Nigel Mansell’s old rare Ferrari Testarossa is set to sell for £200,000 – and has less than 15,000 miles on the clock.
The former Formula One champ was given the iconic 80s, 180mph motor as a present.
Mansell, now 70, was handed the keys to the red Testarossa as a welcome Christmas gift in 1988.
It is one of just 500 out of the 10,000 of the models that were made as a right-hand drive.
He drove for Ferrari for two F1 seasons before moving to Williams where he won the title in 1992.
He owned it for five years before selling it in 1993.
However, it has done less than 500 miles a year in the last 35 years since it was made.
The original odometer had 4,700 miles on it but was replaced and the current one reads 10,227 – a total of just 14,927.
The classic motor has a gold plaque inside one of the doors.
It reads: “This car was supplied to Nigel Mansell for his use by Ferrari in his first season 1988 with Ferrari.”
Paperwork also has him the double BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner listed as a previous owner.
A leather suitcase has his ’N M’ initials on it.
The Ferrari – worth £145,000 brand new at the time – boasts a 0-60mph of 5.2 seconds.
Elton John and Dr Dre are among owners of other Testarossas.
Mansell’s one is being sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s.
A spokesperson for the auction house said; “As the 1980s drew to a close, a power struggle emerged among the great Formula 1 drivers of the era.
“Alain Prost and Nelson Piquet were each three-time frivers’ champions by the end of the decade, while the threat of Piquet’s compatriot, Ayrton Senna, became obvious after the Brazilian’s first tilt for the title in 1988.
“By comparison, Scuderia Ferrari could only wish for better luck; one solitary race win in the 1988 season forced team bosses to make drastic changes, and Michele Alboreto’s contract was not renewed for the following campaign.
“Desperate to improve its fortunes, the Scuderia looked to motorsport’s brightest talents to fill its vacant seat for the 1989 season.
“Nigel Mansell had earned an encouraging reputation with Williams with successive second place Drivers’ Championship finishes in 1986 and 1987, albeit followed by a 1988 campaign beset by bad luck and early retirements.
“The Birmingham-raised hotshoe was thrust into the limelight as the last-ever Ferrari driver personally appointed by Enzo Ferrari, who sadly passed away only weeks after rubber-stamping Mansell’s move to his team.
“Mansell’s reception with the Italian team was rapturous.
“While he missed the 1988 Italian Grand Prix through illness—still a Williams driver, but with his move to Ferrari already confirmed—the Englishman hit the ground running with a first place finish on his Scuderia debut at the 1989 Brazilian Grand Prix.”
Mansell got the nickname in Italy ‘Il Leone’ – translating as ‘The Lion’ while racing for Ferrari.
The RM Sotheby’s spokesperson added: “The driver earned the nickname of Il Leone among tifosi thanks to his fearless determination behind the wheel, and his exploits with Ferrari brought great reward.
“Just before Christmas 1988, Mansell was presented with the gift of a Ferrari Testarossa, the car offered for sale here.
“Thought to be one of around 500 examples of the Testarossa to leave the Maranello factory in right-hand-drive configuration, the car was imported into the United Kingdom by Maranello Sales, the official Ferrari dealer based in Egham, Surrey.
“Noted as first being supplied to Gestions Sportives Automobiles SA of Geneva, Switzerland, on 23 December 1988, Mansell took delivery of the Testarossa shortly afterwards, as verified by period correspondence between the dealership and Ferrari headquarters.
“It is believed that Mansell retained the Ferrari until December 1993.
“The car’s odometer reads 10,227 miles at the time of cataloguing, though its original odometer was replaced while reading around 4,700 miles.
“The Ferrari retains its matching-numbers chassis and engine.
“Bearing a commemorative metal plaque honouring its close connection with Nigel Mansell, and accompanied by a fitted luggage set proudly embossed with the Scuderia Ferrari driver’s initials, this storied Testarossa presents as the ideal collector’s item for any Ferrari or motorsport fan.”
