Sammy Hagar just provided another example of how there's only one way to rock.
His recipe: Have a ball but keep to life's speed limit, easy on the drugs, heavy on the rock 'n' roll, and – above all – go all in on smart business decisions.
His latest score? Selling his prized 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari at auction Saturday at the fabled Barrett-Jackson gathering in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Hagar bought the supercar – customized in a rare creamy cappuccino color, among other things – new from the iconic Italian automaker for around the then-staggering MSRP of $1.4 million . He just passed the vehicle along to its next happy owner at a hammer price of $4.25 million. Not a bad gain. At press time, the buyer's name was not available, as is often the case with multi-million-dollar vehicle sales.
"Quite honestly, it was exhausting being part of the bidding war," Hagar told USA TODAY shortly after the auction concluded. "I'm thinking the whole time, do I really want to do this? Seller's remorse and all. When that gavel came down and they said 'Sold!,' I wasn't sure if I was heartbroken or relieved. What an experience."
Hagar had flown in for the showcase auction from his longtime escape pad and performance venue, the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. And he promptly hopped back on his jet, painted in the same color scheme as his (former) LaFerrari, after the sale closed in order to be back in Cabo for his annual birthday bash party. Hagar turned 77 Oct. 13.
But the trek to Arizona was more than worth it despite his busy travel schedule of late, he said.
"I was so happy after I met the person that bought my car," Hagar said. "He was so cool, he sees the car the way I always saw the car. Which is that we're just being caretakers of something special, and then you pass it on to another caretaker. So you're just looking in each case for someone who will preserve and take care of the legacy of a car that has this level of perfection."
Craig Jackson, CEO of Barrett-Jackson, said he was “honored and excited to have sold my friend Sammy Hagar's stunning LaFerrari. We had no doubt we’d find it a good home. Sammy and the new owner connected after the sale and it felt right. We found the LaFerrari a good home.”
Sammy Hagar\'s Ferrari LaFerrari has broken a sales record for its model year, auction house says
Hagar's car, one of a dozen or so exotics the "I Can't Drive 55" singer has collected, was supposed to go up for sale in January earlier this year. But the temperamental stallion ― its 950-hp hybrid engine can rocket the car to 60 miles an hour in 2.5 seconds ― needed a replacement for its specialized battery.
The LaFerrari features not only a rip-roaring a V12 gas-powered engine , but also (in a first for the Maranello factory) powerful electric motors. The battery helping keep the car in top shape carries a five-figure price tag and had to be sourced from Ferrari, which only made the LaFerrari model for a few years a decade ago.
Hagar's LaFerrari far outpaced the sales price of other cars up for sale at Barrett-Jackson Saturday. Those included a 2019 Ford GT for $880,000, a 1971 Ferrari GTB/4 Daytona Coupe for $506,000 and a 2023 Rolls Royce Cullinan Mansory Edition SUV for $396,000.
A quick search for other LaFerraris up for sale this year includes scant information about sale prices, making Hagar's sale a new benchmark of sorts. According to Barrett-Jackson officials, prior to Hagar's sale the highest price paid for a 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari was $3,910,000 in August 2022 at Broad Arrow Group Auctions.
In recent months, another major auction house, RM Sotheby's, had two LaFerrari models on the block in both Monterey, California, and Paris, with, respectively, a 2015 black version selling "after auction" for an undisclosed sum, and a white LaFerrari not selling . It had an estimate of between $4 million and $5 million and it's likely the bidding simply didn't meet the buyer's reserve price.
Fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Rod Stewart connected with Hagar recently over their shared passion for cars, especially Ferraris. Stewart was on the hunt for his own unique-spec LaFerrari, and wound up buying one very similar to Hagar's , although in white and not cream.
Sammy Hagar says his Ferrari LaFerrari \'is a Libra\'
Most Ferraris are red, or rosso Ferrari. Yet this model's unique color scheme was inspired by Hagar's jet. When he and wife Kari traveled to the fabled factory in Maranello, Italy, to design their custom LaFerrari, that jet took center stage.
Hagar's car is truly personalized in other ways. Beyond his cappuccino-vibe color scheme, the carbon fiber steering wheel features his initials as well as his birth date. A longtime fan of numerological alignment, Hagar was giddy about how things were lining up for the sale.
"I received the car on my birthday, on Oct. 13, 2016, and on the steering wheel is a small silver plaque that says 'SH1013.' After the sale, I'll be celebrating my birthday, knowing that just as happy will be the lucky person that lands this, the most beautiful LaFerrari of them all," he says. "Oh, P.S., it's a Libra."
While those millions on the LaFerrari are impressive, they actually pale when compared to some of Hagar's other savvy business decisions made over a lifetime of wheeling and dealing. His top score to date has to be his $100-million sale of Cabo Wabo tequila to Gruppo Campari a decade ago. And Hagar's never looked back, starting another liquor business, Santo Tequila with celebrity chef Guy Fieri, followed more recently by the Red Rocker Brewing Company .
No telling what Hagar will do with his new found lucre. But the rocker recently made some interesting noise while receiving the key to city of Las Vegas.
“I’ve got plans. The Cabo Wabo Resort and Casino,” Hagar said while in Sin City for the honor and a concert (Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina has been a fixture on the Strip for many years). “I really still plan on doing it, and this is the town I want to do it in. If not here, I’ll find another one. Folks, embrace me on this!”
Hagar and his band the Circle have been on road much of the summer, and Hagar is poised to appear solo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. He'll perform along with Chad Smith, Slash and Demi Lovato in a segment honoring 2024 inductees Foreigner .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sold! What did Sammy Hagar's custom Ferrari LaFerrari sell for at Arizona auction?
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