You could be driving home for Christmas in Chris Rea's Ferrari as his 1980 Dino 308 GT4 heads for auction

By Freda Lewis-Stempel

Updated: 22:29 AEDT, 10 October 2024

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Can't wait to see those faces on Christmas Day when you turn up in Chris Rea's Ferrari Dino 308?

The Driving Home for Christmas hitmaker and 80s chart topper Rea has put his 1980 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 up for auction as the lead up to the festive period begins.

The beautifully presented model from Rea's private collection will go on sale in early November and is estimated to reach between £40,000 and £50,000.

The Christmas hitmaker and 80s chart topper Rea has put his 1980 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 up for auction as the lead up to the festive period begins

Rea's 1988 Christmas classic was voted the nation's favourite song for a festive journey, claiming 47 per cent of the vote

Well known for his Ferrari fever as well as his Christmas cheer, Rea has owned a number of cars out of Modena – from race versions of the GT4 to road-going examples - but this 308 GT4 has been a constant in his garage for years.

The singer - who's 1988 Christmas classic was voted the nation's favourite song for a festive journey, claiming 47 per cent of the vote - originally purchased it in need of some TLC.

Rea has since worked with Ferrari specialists QV of London to restore his 308 GT4 to the beautifully presented and fully recommissioned condition the car is in today, including the perfectly refurbished Cromodora alloys.

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The 30-8 GT4 was the first production car from Ferrari to feature a mid-engined V8. It was also the first production model to feature Bertone styling 

This 308 GT4 has been a constant in Ferrari-fan Rear's garage for years

Rea worked with Ferrari specialists QV of London to restore his 308 GT4 to the beautifully presented and fully recommissioned condition the car is in today, including the perfectly refurbished Cromodora alloys

Chris changed his Ferrari Pirelli Challenge car from red and gold to a Grigio Ferro over Blu Dino Scurro

While the 3-litre V8 308 GT4 is one of the few small Ferraris that suits a two-tone colour scheme, Chris changed his Ferrari Pirelli Challenge car from red and gold to a Grigio Ferro over Blu Dino Scurro.

Inside the Dino is finished with Bordeaux Red seating and carpets, and is unusually one of the very rare cars with 'factory' rear seats 'delete' (where the rears are deleted for space or performance reasons). 

This seems counterintuitive as the GT4's raison d'etre was the extra seating, however luggage space in the 308 GT4 was minimal so turning the car into a 'touring' instead of a 2+2 configuration made practical sense.

The 308 GT4 was the first production car from Ferrari to feature a mid-engined V8. It was also the first production model to feature Bertone styling.

Around 3,600 were sold. 

And with the GT4's top speed of 150mph and 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds, you don't need to worry about those red lights or tailbacks when you're driving home for Christmas.

Rea has recorded twenty five studio albums, two of which topped the UK Albums Chart; The Road to Hell in 1989 and its successor, Auberge, in 1991

It's unusually one of the very rare cars with 'factory' rear seats 'delete' (where the rears are deleted for space or performance reasons) - the interior is finished in a gorgeous Bordeaux Red

The GT4's top speed is 150mph and it can cover 0 to 60 in 6.4 seconds so you don't need to worry about those red lights or tailbacks when you're driving home for Christmas

Rea's 1988 bop is still the top favourite for Brits driving during the festive period. Other Christmas hits popular for car journey's include Mariah Carey's vocally challenging All I Want For Christmas Is You and White Christmas by Bing Crosby 

Chris Rea's 308 GT4 has 53,000 miles on the clock and goes up for auction 9 November with Iconic Auctioneers at the NEC Classic Motor Show.

It has a relatively modest guide price for a classic Ferrari, with auction experts tipping it to sell to the highest bidder for a figure in the region of £40,000 to £50,000.

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