A vintage Ferrari which starred with Steve McQueen in an iconic movie is up for grabs – for an eye-watering £10million.
The 214mph yellow 1970 512 M Francorchamps is one of just 15 in existence.
In 1970 it was driven by Hollywood legend McQueen for the filming of the movie Le Mans.
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Originally one of 25 Ferrari 512 race cars constructed between 1970 and 1971 it was upgraded to the ‘M’ specification – meaning ‘modificata’, the Italian word for ‘modified’ – along with just 14 others.
It was originally sold to the Belgian racing team Ecurie Francorchamps.
It made its debut in May 1970 when drivers Derek Bell and Hugues de Fierlant finished 8th at the 1000km of Spa.
Then in June drivers Alistair Walker and de Fierlant placed 5th overall and 4th in the 5.0-litre class in the Le Mans 24 hours race.
It then headed to South Africa for the 9 Hours of Kyalami, where it finished 6th overall and 3rd in class.
For the 1971 season, on 10 January, Gustave Gosselin and de Fierlandt entered the 1000 Km of Buenos Aires.
Sporting race number “18”, the Belgian duo finished 6th overall and 4th in class.
In July with de Fierlant at the wheel it claimed outright victory at Zandvoort in the Coupes Benelux.
Later that month, de Cadenet and Lothar Motschenbacher raced in the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen, placing 4th overall and 3rd in their class.
The following day de Cadenet finished 18th in the Can-Am race as ported by Luxury Auto News.
This marked the end of chassis 1030’s racing days, and the car was acquired by de Cadenet, who in turn sold it to British collector Neil Corner that year, who later sold the car to Lord Anthony Bamford in 1972.
Lord Bamford entered the 512 M into the MN GT championship that year, with all seven appearances resulting in 1st-place finishes.
Its listing with auctioneers RM Sotheby’s states: “Since the 1970s, chassis 1030 has been owned by various renowned collectors across the globe and was acquired by the consignor in 2018, remaining as part of his private collection.
“Today, the car sports its 1971 livery and is still painted in the Francorchamps yellow.
“It is accompanied by a report from the marque historian Marcel Massini while the car was certified by Ferrari Classiche in 2005 and is accompanied by its “Red Book”.
“It should be noted that chassis 1030 is widely considered one of the finest examples of the Ferrari 512 M, having never suffered a major collision in that period.
“The vehicle is a wonderful example of preservation.”
The auction takes place in Paris on 5 February.
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