Sixty years ago, a car regarded by many as the greatest road racer of all time was launched. And this month – March 1962 – it made its competitive debut on the track. It was the start of a journey for the Ferrari 250 GTO that would help it become not only the world’s most valuable collectors’ car but also acquire a mythical aura that means today it stands alone in the pantheon not only of Maranello’s fabled racers but also among all classic cars.

One of the reasons for this is its rarity: only a handful of unmolested examples still exist. And so test-driving them to experience their uniqueness is destined to remain a dream of all but a very fortunate few.

That is why I count myself lucky to have spent many hundreds of happy miles of hard motoring in 250 GTOs. The car photographed here has been owned for 40 years by ex-racer Paul Vestey. We have shared it many times on the classic Adelaide Rally, at Goodwood and just stretching its legs on the road. Its chassis serial is 4115GT, sold new to German enthusiast Hermann Cordes. He made his hillclimb debut with it in March 1963, won a minor race at Hockenheim, finished second at AVUS and then sold it to an extraordinary playboy/architect named Manfred Ramminger.