For classic automobile collectors unable to wait until next week for RM's Automobiles of Arizona event (January 21-22) or Retromobile in Paris (January 23), here's a quick look at a car that is currently available on the market for you to buy.
This 1959 Ferrari 250 TR is one of five "recreation" examples commissioned by Alistair Walker and built by Jim Rose in 1992, specifically for the legendary Ferrari racing driver Innes Ireland.
 The recreation of a 1959 Ferrari 250 TR, priced £235k |
The recreated 250 is based on a Ferrari 330GT. Jim Rose and Les Monk had rebodied three of the 330 coupes around the same time that this car was built.
They removed the 330's original steelwork and replaced it with steel tubing to support the new English bodywork. The brakes, suspension and chassis were also restored as new.
The idea behind Jim Rose's rebuild was to make attractive, driveable Ferrari roadsters that looked correct, yet were not fakes or clones of an original Ferrari.
 The car is actually based on a Ferrari 330GT |
That it was built to satisfy the tastes of Innes Ireland - a former engineer himself, and one of the great characters of motor racing during the '50s and '60s - is testament to its quality.
In tribute to Ireland's Scottish nationality, the sensational looking car also features tartan seat covers.
Only one-of-five of its kind ever built, and boasting significant provenance, the car is on sale for £235,000 at Oakfields, in the UK.
The sale includes supporting documents - previous V5s, MOTs and tax discs - studio photos, letters of correspondence and numerous invoices and bills relating to the car.
