Jeremy Clarkson's 1996 Ferrari he described as 'the greatest car in the world, ever' set to sell for £250,000

If there's one person's opinion on a car that motorists trust, it's Jeremy Clarkson's.And a Ferrari the former Top Gear and The Grand Tour host bought after declaring it 'the greatest car in the world, ever' and the 'nicest car I have ever, ever driven' is heading to auction later this month.Clarkson purchased the 1996 Ferrari F355 GTS after being blown away by its performance during a road test for the BBC motoring show that made him famous.It would have cost him around £95,000 at the time, the equivalent of almost £200,000 today when adjusted for inflation.But despite waxing lyrical about its engine and showering praise on its road manners, the petrolhead-turned-farmer kept it for only four years before giving it away as a competition prize.Now it could be yours... if you have deep enough pockets.Jezza's Fezza is heading to the auction block in Birmingham on Saturday, November 14 with a guide price of between £200,000 and £250,000 – a higher price than it was offered to collectors just over a year ago.The value of the F355 GTS appears to have received a boost from the recent surge in classic Ferrari prices, which have shot up following a number of record sales in early 2026. This 1996 Ferrari F355 GTB was bought new by Jeremy Clarkson, who documented the purchase process in a Top Gear episode. Now it's heading to auction...Join the discussionAre classic cars like Clarkson¿s Ferrari really worth their soaring prices, or is the market just being driven by celebrity hype?What's your view?The mid-engined supercar, powered by a 380bhp 3.5-litre V8 engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox, is widely recognised as one of Ferrari's greatest hits of the Nineties.Registration P199 YPL combines extensively documented Clarkson provenance with desirable options, including rare factory sports seats and the GTS targa-style removable roof, and has covered 15,241 miles from new.Delivered through Maranello Sales in Egham in August 1996, Clarkson's order followed a very public deliberation over colour. He initially considered green on the basis that everyone else chose red before eventually ordering the car in Rosso Corsa.He specified Crema leather upholstery, Rosso carpets and carbon-backed sports seats finished in Crema with red inserts.The Ferrari featured regularly in his Sunday Times columns, including when he retook, and failed, his driving test in May 1999.But in 2000, after covering around 6,000 miles, he gave it away as a reader prize having conceded that he'd bought the wrong model (he should have chosen the coupe), the wrong colour, and coming to the conclusion that 'you can't really go anywhere in a car like this'.In his Top Gear segment, he states: 'You get stopped by the police constantly. If you leave it on the street, people spit in it. And if you leave it at home, the battery goes flat. It's useless!' Despite waxing lyrical about its engine and showering praise on its road manners, the petrolhead-turned-farmer kept it for four years before giving it away as a competition prize In his Top Gear segment, he states: 'You get stopped by the police constantly. If you leave it on the street, people spit in it. And if you leave it at home, the battery goes flat. It's useless!'The winner kept the car for three years before selling it in 2003. It was then retained by its third owner for a decade until 2013 and has changed hands since.It will go under the hammer at Iconic Auctioneers' NEC Classic Motor Show Sale in less than a fortnight's time, alongside three models from Clarkson's private collection that appeared on The Grand Tour.However, eagle-eyed classic car enthusiasts will notice the estimate represents a significant increase in value compared to a year ago.The same Ferrari was offered at RM Sotheby's sale at Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire in July 2025 with a guide price of between £180,000 and £220,000.Even then, it failed to find a buyer and was subsequently offered to collectors for £190,000 or nearest offer. Registration P199 YPL combines extensively documented Clarkson provenance with desirable options and has covered 15,241 miles from new Clarkson's Ferrari was offered at auction a year ago with a lower guide price and didn't sell. However, cars from the Italian marque's Nineties era have soared in value in 2026 The value of analogue Ferraris from the 1980s-2000s have surged in value in 2026 after a number of high-profile sales at record pricesHowever, a recent surge in values of collectible Ferraris has swept through the classic car market.The trend was triggered by record sales of five halo models from the famous Italian marque in January, sending prices into overdrive.Values of modern classic Ferraris are said to have almost tripled overnight, with owners looking to cash in on growing demand for Eighties, Nineties and Noughties-era cars with large-capacity engines and manual gearboxes.The Ferrari lot includes Clarkson's original order correspondence and the warranty card naming him as the car's first owner, which should only bolster its collectability.Introduced in 1994, the F355 represented a substantial advancement over the outgoing 348.Its 3.5-litre V8 used five valves per cylinder to produce 380bhp at 8,250rpm, delivering a 0-62mph sprint in 4.7 seconds and a top speed in excess of 180mph.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.'The original correspondence and ownership documents give that story real substance. Its mileage, manual gearbox and rare sports seats make it a particularly appealing Ferrari.'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.' CARS & MOTORING: ON TEST