Who doesn’t love a good underdog story? I’ll spare myself the embarrassment of trying to reel off the great many odds-defying tales in sporting history, mostly because I couldn’t tell you any - but there have been some absolute corkers in motorsport. Kimi Raikkonen winning from 17th on the grid in the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix, Pastor Maldonado blowing an entire career’s worth of talent in one hit at the 2012 Spanish GP, and Sebastian Vettel decimating the whole field in a Minardi (sorry, Toro Rosso) at Monza in 2008. All incredible driving feats, of course, but none rival the comeback story that defined Jenson Button’s championship year in 2009.
It’s a tale that’s been told countless times since, most recently with the brilliant Keanu Reeves-hosted Disney documentary, and yet it’s still just as gobsmacking now as it was 15 years ago. A team that looked all but finished at the end of 2008 racking up both titles a year later with a car powered by an engine that didn’t fit properly and a driver who many thought couldn’t cut it at the sharp end of the grid. That’s one of the many reasons why we’re such big JB fans, especially as he then went on to give Lewis Hamilton a run for his money at McLaren.
Button hasn’t driven an F1 car in anger for over seven years, but he still has a loyal following who are no doubt pleased to see him as a TV pundit. And for his particularly devoted fans, the chance to buy one of his old cars is an opportunity not to be missed. Good thing he’s owned a fair few of them, then, including a Honda NSX, Mercedes CLK DTM and even a Bugatti Veyron. A few have passed through PH as well, with the 2009 champ’s McLaren P1 - loaded with bespoke options like a specially-developed Race 2 mode - going up for well over seven figures last year.
However, what we have here is far more affordable. This Ferrari 360 Modena F1 was bought new by Button during his second year in the sport in 2001 (when he was just 21, the swine) and specced impeccably in Nero over Crema leather. One of the (likely many) options ticked were those delicious Daytona seats, and there’s a plaque on the passenger’s side of the dash celebrating Ferrari’s championship win in 2000. Something to motivate a young Button into chasing after Schumacher, maybe, though judging by the tabloids at the time he was far too busy living the life of an F1 driver to really care.
Anyway, we should probably address the elephant in the room. Yes, it’s got the old F1 gearbox, rather than the more sought-after (and rarer) manual. But the truth is the F1 ‘box worked pretty well in the 360, especially when revving out the 3.6-litre flat-plane crank V8. You could pay a specialist to tear it out and replace it with a manual, sure, but given the flappy-paddle system was derived from Ferrari’s Formula 1 cars - and that this cars original owner was an F1 driver - is as good a reason as any to leave it as it is.
Overall, though, it looks to be in marvellous condition inside and out, with a respectable 37,000-miles tallied and a chunky service history with plenty of receipts from Ferrari main dealers and specialists. With that in mind, the £59,950 asking price seems bang on for a 360 of this age and condition, so the Button connection is a real bonus. If F1 isn’t your thing and you’d rather a do-it-yourself ‘box, then this Rosso Corsa car with similar mileage comes at a £5k premium, but even then the car we have here stands on its own two feet as a really very lovely example - whether it’s had Button’s backside in it or not.
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