For sale, one owner - but don't ask the price

It is hardly the classic used-car advert: one not very careful owner, zero to 100kph in less than two seconds, one seat and a top speed of 330kph.

F1 cars from the 1970s onwards are available for purchase and there is a two-year moratorium on buying cars after their racing days are over. Courtesy Ferrari

It is hardly the classic used-car advertisement - one not very careful owner, zero to 100kph in less than two seconds, one seat and a top speed of 330kph. But that is what Ferrari is now offering customers in the Middle East.

The F1 Clienti programme gives enthusiasts the chance to buy an old Formula One car and race it on tracks around the world at specific events, with the help of trained drivers, engineers and mechanics.

"With the F1 Clienti programme, the driving courses and owner clubs, there is now a 360-degree experience with Ferrari in the region," says Pietro Innocenti, the general manager of Ferrari for the Middle East and Africa. "This has been the DNA of mature markets. Now it's time for the Middle East and Africa to have all these experiences that are part of the brand."

F1 cars from the 1970s onwards are available for purchase, and there is a two-year moratorium on buying cars after their F1 racing days are over.

Ferrari declined to disclose the average price of a used F1 car, saying each would be treated on a case by case basis.

"Of course you are not allowed to drive one of these cars without the assistance of a team mechanic and engineer," said Mr Innocenti.

Buyers own and keep the cars, but the F1 Clienti team manages and maintains them during race events.

The Middle East and Africa account for about 8 per cent of the total Ferrari car sales, up from 4 per cent in 2006. The brand sold a total of 150 cars in Abu Dhabi and Dubai last year.

Global revenues rose 7.9 per cent last year to €1.9 billion (Dh9.53bn), as Ferrari delivered 6,461 cars to customers around the world.