Diego Maradona’s Fiat 128 Europa is up for auction. It is the first car of the football player, who bought it at the age of 22. Priced at 400,000 Argentinian pesos (around 3,500 €), the vehicle must be purchased via an NFT, a digital certificate of authenticity.
How was Diego Maradona driving before taking the wheel of Porsche 911 and other Ferraris (F40 in particular)? The legend of Argentinian football circulated … in Fiat 128 Europa! It was his first car. A new model that he had offered at 22 years old with the stamp of his first transfer between the local club Boca Juniors and FC Barcelona. This copy is for sale today.
Found near a chicken coop!
El pibe de oro (“The golden kid”) didn’t drive that car for long. He only used it when he came home. Acquired in 1982, the car was sold in 1984 when Maradona joined the Naples football club. The history of the Italian sedan, Fiat’s first mass-production traction, then becomes less glorious. Abandoned next to a henhouse with all her papers, it was found in Salto in the province of Buenos Aires in 2003 by a collector. After verifications with the administrative services, ” the car was still in Diego’s name “After so many years, assures Martin Varrone, who specifies that the registration procedures had been carried out by Jorge Cyterszpiler, his manager at the time. ” When I knew that, I didn’t even hesitate: I went back to Salto, I bought it and I took it with me », He concludes.
A sale like no other
After having fully restored the vehicle, the collector decided to part with it. The particularity of this sale lies in the purchase format of the vehicle. The Fiat 128 is acquired in the form of NFT (non-fungible token or “non fungible token” in French). It is a tamper-proof digital certificate that attests to the originality and authenticity of a product. It is only possible to buy NFTs with cryptocurrency (like bitcoin or ethereum). The starting stake for this Fiat 128 Europa is set at 400,000 Argentinian pesos, or around 3,500 €. The future owner will not only receive a virtual title deed, he will also be able to enjoy his property… in real life! The end of the auction is scheduled for January 15, 2022. Notice to the curious, the Fiat 128 of Maradona can be seen on the xavemarket.com site under the name “El Primer Auto de D10S”, one of the nicknames of the missing footballer.
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