The phrase “disruption” has been so overused this year, Clayton Christensen, the Harvard professor who introduced the theory behind it 20 years ago, recently had to set the record straight on exactly what he meant.
In the latest issue of the Harvard Business Review, Christensen said Netflix fits the theory, and Uber doesn’t.
You can read more about why in detail here, but in short, disruptors start at the bottom and work their way up.
So maybe auction house RM Sotheby’s – a long way from a startup – is jumping on the bandwagon a little with it latest automotive extravaganza, called “Driven by Disruption”. Not a lot of car manufacturers in the industry’s long and colourful history actually reinvented the wheel in ways other than make it spin faster.
But there are undeniably some pioneering moments on the block in New York on December 10. You can read the full catalogue here, (and if you’re a motoring fan you should, because it’s fascinating), but we’ve chosen some of the best – and the odd actual “disruptive” – moments for you below.
1956 Ferrari 290 MM
You’re buying racing history here. This is the car Enzo Ferrari built to win back world domination from Mercedes Benz in the 1950s. It’s the car which convinced Juan Manuel Fangio to drive for Ferrari, winning five world championships.
Including in the 1956 Mille Miglia, where, in torrential rain, only 182 of the 426 entrants finished the 1597km course made entirely of public roads. Fangio crossed the line in fourth – driving solo in the rain for 11 hours in an open top.
And when we say “the car”, we mean the actual car. That’s why you’ll need about $US30 million in your sky rocket before you even think about bidding for it.
Price: $US28-$US32 million
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1981 BMW M1
It’s a BMW, but designed by the Lamborghini legend behind the Countach and the man who drew the DeLorean.
Under the bonnet – the first M-Class engine from BMW Motorsports.
Tired of getting spanked by Porsche, BMW in the 80s decided it would engineer a race-purpose mid-engine car from the ground up, de-tune it for road use to meet the minimum Group 4 and 5 race certification requirements, and be left with a race winner. What they ended up with was a beast that proved so disruptive, the FIA had to change the formula to ensure the M1 couldn’t compete.
This is one of 399 road-going models left which started the now legendary M-class line. It even comes with the original toolkit – unopened.
Price: $US800,000 – $US1,000,000
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2003 Ferrari Enzo
The car that brought Ferrari into the 21st Century. Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 2002, it was bestowed with the company’s greatest honour by chairman Luca di Montezemolo:
“To bring together our racing success and the fundamental role of races, I decided that this car, which represents the best our technology is capable of, should be dedicated to the founder of the company, who always thought racing should lay the foundations for our road car designs. And so this model, which we are very proud of, will be known as the Enzo Ferrari.”
There were 399 built, and another one for Pope John Paul II.
However, this particular vehicle was owned by one of the greatest boxers of all time. There’s about 560 miles on the clock, and 200 of them came with Floyd Mayweather Jnr behind the wheel.
Price: $US3-3.5 million
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