Benny Caiola

{{short description|Italian entrepreneur}}

{{Infobox person

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption =

| birth_name = Benny Caiola

| birth_date = 20 October 1930

| birth_place = San Fratello, Messina, Italy

| death_date = 22 April 2010 (aged 79)

| death_place = New York City, United States

| occupation = Real Estate Developer
Automotive collector

| years_active=

| nationality = American

| height =

| spouse = Bettina Caiola

| children = Benny Caiola III Jr.
Luigi Caiola
Alfred Caiola
Rose Caiola

| signature =

| website = [https://www.caiolaregroup.com CAIOLA Real Estate Group]

}}

Benny Caiola (20 October 1930 – 22 April 2010) was an Italian real estate entrepreneur known for his extensive car collection of Ferrari and other luxury automobiles.

Personal life

Caiola had four children, Benny Caiola II, Luigi Caiola, Alfred Caiola, and Rose Caiola. He has 8 grandchildren from Luigi, Alfred and Rose. Their names are Benny and Sasha. Maria, Adam, and William. Anabela, Andre and Avery.

Car collection

File:Ferrari FXX red.jpg red with white accents, American flag on the roof (number 20)]]

Benny Caiola owned an automotive collection which, according to Forbes Magazine, was viewed as one of the most exclusive Ferrari collections worldwide.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2011/01/03/for-sale-benny-caiolas-million-dollar-ferrari-fxx-maserati-mc-12/#42965018571f|title=For Sale: Benny Caiola's Million-Dollar Ferrari FXX, Maserati MC 12|website=Forbes|access-date=2017-02-28|archive-date=2017-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301093324/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2011/01/03/for-sale-benny-caiolas-million-dollar-ferrari-fxx-maserati-mc-12/#42965018571f|url-status=live}}{{cite news |title=Ferrari Collector Sent a Letter to Pagani, Telling them the Zonda Is Better than Prancing Horses |url=https://www.autoevolution.com/news/ferrari-collector-sent-a-letter-to-pagani-telling-them-the-zonda-is-better-than-prancing-horses-99567.html# |access-date=29 December 2024 |agency=autoevolution.com |publisher=autoevolution.com |date=4 September 2015}} He was also the first client to ever order a car from Pagani, a reason for the company to name a special edition of their second production car, the Pagani Huayra, after his initials, making it the Huayra BC.{{Cite web |url=http://huayrabc.pagani.com/ |title=Huayra BC |access-date=2019-05-26 |archive-date=2019-06-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628052417/http://huayrabc.pagani.com/ |url-status=live }} Thirty units of the Huayra BC were produced. The car debuted at the Geneva Motor Show in 2016, almost six years after Caiola's death. At the end of July 2019 Pagani released the new Pagani Huayra Roadster BC, an open-top version of the Huayra BC.{{cite news |title=Pagani Huayra BC Roadster revealed with £2.8m price |url=https://www.evo.co.uk/news/22941/pagani-huayra-bc-roadster-revealed-with-28m-price |accessdate=31 July 2019 |agency=evo.co.uk |publisher=evo.co.uk |date=31 July 2019 |archive-date=31 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731180831/https://www.evo.co.uk/news/22941/pagani-huayra-bc-roadster-revealed-with-28m-price |url-status=live }}

A selection of the cars included in his collection is given below:

The collection was put on sale on December 28, 2010 at Gooding & Company.{{cite web|title=Gooding & Company Consigns an Extraordinary Collection of Ferrari Supercars from The Estate Of Benny Caiola|url=http://www.goodingco.com/press/gooding-company-consigns-an-extraordinary-collection-of-ferrari-supercars-from-the-estate-of-benny-caiola/|website=goodingco.com|publisher=Gooding & Company|accessdate=30 December 2016|archive-date=31 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231075613/http://www.goodingco.com/press/gooding-company-consigns-an-extraordinary-collection-of-ferrari-supercars-from-the-estate-of-benny-caiola/|url-status=live}}

Pelham Manor Home

Caiola kept his extensive car collection in his home in Pelham Manor, NY. The total area of the house is around 2.4 acres, with a marvelous [https://www.overheaddoors.com/blog/detached-vs-attached-garages/#:~:text=A%20detached%20garage%20is%20one,feet%20or%20several%20yards%20away. detached garage] around the back of the house. The house has 6 bedrooms, as well as 7 bathrooms.

Relationship with Pagani

File:Pagani Huayra BC.jpg

File:2021 Pagani Huayra BC Roadster.jpg

Benny Caiola was a friend of Horacio Pagani, the founder of Pagani Automobili and the first customer of a Pagani Zonda, the company's first automobile.

After his death a version of the Pagani Huayra (the successor of the Zonda), named "Huayra BC" (Benny Caiola) which is a track focused variant of the original model was unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show in his honour.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pagani.com/huayra-bc/|title=StackPath|access-date=2021-11-20|archive-date=2017-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301164620/https://www.pagani.com/huayra-bc/|url-status=live}}

Later, in July 2019, an open-top variant of the BC called the Huayra Roadster BC was unveiled.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pagani.com/huayra-roadster-bc/|title=StackPath|access-date=2021-11-20|archive-date=2021-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120062020/https://www.pagani.com/huayra-roadster-bc/|url-status=live}}

Death

Benny Caiola died in New York City on 22 April 2010, aged 79.{{cite web |last=Sanders |first=Sarabeth |url=http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/benny-caiola-major-building-owner-and-developer-dies-at-79/ |title=Benny Caiola, major building owner and developer, dies at 79 |publisher=Therealdeal.com |date=2010-04-30 |accessdate=2016-12-30 |archive-date=2016-12-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230160026/http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/benny-caiola-major-building-owner-and-developer-dies-at-79/ |url-status=live }}

References