It has looks that would adorn the sort of supercar book that kids get for Christmas, yet few but the most studied - or tedious - of petrolheads would be able to name this rarity.

It's the product of Monte Carlo Automobile and more specifically the former racing driver - and wonderfully named - Fulvio Maria Ballabio.

The original car bore the moniker of 'Centaire' as it celebrated the centenary of Monte Carlo's Automobile club. Later models were called the GTB.

With help from Lamborghini, the Centaire was constructed with a turbocharged Lambo V12 producing over 700 bhp. Somewhat ahead of its time, a carbon and kevlar chassis was built to cope with the power and particularly the flexing created by such a torquey motor.

Design and construction took five years. The first car was completed in 1989, but despite aspirations of producing a hundred examples, the fledgling supercar maker churned out just five cars.

Whilst it's got tick-box supercar looks, its rarity and oversupply of horsepower still make it somewhat desirable at the right price.

One such GTB is now up for auction in Germany with an estimate of 245,000 Euronimos.

This one has the chassis number EL 0001 - perhaps hinting at the marque's ambition to produce hundreds of 'em. I'm guessing it should also be called 'Centaire' as per the Fulvio's original plan.

The auctioneer's frank description boasts that the car has seen some proper usage thanks to missing grille vents and bodywork cracks due to vibration.

It is of course left-hand-drive, so perhaps just park it up in your French villa and pop out for the odd pint of milk and some boulangeing.