Elton John's Ferrari Testarossa goes up for sale

A very special Ferrari Testarossa is up for sale through this month's Shannons auctions, previously owned by music royalty.

The Testarossa was gifted to Sir Elton John by MCA Records for his 40th birthday in March 1987, featuring a single, high-mount driver's side mirror – one of the hallmarks of the early Testarossa.

Staying under the custodianship of Sir Elton until 2001, the car had recorded just 7434 miles (11,964 kilometres) when it was sold to a Ferrari dealer in the UK. It then made the trek over to Australia around 2010 where it resided in Sydney until its current owner purchased it seven years ago, bringing the mileage up to 10,733 (17,273km) in the process.

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Powered by Ferrari's Tipo F113 engine, the 5.0-litre, naturally-aspirated flat-12 put out 287kW when new, delivering drive to the rear wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox.

Shannons expects the Testarossa to sell at around the $300,000 to $350,000 range, with a signed letter from Sir Elton included in the sale.

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Also in the auction will be two other Maranello motors, one 1983 308 GTSi QV 'Targa' Coupe – expected to fetch $170,000-$200,000 – and an Australian-delivered 2000 456M GTA Coupe, a relative bargain at around $140,000-$160,000.

The Shannons 40th Anniversary Auction will run from November 23 to 30.