Chapter 572 - 276: Ferrari LaFerrari 2
Chapter 572: Chapter 276: Ferrari LaFerrari 2
"The starting bid is the original market price, 22.5 million! Each increment must be at least 500,000!"
"23 million!"
Guest No. 18 impatiently raised his bidding paddle. Following his lead, more and more people joined the bidding for the Ferrari LaFerrari.
After all, as one of the "Holy Trinity" of hypercars, the value of the LaFerrari went without saying.
It could be called the ultimate dream car for any enthusiast—the crown jewel of Ferrari, the pinnacle of their craft!
Unfortunately, its limited production run meant the price on the resale market was once driven as high as 30 million.
Plus, the purchasing requirements were notoriously strict.
For those who bought one, its value as a collector’s item far outweighed its value for roaring around a racetrack.
That’s why the main goal for most guests at this Ferrari owners’ club banquet was to get their hands on this LaFerrari!
"30 million!"
"32 million!"
"35 million!"
...
Quickly, the LaFerrari’s price was bid up to 38 million, nearing the 40-million mark.
This price had already surpassed what many were willing to pay.
Even though everyone desperately wanted to buy the legendary Ferrari, a price tag in the tens of millions was enough to deter 90% of them.
After all, that kind of money could bankrupt a small company, and for many, it represented several years of accumulated wealth.
The remaining 10% were wrestling with the final decision, wondering if they should really spend so much to acquire the LaFerrari.
After all, the price was more in line with a collector’s piece. If you weren’t willing to risk it on a racetrack, it seemed to lose some of its appeal.
And so, the bidding for the Ferrari LaFerrari stalled at 39 million. The auctioneer called out several more times, but no one responded.
Just as she was about to bring the hammer down at 39 million, Lin Shen suddenly raised his No. 7 paddle and said quietly,
"Forty million."
"Alright! Guest No. 7 bids 40 million!"
The hostess gestured enthusiastically toward Lin Shen, and in an instant, all eyes in the room were on him.
Forty million?
To buy a LaFerrari?
’Even if its collector’s value is over 40 million, that price is just too steep!’
The crowd turned to look at Lin Shen, who was seated near the main stage, their eyes filled with astonishment.
’To be able to drop 40 million on a supercar at his age... just how wealthy is his family?!’
’His family’s assets must be in the hundreds of millions, at the very least.’
’Maybe even more than that!’
"Going once at 40 million! Any other bids, honored guests?"
"Going twice... this is your last chance to bid."
"It looks like our Ferrari LaFerrari has finally found the kindred spirit it belongs with. Going for the third and final time!"
BANG!
As the auctioneer’s gavel struck the block, the sale of the Ferrari LaFerrari was final.
Sold for 40 million. Lin Shen was the winning bidder.
He let out a sigh of relief, his body relaxing completely.
’I thought for sure someone would fight me for it, but I guess everyone backed off once the price hit 40 million.’
’Then again, it makes sense. For that price, you could buy a luxury apartment of over 200 square meters at Sunac Binjiang No.1 Courtyard.’
’Getting just a car in return seems like a bit of a raw deal.’
’But I love it. And at least it let me complete another task for the Dream Vehicle Card!’
"Congratulations to Guest No. 7 on winning our Ferrari LaFerrari. A member of our staff will be in touch with you after the auction concludes."
"Lin Shen!"
As soon as Lin Shen won the 40-million-dollar Ferrari LaFerrari, Zheng Yanfei grabbed his arm in excitement.
"Congratulations on getting your dream car! You’re amazing!"
"It was just spending money. Nothing amazing about it."
Lin Shen waved a hand dismissively, but Zheng Yanfei’s eyes were sparkling.
"But it’s all your money, isn’t that amazing?"
Zheng Yanfei said with a wide grin.
"Does that mean the children in the mountain villages will get 40 million to improve their living conditions?"
"I believe so."
Lin Shen trusted the Ferrari brand’s reputation. Since they’d announced it was a charity auction, the proceeds would surely go toward improving the lives of children in the mountain villages.
This was one of the reasons Lin Shen was willing to spend 40 million on the car.
Of course, the auction was far from over.
Seeing as the Ferrari LaFerrari was only the penultimate item of the auction, Lin Shen couldn’t help but wonder what the grand finale would be.
The answer was revealed moments later.
What an attendant brought to the stage was a thick stack of letters—at least a dozen of them.
The auctioneer saw this, raised the microphone to her lips, and smiled.
"Our final auction item may seem a bit disappointing to you all, but the story behind these letters is incredibly meaningful."
"These are letters written to you all by the children from the mountain villages that Ferrari will be sponsoring. Inside, you will find their most heartfelt well-wishes."
"They may be strangers to you, but when they learned you were willing to support them through this auction, they decided to write these letters to express their gratitude."
"I believe that the value of the written word isn’t just about how beautiful it looks or whether it comes from the hand of a master. The meaning it holds is far greater than any material value!"
"Therefore, this final auction item will be gifted to each of our honored guests who won an item tonight. We hope these letters, filled with the sincere emotions of children, bring you good fortune in your lives and careers."
"May you all charge forward into the future, just like Ferrari’s prancing horse!"
CLAP CLAP CLAP—!
As the auctioneer took a bow, the guests below erupted in applause.
It had to be said, the Ferrari owners’ club’s banquet auction was truly one of a kind.
"Sir."
After the auctioneer left the stage, an attendant approached Lin Shen. Bowing slightly, she invited him to head backstage.
Lin Shen stood up and gave Zheng Yanfei’s cheek a gentle pinch, motioning for her to stay put until he got back.
Then, Lin Shen followed the attendant backstage.
And waiting to greet him was his old friend—Mateo.
"Ah, my friend! I never expected you to be the one who bought the Ferrari LaFerrari."
Mateo came forward, gave Lin Shen a big hug, and offered his congratulations.
"I’m delighted that the fruit of our Ferrari engineers’ hard work is going to you. They’d be thrilled if they knew."
"Thank you."
Lin Shen smiled as he stepped back from the hug.
"What’s the procedure? How do I handle payment?"
"No need to rush."
Mateo understood that 40 million was not a sum that just anyone could produce on the spot.
So he intended to offer Lin Shen an installment plan. All he’d need was an initial verification of funds to prove he had the ability to pay.
’But I can’t let him see my bank balance. After all, I’ve only got 10 million in there.’
’If he found out, the jig would be up.’
’The only reason I was planning to buy this car was because of the Dream Vehicle Card.’
So, he smiled and asked Mateo a question.
"Can I just pay the full amount right now?"
Huh?
’Pay in full? Right now?’
This completely threw Mateo for a loop. He asked tentatively,
"Mr. Lin, you mean... pay the full 40 million all at once?"
"Of course."
Lin Shen’s confident smile shocked Mateo to his core.
’He’s really that rich?’