles in history: the 250 GTO. This means everyone can produce replicas now without risking a lawsuit.
For instance, Ares Design – a bespoke auto shop located right next to Ferrari in Modena, Italy – unveiled its own GTO-inspired project a couple years ago. Dany Bahar, ex-Lotus CEO and founder of Ares Design, promised to build ten such vehicles based on the 812 Superfast chassis, the most modern FWD Ferrari with a long enough hood.
The relevant patent legislation holds that any intellectual property rights unused for five years or longer can be estranged – and Ferrari hasn’t produced its automotive icon for over half a century. On a curious side note, it did produce 250 GTO-themed toys – and thus still holds the corresponding rights.
The Ferrari 250 GTO counts among the world’s most expensive vehicles. A couple of years ago, a collector from the United States paid U.S. $70 million to acquire a 1963 model year example.