THE RNLI is set for an £8 million windfall from the sale of two classic Ferrari cars.

Richard Colton's dying wish was for his beloved 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB and 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 be sold for the benefit of the Poole-based charity.

The 83-year-old who died in March requested that the RNLI use the funds to buy a new lifeboat named after him and his late wife Caroline.

The red 250 Ferrari is one of just 167 made and is expected to sell for around £6 million. It has been described by experts as one of the most beautiful cars in the world and a “must have” for any serious Ferrari collector.

The silver GTB was widely regarded as the best GT car of its time, with Hollywood actor Steve McQueen owning one.

It is likely to fetch £2 million.

Mr Colton, a Northamptonshire-based businessman who had a distinguished career in footwear distribution, restored both motors and drove them extensively across Europe.

It is not known exactly why he decided to make the generous donation to the RNLI but he was known to be nervous of the sea and had a great respect for volunteers who risk their lives saving people at sea.

Guy Rose, legacy manager at the RNLI, said: "We are deeply grateful and humbled by Mr Colton's generous gift and his decision to benefit the RNLI in this way.

"Six out of every 10 lifeboat launches are only made possible because of gifts left to us in wills, so they are vital to saving lives at sea.

"Mr Colton's generosity will be felt most by our volunteer crews and the people whose lives they save."

The two Ferraris will be sold by prestigious car auctioneers H&H Classics at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridge, in October.

Simon Hope, chairman of H&H Classics, said: "These stunning motor cars have been with Richard Colton for 40 years and meant a very great deal to him.

"So we are absolutely committed to realising the maximum amount for the cars. It promises to be an historic sale.”

Mr Colton bought the 1960 Ferrari in the late 1970s and covered some 60,000 miles in it, driving it at the Ferrari 50th Anniversary celebrations at Maranello in June 1997.

He bought the 275 Ferrari in 1974 and drove it throughout the UK and Europe and it now has 78,000 miles on its odometer.