The first MAT New Stratos sold for $755,000 at auction

Manifattura Automobili Torino, the Italian small-series manufacturer headed by ex-Pininfarina Special Projects chief Paolo Garella is rather busy at the moment, building one new Stratos Coupé after the other. Since this resurrected fairy tail of a supercar hit the show floors, MAT has sold around 12 of its planned 25 build slots. As of now, the transformation starts at $600,000, excluding the donor Ferrari F430 you’ll need to provide. But after a recent auction in which the first production New Stratos sold to its second owner for even more than when new, the initial investment seems like it could be well worth the cost of entry.

At Bonhams’ recent Paris sale, the Alitalia-liveried New Stratos was one of the hottest items on the lot list, with Bonhams estimating a final price between $780,000 and $1.0M. With under 2000 miles on the clock and a German registration, it went on to sell for $755,000 plus taxes.

Looking at the current Ferrari F430 market, early coupés can now be found at well under $100,000. Add the $600,000 MAT is charging for a conversion (which includes a new carbon-fiber body on a shortened wheelbase, a Ferrari V-8 tuned to 540 horsepower, a new interior and more), throw in a few personal extras, shipping costs, and of course your luxurious trip to the outskirts of Torino, because you’ll want to visit MAT while your Stratos is being built, right? Where are does that leave us financially? Right around where the first “second-hand” New Stratos exchanged hands for in Paris.

It remains to be seen if future MAT New Stratos auction sales will have the same appeal as the first customer example that just sold in Paris, but for now, it sounds like the original owner of the car in question managed to drive the beautiful machine for 2000 miles without much of a dent in his wallet. I hear he is a happy MAT customer.