This magnificent 400i has been in the vendor’s ownership since 2000.

Having used it regularly, but sparingly, on various summer outings and jaunts over the years, he is only selling now because he feels he’s just not using it enough.

Throughout his 25 years with this car, he has carried on the assiduous curation and meticulous care of the car demonstrated by his predecessors.

Consequently, the car is in very decent dynamic and mechanical order and wants for nothing but a little cosmetic fettling and honing here and there.

It starts, runs, goes, handles and stops precisely as you would wish a pedigree V12 Ferrari to perform and behave.

And, of course, as a 400i it comes with the added bonuses of being wilfully unflashy, classily understated and more than capable of discreetly whisking you, three friends and all of your luggage across continents with inimitable élan, refinement and panache.

People of a certain age, your author being one of them, would have had a poster of a Ferrari...