Like a Rolling Stone: Keith Richards’ Ferrari goes to auction

You can get your satisfaction this Saturday

Can you really call yourself a rock ‘n’ roll star if you don’t have an Italian supercar stabled in your garage?

That’s not a question Keith Richards ever had to answer: this 1972 Dino 246GT lived with the wild guitarist from new until 1986.

Fancy yourself as a bit of a rock star? You can make like a Rolling Stone this Saturday by bagging the Dino when it goes under the hammer at Bonhams’ Goodwood Revival auction.

Just in case you're tempted, here’s everything you need to know about this fine Ferrari and its famous former owner.

Wild horse

Ferrari launched the original Dino – the 206GT – in 1967, complete with a 2-litre V6 engine good for 160bhp and a top speed of 146mph, helped by a featherweight aluminium build.

All down the (production) line

Designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti, the Dino was the first Ferrari to be produced in large numbers, with nearly 4000 leaving the factory between 1968 and ’74.

Get off my brand

It was also the firm’s first mid-engine car – though Enzo Ferrari’s reluctance meant it was badged as a Dino, a brand apart from the Prancing Horse.

Little red booster

Come 1969, the Italian marque yielded to calls for more power and unveiled the 246GT – a revised Dino fitted with a larger, 2.4-litre V6 block that delivered 192bhp.

Longer and larger

The wheelbase was lengthened, too, and the body material changed to steel, which saw the kerbweight increase by some 100kg. 

Start me up

Top speed remained unchanged but performance was greatly improved, even with that weight gain. 

Today, the 246GT is rightly regarded as one of the greatest mid-engine machines of the ’70s, not least because of its stunning shell.

Like owner, like motor

It’s only right, then, that one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll stars of the ’70s should choose to own one.

Gone to a good home

Keith Richards – guitarist and founding member of The Rolling Stones – took delivery of this Dino in 1972, when it was brand new.

Fresh plates

He reportedly imported it to the UK in ’75 and registered it in London with the number plate ‘GYL 157N’.

Street fightin’ Dino

Richards – famed for his wild streak and party antics, both on- and off-stage – used the Ferrari frequently when the Stones were touring Europe in the ’70s.

Ferrari: better than flying

As Alan Dunn, their Tour Manager at the time, recalled: “On these European tours of the 1970s, the band would fly to each gig and Keith, who avoided flying whenever he could, would choose to drive the Dino, frequently arriving at the band's hotel in the middle of the night.”

Touring miles

“The majority of the Ferrari's mileage in Keith's ownership was covered in this way,” Dunn continued.

Sympathy for the Dino

Despite the regular European outings – and infamous excesses in others aspects of his lifestyle – Richards put just 25,000 miles on the clock in his 14 years with the Dino.

Under a new thumb

Richards finally parted with his Dino in 1986, when it was sold and entered a private collection in Japan.
 

Waiting on a trend

It wouldn’t be the rockstar’s last Ferrari, mind: in 1983 he acquired a 400i – which sold at auction last year for €345,000.

From Brit to Brit

What of the Dino? It remained in Japan until 2014, at which point it returned to Europe to be stabled with yet another famous owner: Liam Howlett.

Prodigal custodian

Not familiar with the name? He’s one-third of renowned rave trio The Prodigy – and he took delivery of the Dino from a Monaco auction.

No (nervous) breakdowns

In 2015 the engine was rebuilt by a marque specialist, before being sold to the current owner, who has overseen comprehensive maintenance and servicing in the intervening period.

Not painted black

The storied Ferrari goes under the hammer this Saturday, 8 September with roughly 30,000 miles on the clock and wearing a stunning shade of Argento.

Gimme letters

It ships with a raft of documents, including a letter from Tour Manager Alan Dunn which confirms that the Dino formerly belonged to Keith Richards.

Cheaper to buy a t-shirt

What can you expect to pay for this most valuable piece of Rolling Stones memorabilia at the Bonhams Goodwood Revival sale? Estimates suggest somewhere between £300,000 and £400,000.

Click here for a look at our 30 favourite lots from the Bonhams Goodwood Revival sale