In 1984, Claude Poiraud and Gérard Godfroy set out to compete with the supercar industry by founding French automotive manufacturer Venturi, taking their first car to the streets in 1986. Years later in 1992, the duo introduced their most exciting car to date, the 400 GT.

At the time, the unique 400 GT was the most powerful automotive ever built in France, and was the first production car ever to standardize the use of carbon ceramic brakes. The menacing vehicle toted a Peugeot, Renault, and Volvo jointly-produced bi-turbo V6, spitting out a rapid 400 brake horsepower that propelled it upwards of 181 mph, and gave it a 0-60 speed of 4.7 seconds. Considering it weighed 225kg less than its rival, the Ferrari F355, the performance was nothing less than breathtaking.

The specific model shown above is the 25th Venturi ever built and is 1 of 76 race-converted models. In 1995, the unique sports car received a brand new paint job by artist Jean-Yves Lacroix, who was inspired by Cartier’s “Pasha De Cartier” perfume. Following a tremendous racing career, the car was later converted to road-legal specifications and has been well preserved and serviced since.

The car will be auctioned off on February 6 via RM Sotheby’s, and is expected to fetch between $137,000 — $228,000 USD.

Take a look at the beautiful piece of French automotive history above, and for more related news, don’t miss Pagani’s never-before-seen Huayra Roadster.