Our lifesavers received a remarkable gift in May – two multi-million-pound Ferraris. Northampton businessman and RNLI supporter Richard Colton left his treasured sports cars to the RNLI in his Will, asking that money from their sale be used to build a new lifeboat named after him and his late wife. The cars, up for auction at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford on 14 October, are expected to fetch around £8M – enough to fund almost four new Shannon lifeboats. It’s one of the largest bequests ever received by the RNLI.

The rare Ferraris – a red 1960 250 GT SWB and silver 1967 275 GTB/4 – were Richard’s lifelong passion and he enjoyed driving them around Europe. He was described by friends as a shy and private man and said to be nervous of the sea, hence his great respect for our volunteers. Simon Hope, Chairman of the auctioneers H&H Classics, says: ‘It promises to be an historic sale.’