From £1M F12tdf to Paul McCartney's Lamborghini – Bonhams at #76MM

The bright yellow (Giallo Triplo Strato in Ferrari-speak) F12tdf has just 116 miles on the clock and is as it was when delivered new to its first (UK) owner fewer than 24 months ago. It is optioned up to the hilt and in 2016 must have cost a good deal more than the model’s £340,000 list price. 

Among the myriad carbon-fibre parts specified on the car is a carbon cupholder… at £2112.

Such is the appeal however of this 21^st century take on Ferrari’s classic front-engined, normally-aspirated V12 coupe – the first Ferrari to use the famous Tour de France moniker since the 1960s – that Bonhams expects it to make between £800,000-1million in the Goodwood sale. It has a few other pluses to help it on its way: it’s rare, with not many of the 799tdfs built being right-hand drive; it comes with all books and tools, it’s Ferrari Classiche certified… and it bears the signature of both Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen.

The F12tdf’s place as one of Maranello’s all-time great front-engined supercars is assured. Lighter (by 110kg), more aerodynamic (with 87 per cent more downforce at speed) and more powerful (by 40bhp) than the regular F12, it lives up to its Tour de France billing in all the right places, including the chassis where rear-wheel steer brought extra agility that Ferrari named “virtual short wheelbase”. The F12tdf’s mighty turbo-free V12 chucks out an incredible 770bhp, with a red line of 8900rpm, and the car despatches 0-62mph in just 2.9 seconds and 0-126mph in 7.9 seconds, on its way to a 211mph top speed. At its launch, Ferrari said it could lap Fiorano in 1min 21sec, around five seconds faster than the previous front-engined V12 heavyweight, the 599 GTO.

It’s an appropriate auction headliner at the 76^th Members’ Meeting, where Ferrari connections extend this year to the first trophy race in honour of Col Ronnie Hoare, founder of Maranello Concessionaires – the first company officially to import Ferraris to the UK in 1960. 

For around half the Ferrari’s guide price at this year’s Bonhams MM sale is a 1967 Lamborghini 400 GT – a special enough car of course, but this one’s extra special. At the height of Beatlemania, Sir Paul McCartney MBE became its first owner, reportedly keeping it for the next 11 years. 

The 400 GT was only the second model to bear the raging bull badge and came just three years after Lamborghini started making cars. Only 224 of the 400 GT 2+2 models (like this one) were made, and very few arrived in period in the UK. This car is one of just four imported in 1968 and converted to right-hand drive by Hooper’s.

It is true to say Sir Paul must have been something of a Lamborghini early adopter. As a sleek and well appointed fast touring car with 2+2 seating, he had good reasons for choosing the V12-powered Lambo. 

Bonhams has a price guide of £400-500,000 on it. The car was last sold for £122,500, including the premium, at the Bonhams Festival of Speed sale in 2011.

Who says money can’t buy your love…