A 1973 Ferrari Daytona looks set to make in the region of £200,000 when it goes under the hammer at Historics forthcoming sale on May 18th, at Brooklands in Surrey. Prices for the Daytona are on the rise, but this particular Ferrari carries added expectations due to its interesting history, which includes royalty and TV appearances.

One of just 158 right-hand-drive 365 GTB/4’s – which adopted the Daytona moniker following Ferrari’s 1-2-3 success in the 1967 Daytona 24-Hour race – the Pininfarina designed Gran Turismo was ordered new by Maranello Concessionaires Ltd. in 1973, as a UK demonstrator model. It was subsequently briefly loaned to Prince Charles before being sold for just £9,250 later that year.

Later owners included John Coombs, the famed ‘patron’ of the 1960’s and 1970’s racing Jaguars and Ferraris, and Modena Engineering Ltd.

The car acquired a new legion of fans when, in November 2008, it took centre stage on BBC TV’s Top Gear in a race from Portofino to Saint-Tropez.  James May subsequently won the race in an XSR 48 powerboat, but Richard Hammond had a clear favourite, commenting; ”The Daytona is the absolute essence of pure European supercar.”

Demonstrating the enduring quality of the Ferrari Daytona and in particular this model, with just 26,281 miles covered the car was tested on a dynamometer before appearing on Top Gear and recorded an output of 352 bhp, identical to that claimed by the factory at the time of its launch.

For more information, and to attend the Historics at Brooklands auction on the afternoon of Wednesday May 18^th, call 0800 988 3838, e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or see the website, www.historics.co.uk.  Entry by catalogue only, available prior to, or on the day of the auction.