But it was during the mid-60s that Belmondo enjoyed his golden era, with the fame earned from his fast-paced acting career landing him on the cover of Paris Match where he was shown driving at speed, top down, in a Ferrari 250 GT cabriolet.

It was loaned for the shoot by car supplier to the stars Franco-Britannic Autos, establishing a relationship between owner Donald Sleator and Belmondo that led to the man they dubbed ‘the French Steve McQueen’ buying the 275 GTB in July 1965. Before collecting it, however, Belmondo asked for a front ‘bumperette’ to be fitted to account for the Paris traffic, a Blaupunkt radio so he could listen to his favourite tunes while on the move, and a passenger headrest for the comfort of Andress – aka Honey Ryder who sent jaws to the floor when she emerged from the sea wearing a revealing white bikini in the 1962 Bond film Dr No.

But while Andress may have been the era’s ultimate trophy girlfriend, that didn’t prevent her from being a nag – and she didn’t hold back in telling Belmondo, whom she met the previous year on the set of Up to his Ears, that the 275’s original Grigio Argento paint job was not to her liking.

So before Belmondo even took possession of the keys it was off to Carrosserie Henri Chapron (of Citroën DS Décapotable fame) for a respray in the Rosso Rubino it wears today, a colour that contrasts nicely with its Pelle Rossa interior and nero fabric seat trim.

Owning the short-nose, triple-carburettor 275 GTB automatically made Belmondo a member of an exclusive club of silver screen legends who chose the model, among them Clint Eastwood, Peter Sellers and McQueen himself.

Belmondo kept the car until March 1969 when he part-exchanged it for a Maserati Ghibli. It has had but three owners since, one of whom kept it cosseted in a Parisian garage for 28 years.

Offered in superb but unrestored condition (save for a recent engine rebuild) and a contestant in the Post-War preservation category at last year’s Pebble Beach concours, the 275 appears for sale after four years in the current ownership.

Girardo & Co has been coy about its price – but it’s fair to say you’ll need a movie star’s salary to own it. And a partner who likes Rosso Rubino, of course.

1965 Ferrari 275 GTB
On sale with Girardo & Co, Oxfordshire, £POA. girardo.com

Nuvolari Alfa that topped Ards 1-2-3 

• At a sodden Tourist Trophy at Ards in 1930, this alfa romeo 6c 1750 gs testa fissa, inset, right, blew a raspberry to the Blower Bentleys when tazio nuvolari took it to first in an Alfa 1-2-3. Later owners included Prince Aly Khan and Whitney Straight – a racer who’d become a hero RAF pilot in WWII. It’s on sale at vintage & prestige in Northampton for £2.75m.

• Doors have opened at dick lovett porsche centre bristol after an 18-month refurbishment. A further 25,000sq ft has been added to the site, with aftersales capacity expanded to a 17-bay workshop. “It’s amazing to head back to the location where Dick Lovett Bristol has been for 22 years,” said Dick Lovett property director Rebecca Maloney.
• In 1982 you’d have seen Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon on MTV dancing around on a yacht, wearing a yellow suit. By the end of the decade he had far better taste, being the first owner of this 1989 Aston martin v8 zagato volante, left. Mileage is low – just 5920, and Le Bon only accounted for 200 of those before selling the car in 1996. It’s on offer for £330,000 at stratton in Norwich.
• According to German market research company Dataforce, the new car market share of SUVs in Europe has risen to 60% – up from 41.3% in 2020. Hatchbacks are down to 24% and saloons 3.5%.

• We revealed four years ago that pop duo The cheeky girls had traded in stardom for life in the car showroom. Gabriela and Monica Irimia were previously sales execs with Hyundai. They’ve now switched to audi York and Audi Boston. LG