(ABOVE) Chris haynes takes delivery of the 250 GT PININFARINA COUPE from Mike Wheeler OF RARDLEY MOTORS

Mike Wheeler of Rardley Motors, which specializes in selling Ferraris, has just sealed the deal on this historic Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina coupe – the first ever Ferrari sold in Britain in 1958 – to Chris Haynes of the Haynes International Motor Museum at Sparkford near Yeovil in Somerset. Mr Haynes plans to use the car and it is not intended just to be a static exhibit.

Mike Wheeler says: “This Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina coupe is the first ever Ferrari road car sold in the UK and as such is an important part of British and Italian automotive history. Its association with Mike Hawthorn also adds luster to its huge interest as he imported it in the same year that he won the Formula One Word Title. It has now found a most appropriate home with the Haynes International Motor Museum. All of us at Rardley Motors are delighted.”

After Mike Hawthorn won the 1958 Formula One World title he signed a deal with Enzo Ferrari to sell Ferrari road cars in Britain. The deal was made despite Enzo Ferrari refusing to sell Mike the car he had won the World Championship in.

John Michael Hawthorn became the United Kingdom's first Formula One World Champion driver in 1958, whereupon he announced his retirement, having been profoundly affected by the death of his teammate and friend Peter Collins two months earlier in the 1958 German Grand Prix.

The first cars that Hawthorne’s Tourist Trophy Garage in Farnham imported were two Ferrari 250 GT Pininfarina coupe’s with a sale price of £6,500 each, a fortune in those days. One was white with a black interior (chassis 1083, registered ‘5 HPD’ later repainted gold then finally black in the 1980’s as seen above) and one was metallic blue (chassis 1081)-now a 250 GTO reproduction. 

Below the beautiful Pinin Farina coachwork there is a 3-Litre V12 engine giving 240 BHP. The twin overhead camshaft unit is fed by three twin choke Weber’s, the power fed through a four speed all-synchromesh gearbox. The Columbo designed V-12 turned Ferrari from a small-scale marque into a world-renowned manufacturer. The V12 engine was adaptable enough to use on the road or the track. The top speed was listed at 127 to 157 mph, depending on the final drive gear ratio, with 0–60 mph time of 5.9 seconds – blistering performance for the 1950’s, and still very respectable.

Hawthorn showed both cars at the London Motor Show of 1958 on his own stand at Earl’s Court. These right-hand drive cars are believed to be just two of nine right hand drive examples, produced by Ferrari. The white car sold quickly to Major Desmond Fitzgerald, a wealthy Irish landowner. The second car took much longer to sell, going eventually to Colonel Ronnie Hoare, who after Mike Hawthorn’s tragic death in an infamous car crash in 1959, formed the Maranello Concessionaires Ltd, which then became the official Ferrari importers into the UK.