- Jeremy Clarkson's 1996 Ferrari F355 GTS goes under the hammer at Iconic Auctioneers' sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham on Saturday 14 November.
- It's estimated at £200,000 to £250,000.
- The same car failed to sell at an RM Sotheby's auction in July 2025, estimated at £180,000 to £220,000.
- Clarkson bought it new in 1996, covered about 6,000 miles, and gave it away as a newspaper reader prize in 2000.
- Three of his Grand Tour cars are in the same sale, all with no reserve.
The Ferrari that Jeremy Clarkson called "the greatest car in the world, ever" is up for auction again, and this time it's expected to sell for £200,000 to £250,000. His 1996 Ferrari F355 GTS goes under the hammer at Iconic Auctioneers' sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham on Saturday 14 November, just over a year after it failed to sell at a lower estimate of £180,000 to £220,000. It's covered 15,241 miles, and it comes with the warranty card that names Clarkson as its first owner.
Why did Jeremy Clarkson give his Ferrari away?
Clarkson was so taken with the F355 after testing one that he bought his own, taking delivery in August 1996 after a very public debate about the colour, in which he considered green because everyone else bought red, then ordered red anyway. It went on to star in his Sunday Times columns, including the one where he retook his driving test in it in 1999, and failed.
But the love affair didn't last. By 2000 he'd covered only about 6,000 miles, decided he'd bought the wrong model and the wrong colour, and given it away as a prize for his newspaper's readers, complaining on television that "if you leave it on the street, people spit in it". The winner kept it for three years, and it's had several owners since.
How much is Jeremy Clarkson's Ferrari worth?
Iconic Auctioneers expects it to fetch £200,000 to £250,000, which is a lot more than a Ferrari F355 cost new, at around £95,000 in 1996 [CONFIRM ORIGINAL PRICE]. It's also a step up from July 2025, when it was offered by RM Sotheby's at Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire with an estimate of £180,000 to £220,000, didn't find a buyer, and was then put up for sale at £190,000 or nearest offer.
The higher estimate reflects how hot the market for collectable Ferraris has been this year, after a string of record-breaking sales in January, including $12.21 million for an F50 at Mecum's Kissimmee auction in the US. Manual, big-engined Ferraris from the Eighties and Nineties have been in particular demand, and this one has a six-speed manual gearbox, rare factory sports seats and Clarkson's original order letters to go with it.
Ferrari F355 GTS specs
The F355 arrived in 1994 to replace the 348, and it's widely seen as one of Ferrari's best cars of the Nineties. Its 3.5-litre V8 has five valves per cylinder and makes 380bhp at a screaming 8,250rpm, enough for 0 to 62mph in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of more than 180mph. The GTS is the targa version, with a roof panel that lifts off, and Clarkson's car is finished in Rosso Corsa red with cream leather and red carpets.
What else is in the sale?
Clarkson is also selling three cars from his own collection that starred in The Grand Tour, all with no reserve, which means they'll sell whatever the bidding reaches (LINK: Jeremy Clarkson is selling three Grand Tour cars). They're the 1982 Lancia Montecarlo Spider, which was the last car he drove on the show, the 1983 Alfa Romeo GTV6 from the "Well Aged Scotch" special, and the 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V from "Lochdown".
What we like
- Fully documented Clarkson ownership, including the warranty card
- Only 15,241 miles from new
- A manual gearbox, which collectors want
What worries us
- It didn't sell at a lower estimate last year
- Much of the price is for the Clarkson story, not the car
- F355 servicing is expensive, with engine-out belt changes
Your car might not have a famous first owner, but if there's a Nineties classic tucked away in your garage, a free car valuation from Regit will tell you whether it's been quietly going up in value.
Our verdict
This is a good F355 with a great story, and with the Ferrari market so much stronger than it was last summer, we think it'll find a buyer this time. Whether it reaches £250,000 depends on how much someone will pay to own the car Clarkson called the greatest in the world and then gave away, but for a Clarkson fan with deep pockets, there won't be a better piece of TV history on four wheels.