Silverstone, Northhamptonshire - Three things guaranteed to boost the value of any classic car are exclusivity, provenance and a celebrity owner. And this one has all three.
This 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, set for auction at the upcoming Silverstone Classic Sale on 29 and 30 July, was once owned by Elton John, who apparently bought it with the royalties from his multiple platinum-selling double album illion ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ in 1973.
It is one of only 158 genuine right-hand drive GTB/4s ever built, and still has its original Ferrari red paint and painstakingly re-trimmed black leather interior, complete with genuine Ferrari perforated inserts.
Elton John only drove the Ferrari for two years before selling it to a member of the Ferrari Owners Club - in fact, all its subsequent owners have been members of the club, so its history is precisely documented. It comes with copies of the original build sheets, order forms, delivery correspondence, and a file of every Ferrari service bill and receipt from new, in chronological order.
True supercar
The 365 GTB/4 was a true supercar of its day, introduced in 1968 as Ferrari’s more conventional riposte to the mid-engined Lamborghini Miura of 1966. Its 4.4-litre quad-cam V12 was rated at 260kW, and its top speed of 280km/h was advertised as the world’s fastest road car.
More importantly, it was faster than the Miura, while the perfect weight distribution afforded by its rear-mounted five-speed gearbox, and its superb servo-assisted, ventilated disc brakes, gave it better road manners than the occasionally wayward Lamborghini.
The ex-Elton John Daytona has only one optional extra - factory-fitted air-conditioning - and shows just 81 675 miles (130 680km) on its odometer. Silverstone Auctions estimates that it will fetch £525 000-£575 000 (R9 million - R10 million) at auction.