A 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO will be offered in Bonhams' Les Grand Marques a Monaco sale in Monte Carlo on May 13.
It will carry an estimate of $1.4m-1.8m ahead of the hotly anticipated auction.
 The 1985 288 GTO was one of the most sought after sports cars of the 1980s |
The car is one of only 272 built during its production run between 1984 and 1987, all of which sold out almost immediately.
The marque only intended to build 200 to comply with the rules around entering production cars into Group B races (the minimum number allowed in order to enter the model in the competition).
However, demand was so high that a further 72 were manufactured. As it happened, Group B racing was disbanded before the 288 GTO could enter.
James Knight, Bonhams' motoring director, explains: "Rarely does a car take on iconic status when new, but the Ferrari 288 GTO achieved just that.
"It was, and still is, considered by many to be one of the finest high-performance cars ever built.
"In many ways, it is seen as the modern-era supercar that inspired the production of the Porsche 959, the Ferrari F40, the Bugatti EB110 and the McLaren F1."
The present lot was collected new from the factory in Maranello in 1985 and driven back to London. It has remained in the original owner's collection ever since.
Another specimen sold for $2.4m at RM Sotheby's Monterey auction last year.
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