V12 engined Ferrari 308 heads to auction

Well given it's hardly original there's no excuse not to drive it, is there?

While you may hope that the 308 is one of the last remaining semi-affordable ways into Ferrari ownership, you would sadly be wrong: this right-hand drive GTS QV is £65,000 with 130,000 miles.

A busy looking engine, shall we say

Now while the 308 being sold at Silverstone Auctions next month is hardly cheap - the estimate is £50,000-£60,000 - it does have a very special USP that means it should always be desirable regardless of mileage, age or whatever: it's a V12 Ferrari 308.

One of apparently four such cars globally, the story goes that the original owner was disappointed with the standard 285hp output in 1985. The solution? Take it to Nigel Mansell's Emblem Sports Cars, a Ferrari main dealership network, and give the car to Nigel Hudson. The second Nigel then set about wedging the V12 from a Ferrari 400 into the middle of the 308. Depending on the variant used that will mean power is up to between 310hp and 340hp.

£50K for a Ferrari V12? Go on...

The car was discovered by the current owner in 2013, the 308 having been sat in storage for a decade. For the next two years it was returned to Nigel Hudson for a restoration, with the engine, gearbox, suspension and brakes all refreshed. The interior has been left untouched. Imagine what a mechanically restored V8 might now cost...

Sure, it's very far from an original car, but hopefully that means this 308 can be enjoyed for what it is rather than simply cocooned away in the hope of further appreciation. It will be auctioned at Silverstone Auctions' May sale on the 13th where it will be joined, amongst others, by a Porsche 928, a right-hand drive BMW 3.0 CSL and a Delta Integrale that's been with its current owner for nearly 20 years. See the rest of the lots here, and good luck if you are bidding!

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Fresh Prince

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