1972 Ferrari Dino owned by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards for sale in US

A 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GT reportedly owned for years by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards – and later palmed off to another rock icon – has come up for sale.

Drive has been unable to find photos of the left-hand-drive Italian sports car in its heyday, but the seller says it was driven extensively on tour at the height of the band's fame.

“It is hardly surprising … one of rock’s undisputed all-time greats would gravitate toward … one of the 20th century’s all-time greatest sports cars,” the RM Sotheby’s listing says.

Citing a copy of a letter from Stones manager Alan Dunn, the seller says Richards ordered the car new via a Michigan industrial company. He took delivery in California during June 1972 before shipping the car to the UK three years later.

“[Richards] is then said to have used the car for personal transportation during European tours, accumulating over 25,000km — and no small number of untold, and possibly unprintable, stories — over the following decade,” the listing says. It does not say who is said to have said the above.

If the alleged Rolling Stones debauchery in and around the vehicle did take place, online archives of newspapers from the period suggest it was indeed untold.

The Dino moved through multiple hands after being sold in the 1980s. In 2014 it came into the possession of The Prodigy co-founder and multi-instrumentalist Liam Howlett.

A restored 2.4-litre V6 petrol engine sends 143kW/225Nm to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox, accelerating the car from 0-100km/h in about 7.1 seconds. Top speed is about 235km/h.

The body is finished in a metallic gray dubbed “Argento Metallizzato”. Nero Connolly leather wraps the seats and dashboard, while the Cromadora alloy wheels wear Michelin tyres.

The left-hand-drive “E-Series” Ferrari Dino 246 GT by Scaglietti carries chassis number 03354. An odometer reading of 30,037 miles – about 49,000km – is listed. The seller says this is “believed to be original.”

A price guide of $US400,000 to $US500,000 ($AU610,000 to $AU760,000) is set by auction house RM Sotheby’s. The car will go under the hammer on 17 August 2023 in Monterey, California.

For context, Ferrari's current most expensive model on sale in Australia is the 812 Competizione A, which starts from about $1.2 million before on-road costs.

“This Dino 246 GT represents an opportunity to acquire a fantastic Ferrari with unrepeatable provenance—and unmatched star power,” the listing says.

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died in 2022, leaving an extensive collection of classic cars. The full list can be found here.