Jeremy Clarkson selling Grand Tour cars alongside Ferrari he once called 'the greatest car in the world'

Ex-Top Gear presenter turned bungling TV farmer Jeremy Clarkson is selling off three of his prized classic motors in an auction that also includes the Ferrari he described as “the greatest car in the world, ever”.

The 1996 Ferrari F355 GTS that the TV presenter but ultimately gave away as a competition prize, will go under the hammer alongside Clarkson’s 1982 Lancia Montecarlo Spider, his 1983 Alfa Romeo GTV6 and his 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V - all of which featured in The Grand Tour TV show.

They are among 600 classic cars and motorcycles worth over £16 million set to feature at Iconic Auctioneers’ sale weekend at the NEC, in Birmingham, on Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15.

Clarkson’s classic cars were all kept for the TV presenter’s private collection after he drove them for The Grand Tour but he is selling them as he rarely gets chance to drive them and he would like them to be appreciated and enjoyed by other car lovers.

The Ferrari F355, described by Jeremy Clarkson as “the greatest car in the world, ever”, could fetch as much as £250,000, being offered with a guide price of between £200,000 and £250,000, having cost around £80,000 when new.

It has a six-speed manual gearbox, rare factory sports seats and approximately 15,200 miles from new, meaning the 30-year-old supercar was only clocked up around 500 miles a year.

The car regularly featured in Clarkson’s Sunday Times columns, including when he retook, and failed, his driving test in May 1999. He covered around 6,000 miles before giving it away as a reader prize, having decided he’d bought the wrong colour and model.

It has had several owners since then and was up for auction last year but failed to sell with an estimate of £180,000 to £220,000.

Harry Fox-Edwards, Car Specialist at Iconic Auctioneers, said: “Many enthusiasts will remember Jeremy’s enthusiasm for the F355, and this is the car he bought for himself.

“Finding cars with character and a history worth telling is a great part of what we do, whether that’s a Ferrari of this calibre or someone’s first classic.”

The cars form part of Iconic Auctioneers’ sale weekend, with more than 600 cars and motorcycles worth over £16m set to feature at the NEC, Birmingham, on Saturday, November 14, and Sunday, November 15. The doors open at 10am on both days.