Keith Richards's Ferrari Dino going under the hammer

With Father's Day just around the corner, this could prove the perfect present for anyone who loves cars as much as they love rock n' roll: the 1972 compact supercar that once belonged to the Rolling Stones' lead guitarist will be going under the hammer in Monaco at the Coys auction on Friday, May 9 and is being offered with no reserve.

Conceived as the first ever 'affordable' Ferrari, the Dino was named in honor of Enzo Ferrari's late son, Alfredo 'Dino' Ferrari, who was involved in developing its engine before his death.

The car came to fruition because Dino had been bugging his dad about making cars that competed more directly with the Porsche 911 and developing a V6 engine that could be used for racing in Formula 2.

The result, the Dino 246GT, was the first Ferrari built in large numbers and was an instant hit. It was also the first road-going car from the company to boast six, rather than the usual 12, cylinders and to have a mid-engine layout.

The car stayed in production until 1976 and in that time grew an extra two cylinders, before the 'Dino' badge was retired and all cars built by the company, regardless of engine size, carried the Ferrari's Prancing Horse and were called Ferrari. It was replaced by the Ferrari 308 GTB, the targa-topped version of which (the GTS) was made world famous by the US TV show 'Magnum PI.'

Richards's example, which he took delivery of in 1972, stayed with him for 14 years and in that time he clocked up 25,000 miles. The car, which for the last 28 years has been sitting in a Japanese collection, comes with a letter of provenance from Alan Dunn, the Stones' manager, confirming that it was once Keith's and that the mileage is accurate.

Chris Routledge, Managing Partner at Coys, said: 'A Dino offered at no reserve is rare enough in itself and would make this a highly desirable and collectible item in its own right, but when one adds to this proven long-term ownership by rock and roll aristocracy, the Keith Richards car has to be the ultimate Dino and will surely give any car collector and rock enthusiast a great 'Satisfaction'!'