The blueprint for an icon: Ferrari 275 GTB/4 prototype tipped to be sold at London auction for £2.5m
- Original car that was used as the Paris Motor Show to reveal the new model
- Previously resided in the US, Switzerland and the UK by various owners
- The 275 is regarded as the most collectible Ferrari range in existence
Buy a collectible classic car and it should be a good investment. Purchase the absolute original model and you're on to a goldmine.
That's the opportunity that is just around the corner at Coys' London auction later this month when the first ever Ferrari 275 GTB/4 goes under the hammer.
It won't come cheap - the auction house has set an estimate range of £2,000,000 to £2,500,000 on the roof of this icon.
Blueprint for an icon: This is the original prototype for the 275GTB/4, and Ferrari collectors will be falling over each other to bid on it in London later this month
Just three years ago, a 1967 version of the same model that was previously owned by Steve McQueen sold for $10.175million (around £6.1million at the time).
That makes the higher estimate of this car seem good value, especially when you consider the history it has.
That's because this example was produced a year before the McQueen-owned version. In fact, it's what the Great Escape and Bullitt actor's car was based on.
It's the first prototype 275GTB/4. It's also the same car that was showcased at the 1966 Paris Motor Show to launch the all-new model that's gone on to become one of the most valuable Ferraris in the exotic carmaker's history.
Chris Routledge, CEO of Coys, said: 'The four-cam has always been considered the most beautiful 12-cylinder car from Maranello, and it is with some excitement that we are bringing the factory prototype, Chassis No 1 and 1966 Paris Motor Show car to the market.'
This is the car that Ferrari unveiled at its stand during the 1966 Paris Motor Show
The shape of the two-seat fixedhead coupe was penned by legendary car designer Pininfarina
The car will be sold at Royal Horticultural Halls, in London's Westmi nster, on May 18th, and is expected to generate plenty of interest from buyers across the world.
It's a car that's done some globe trotting already.
After debuting in the French capital, it was bought by a Mr Gordon Walker of Northbrook, Illinois, where it remained until 1983.
Under the bonnet it s 3.3-litre V12 motor capable of powering this 60s Ferrari to a top speed of 159mph, according to the Italian carmaker back then
The 275GTB/4 is widely regarded as one of the great looking 60s Ferraris. Coys believe it will sell for up to £2.5million
That year it was offered for sale by Ferrari South USA and was bought into the Swiss collection of Albert Obrist, who is known for owning some of the greatest Ferraris of all time.
After a brief spell in the UK in the early 2000s, the car was sold at the Coys auction in Monaco to the current vendor who has only used it for a handful of events.
Even with this high estimation, it will significantly fall short of the top 20 most expensive Ferraris sold at auction.
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