VIN: the Brunei Royal Family Ferrari 288 GTO chassis 56641
/ Ben Tyer
HISTORY OF CHASSIS 56641
At the peak of the Brunei Royals’ mind-bending car splurge during the mid 1990s, a batch of 288 GTOs was sent to Pininfarina for customisation. Here, some were re-painted out-of-range colours and fitted with modified interiors. All were converted to right-hand drive.
Funds for what was becoming an enormous collection came courtesy of Brunei’s lucrative oil and gas fields which, as head of state, absolute monarch and head of government, the Sultan (Hassanal Bolkiah) was in total control of. After the Sultan’s younger brother, Prince Jefri, became Brunei’s Minister of Finance in late 1986, outlay rose dramatically. During the 1990s, nearly £200m was spent per year on prestige automobiles.
Chassis 56641 was completed on April 5th 1985 and supplied new to the Brunei Royal Family as a standard left-hand drive Rosso Corsa GTO. In the first half of the 1990s, it was sent to Pininfarina for the right-hand drive conversion and an interior re-trim in Black leather with Red piping.
Since arrival in Brunei (where it remains to this day), chassis 56641 has worn the registration BN1212.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia & Car
Photo copyright: unattributed
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