1998 Ferrari 456 GT

The 456 is part of the tradition of Ferrari 2 + 2 coupés with a V12 at the front, which began with the 250 GTE and continued with the 330, the 365, the 410 and the 412 GT, with the last one's production stopping in 1989. Thus the 456 was a highly anticipated model, unveiled at the Paris Motor Show of 1992. At this time, it was the fastest production four-seater in the world, remaining stable up to its maximum speed of around 190 mph. Powered by what was essentially a detuned version of the engine powering the 550 and 575, the new and "melodic" 5.5-litre V12 unleashed no less than 442 bhp and, except for the F40, the 456 was the most powerful road car developed by Ferrari up to that point.

Pininfarina worked its magic on the 456 to create a subtly beautiful and curvaceous body contrasting with the hard edges of its predecessor. Aerodynamically efficient, the 456's styling has not dated and is a tribute to Pininfarina's vision in creating one of the most beautiful vehicle designs of modern times.

The car presented here a 1998 Ferrari 456 (Type F116) GT, hence a manual gearbox with the iconic Ferrari open-gate. It is painted in the rare and striking colour of Azzurro Monaco Metallic, a shade which suits the car"s style and shape perfectly. We understand it was ordered and spec"d by a customer in Malaysia, however, it was never dispatched and instead was placed in the showroom of Graypaul Ferrari of Loughborough during April 1998. Upon arrival, Graypaul gave it a 3,000-mile service (including a cam-belt replacement), even though it had covered just 272 running-in miles, whilst also converting the speedometer to MPH. The car was quickly sold to its first owner, based in Derbyshire, on the 27th May 1998. Reassuringly, the supplying dealer serviced the car up until 46,961 miles, and thereafter renowned marque specialists Terry Keys Motorsport have been in charge of the spanners up until 52,028 miles. The car has currently covered just 54,650 miles, having had at least five cam-belt changes. The car has been used infrequently by our vendor and technically it should have another cam-belt change (due to time, not mileage) so our vendor has kindly offered to have this carried out at Terry Keys Motorsport, after its successful sale at auction, on behalf of the new owner.

This 456 comes with a complete Ferrari book pack in its leather wallet (including a fully-stamped up service booklet), a full tool-kit, and a history file containing many invoices for servicing and maintenance. This lovely car offers fabulous V12 motoring for a fraction of its original purchase price and is now regarded as a modern classic. The manual gearbox cars appear to be in increasing demand and this lovely 456 in this condition and resplendent in this rare colour, may turn out to be one of your better investments.