The 1996 Ferrari F355 GTS ordered new by Jeremy Clarkson returns to auction on November 14, 2026 at the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham. Iconic Auctioneers has assigned lot 186 a guide equivalent to roughly €240,000–€300,000, converted from its sterling estimate at the European Central Bank reference rate published on November 6. Clarkson is not the current seller.
Chassis ZFFXR42C000106175 is a right-hand-drive, six-speed manual GTS in Rosso Corsa with Crema leather and red carpets. The catalogue records about 24,500 km and highlights its unusual factory sports seats with carbon-fibre backs, Crema trim and red inserts.
Clarkson’s ownership is documented, not merely claimed
Original correspondence and the warranty card identify Clarkson as the first owner. Maranello Sales in Egham delivered the car in August 1996 after he had driven an F355 for the video programme “Unleashed on Cars”. It subsequently appeared in his Sunday Times columns, Top Gear Magazine and “Clarkson’s Car Years”.
One of those columns involved him retaking and failing his driving test in May 1999. By 2000, he wrote that the Ferrari had covered about 9,650 km during his four years with it. It then left his ownership as a Sunday Times reader prize rather than through a conventional sale.
The prize winner retained it for roughly three years. A later keeper owned it from March 2003 until February 2013, when it joined the collection of the present vendor. The distinction matters because several cars consigned directly by Clarkson are appearing in the same NEC catalogue, but this F355 is not one of his current consignments.
Its 2025 auction ended without a sale
RM Sotheby’s offered the same chassis at Cliveden House on July 8, 2025. Its official estimate was €210,000–€255,000 and the result page records “Not Sold”. The new guide is therefore higher than the range that failed to produce a transaction last year.
That does not predetermine the outcome. An estimate is not a reserve, a valuation guarantee or a sale price. Bidders must also account for the buyer’s premium and applicable taxes on top of the hammer figure. The car’s celebrity history may widen the audience, but the earlier result demonstrates that provenance does not remove price discipline.
For comparison, the new midpoint is close to €270,000 before fees. A collector is being asked to value three things at once: a desirable manual F355 GTS, a low recorded distance and a documented connection to a famous motoring presenter.
The mechanical specification behind the story
The F355’s Tipo F129B V8 displaces 3.5 litres and uses five valves per cylinder. The auction catalogue quotes 380 hp, approximately 283 kW, at 8,250 rpm. In this car the engine drives the rear wheels through Ferrari’s open-gate six-speed manual transmission. The listing states that the original matching-number engine remains installed.
GTS denotes the removable roof-panel body style, positioned between the fixed-roof Berlinetta and the fully open Spider. Clarkson’s car predates the availability of Ferrari’s F1 automated manual on the model, so its gated gearbox is original rather than a later conversion.
The sale file includes the original order correspondence, warranty card, owner’s handbooks and folio, tool kit and car cover. Press cuttings document its appearances during Clarkson’s ownership. Those items help establish provenance, but bidders still need to examine their completeness and authenticity during the viewing process.
A major 2025 invoice supports the maintenance record
RM Sotheby’s said the current owner had entrusted the car to Ferrari specialist Italia Autosport. Work completed in May 2025 included a service, cambelt replacement, steering-rack attention, paint correction and detailing. At the ECB rate of 6 November 2026, the historic invoice equates to approximately €11,200. It is evidence of specific work, not a promise that no further expenditure will be required.
An independent pre-purchase inspection remains sensible for a 30-year-old F355. Belt history is important, but so are suspension condition, brakes, electrical systems, exhaust components, body repairs and the condition of the leather and dashboard materials. Auction descriptions are prepared for a sale and do not replace a specialist assessment commissioned by the bidder.
RM’s 2025 catalogue showed 23,978 km, while the current listing rounds the reading to about 24,500 km. The modest increase suggests limited use since the previous auction. Buyers should still reconcile the odometer, service invoices and MoT history rather than relying on a rounded catalogue figure.
The lead photograph comes from RM Sotheby’s official press release for this exact car and is credited Jonathan Jacob ©2025, Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s. It is reproduced for editorial coverage of the auction.
