Augusto – son of Domenico Caraceni, who founded the eponymous fashion house – was a keen racing driver. When he needed a car in which to compete in the 1951 Stella Alpina, the sartorial sage selected this sports-racing Ferrari. As well as being clothed in svelte Touring coachwork (it was the coachbuilder’s first closed Ferrari), the 212 Export Touring Berlinetta was powered by a tuned version of the Colombo engine, and had Plexiglass windows and a sparse interior to save weight.

This was not the first time Caraceni dealt with the automotive elite: Enzo Ferrari and Gianni Agnelli were both known to wear tailored Caraceni suits, as were Gary Cooper, Aristotle Onassis, Prince Rainier of Monaco and Yves St. Laurent.

Photos: Bonhams