Bought new by Peter de Savary, the entrepreneur, yachtsman and hotelier lost it on a bet on a game of golf after owning it for just a week after putting it up as collateral, which is pretty cool, isn’t it?

Manufactured in 1986, ‘C537 RRR’ was supplied new via HR Owen Ltd of South Kensington to Mr. de Savary on the 1st July 1986. Presented in Nero with a red leather interior, it has been in current registered keeper’s hands since 2022, having come via a private collection. 

The past three years have seen the Ferrari benefit from vast expenditure including corrosion removal and repainting, a wiring overhaul, a retrimmed dashboard and parcel shelf, an overhauled engine manifold, a new stainless-steel exhaust system, fettling of the engine bay, and a new battery. 

The power-steering system has also been overhauled and fitted with properly reinforced nitrile lines and four new coilover suspension units were fitted only this year. 

The seller’s forthcoming wedding forces this reluctant sale – well, that and the fact he’s got seven other cars in his collection vying for his attention…

Black is a helluva colour for a classic car but when one is good enough to carry it off – and this one is – nothing, and we do mean nothing, looks better. 

Subtle and understated and yet full of discreet menace, this 412 sports some of the cleanest bodywork we can recall on a car of its age. With ripple-free flanks, great shutlines and excellent panel alignment, the absence of dents, dinks and other damage suggests it has only a good story to tell.

And that Nero paint does gleam wonderfully, partly, we suspect, because of its refresh in 2020 but also because of years of careful curation, a conclusion the online MoT history supports.

The badges, glazing and lamp lenses are all very good, too. (And, BTW, does any car have better rear lights than this?) Of course, as you’ll have guessed by now, the headlamps pop up and down as they should. 

And, the iconic five-spoke alloy wheels look terrific, don’t they? In an excellent condition with only very light scuffing on the front - something the fat-ish sidewalls help prevent - they’re fitted with a matching set of Michelin TRX tyres. 

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

That said, while the tyres do have good treat left on them they are age-perished and will need to be changed if you’re going to use the car.

Other flaws include a scuff to both corners of the front bumper, some rust under the rear window on the offside, and a rear screen that is starting to delaminate.

The red leather interior is fabulous. Lightly patinated in the front – work to the parcel shelf and only lightly used rear seats means it looks much fresher in the back – with light cracking and wear to the driver’s seat especially, we imagine most would be very happy to leave it as it is and just enjoy the romance of owning a properly used classic car.

The red hide extends to the headlining, which is taut and clean. It really is a fabulously OTT colour scheme and one the Nero coachwork complements beautifully.

The orange-on-black instruments vie with the pop-up headlamps as the defining feature of a 1980s sportscar, and their appearance is bright and clean, something the retrimmed dashboard help highlight.

The door cards and carpets are as good as everything else, as is the boot, which contains a matching spare wheel and Michelin TRX tyre.

A Blaupunkt New York headunit is fitted, which is lovely to see. A new aerial has been fitted - including a 3D-printed carbon Kevlar bracket – and a receipt from June 2020 suggests a matching Blaupunkt amplifier forms part of the set-up.

The chunky map light, with its curly cable, is still fitted in the glovebox.

As for work to do, apart from the two front seats, the only real signs of wear are to the nearside edge of the centre console, the original equipment Momo steering wheel, the driver’s door seal, and the nearside rear carpet.

As you can see, the 412’s V12 engine starts readily and shows good oil pressure. The inherent civility of the engine’s layout can be heard from the driver’s seat with little more than a subdued background hum at low engine speeds but the engine springs into life when the throttle is depressed, producing a very uncivilized exhaust note.

Last serviced in October 2023, the engine bay is nicely presented without being overly fussy – and we love that the date has been written on the oil filters.

The original suspension system has been replaced by four coilovers. The receipt from Project Heaven Restoration, which covers this and many more jobs including a new alternator and a high-torque starter motor, is attached.

NB: The old Koni suspension units have been retained and will come with the car should the new owner want to get them reconditioned and refitted.

The underside is nicely presented but we do see some peeling paint on the sills with accompanying surface rust. It would be wise to get this sorted out sooner rather than later to prevent a relatively small problem deteriorating into something worse.

More trivially, some of the exhaust mounting rubbers are perished and, again, replacing them now would prevent a more expensive problem.

The Ferrari’s history file includes the book pack, the original stamped service book with 11 entries, plenty of old invoices and a bunch of expired MoT certificates. 

The 412’s MoT certificate is valid until October 2024 and the only advisory point was age-perished tyre cracking, something that has been the only issue since 2020.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear bar a marker for a change of colour from blue to the current black.

Modern classics like the Ferrari 412 offer real benefits over some of their older rivals not least semi-modern handling, performance and reliability whilst still being sufficiently analogue to be easily repairable with nothing more than a decent tool kit.

Plus, of course, they represent the childhood of a significant number of our customers: If you grew up admiring cars like this in the 1980s then you’ll be in your fifties and sixties now with, hopefully, enough spare cash to be able to buy the cars you lusted after when you were young and penniless. (Don’t worry, you’re still magnificent.)

Which brings us onto the subject of price. We estimate this Ferrari 412 will fetch somewhere between £32,000 and £37,000, which seems like fine value to us, not least when you factor in how much has been lavished on it in the past few years.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.