The £6.6m Ferrari: A 1960 250 GT that’s paid for a state of the art lifeboat

Auctioned alongside a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 on Wednesday, the two cars – owned by the late businessman Richard Colton – raised a huge £8.5m, all of which was donated to the RNLI to raise money for a state of the art waterjet-propelled lifeboat.

Sold with no reserve, the 1960 250 GT SW (standing for short wheelbase) berlinetta might appear as a gleaming museum-ready example, but is in fact a car that’s covered more than 100,000 miles.

Notably the first production-made Ferrari to be fitted with disc brakes as standard, it’s powered by a 252bhp 2,953cc V12 engine and is the second of just nine right-hand-drive versions to ever come to the UK.

It cost the original owner £5,926, two shillings and six pence – that included a 10% discount.