Keith Richards vintage Ferrari on sale for £390k – but would you start it up?
A VINTAGE Ferrari what once belonged to Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards is now on the market for £389,000.
Richards roared around in the Ferrari Dino 246 GT during the Stones 70s heyday when they churned out classic albums such as Exile on Main Street and Sticky Fingers.
Richards, responsible for some of the greatest guitar riffs of all time, clocked up around 25,000 miles in the Italian sports car before the keys were handed over to a private Japanese collector in the 80s.
The Dino was named after Enzo Ferrari’s late son Alfredo who died aged 24. Designed at Pininfarina and built by body work legend Scaglietti, the Dino is one of the most famous Ferrari’s of all time.
The racer can hit a top speed of 146mph and is up for auction at RM Sothebys in Monterey, California, US.
Richard would have paid around £5,485 for the car, which is now worth around 70 times its original retail price.
“Fast cars have defined the rock and roll lifestyle since the musical genre’s very beginnings,” the listing reads.
“It is hardly surprising, then, that the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, one of rock’s undisputed all-time greats, would gravitate toward the Ferrari Dino 246 GT, one of the 20th century’s all-time greatest sports cars.
“Like Richards himself, the Ferrari Dino – the brilliantly balanced, V-6-powered machine with gorgeous Scaglietti bodywork – needs little introduction.
“This car, chassis number 03354, is an ‘E-Series’ example that represents the 246 GT in its final, most mechanically advanced form.
“Its 2.4-litre engine produced up to 192 horsepower, and it was paired with a five-speed gearbox.”
The listing continues: “Richards shipped his Dino to England in 1975 and registered it on the plates ‘GYL 157N.’”
”He is then said to have used the car for personal transportation during European tours, accumulating over 25,000 miles – and no small number of untold, and possibly unprintable, stories – over the following decade.
“A letter from Rolling Stones touring manager Alan Dunn dated 25 April 1986, a copy of which is on file, confirms Richards’ initial purchase, his ownership, and the recorded mileage (25,122) at the time of its sale into a private collection in Japan.
“Returning to Europe in 2014, the Dino was then acquired by another musician: Liam Howlett, co-founder of British EDM band The Prodigy.”