April 2019 - UK auction previews
25 March, 2019
Bonhams gets its UK campaign underway with the Goodwood Members’ Meeting sale on 7 April – the event taking place some three weeks later than usual in an effort to avoid the arctic conditions that descended on the Sussex circuit last year.
A Ford GT40 that was built by Terry Drury Racing – using what is believed to be an original chassis supplied to Drury by Ford in period – is one of the stars of the sale. Drury was well known in racing circles, competing in the late ‘60s with his own Ford GT40 (chassis 1073) and also as the man Ford approached to help build the legendary Supervan in 1971. The car has been constructed using many original parts including the steering column, much of the suspension and a Works 302 Gurney Weslake Ford engine.
The ex-Gerry Marshall 1971 Vauxhall Firenza known as ‘Old Nail’ is set to go under the hammer with an estimate of £90,000 – 130,000. The Dealer Team Vauxhall entry notched up an incredible tally of more than 60 wins between 1971 and ’78 and took outright honours in the 1972 Special Saloon Car Championship. Inextricably linked with Marshall’s legendary style, the car remained in his possession until his death in 2005 and has been fully restored following its sale by the family in 2011.
The sale also features 29 cars from the Key Museum; notably a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing – the 49th example produced (estimate £800,000 – 1,000,000); a one-of-200 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Coupe (estimate £400,000 – 500,000); and a 1947 Delahaye 135 M Drophead Coupe that was exhibited at the 1948 Paris Motor Show (estimate £220,000 – 280,000).
Elsewhere, supercars on offer include a 33,000-mile 1988 Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV at £260,000 – 300,000; an ex-Elton John 1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB with only 9,700 miles from new is guided at £250,000 – 300,000; and a 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo SE 'Slant Nose' with an equally scant 4,941-miles on the clock is £100,000 – 130,000.
British classics rule at Coys’ Spring sale at the Royal Horticultural Society’s London base on 2 April. Top lot is a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 with a history file detailing £200,000 of works (estimate £360,000 – 390,000); while a recently restored two-owner 1967 Aston Martin DB6 carries an estimate of £190,000 – 230,000, and a 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I is £125,000 – 150,000.
A time-warp two-owner 1963 Austin Mini 850 Super De Luxe will be offered without reserve at H&H’s 10 April auction. The car has travelled just 7,700 miles from new, having been stored for some 18 years after its first owner passed away in 1964, and comes complete with the spare key in its original leather cover and Conway plastic seat covers.
Early entries at Brightwells’ Bicester sale on 10 April include a well maintained 1960 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spur – one of 64 right-hand drive S2s built (estimate £105,000 – 115,000); a 1924 Lancia Lambda 'Julian Jane Special' with an enviable competition career in Jane’s hands, claiming over 30 wins including the 1949 VSCC Lycett Trophy (estimate £100,000 – 120,000); and a 34,000-mile 1999 Ferrari 456M GTA (estimate £57,000 – 62,000).
A 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage (estimate £300,000 – 350,000) heads the inventory at Anglia Car Auctions’ 13 April sale. Other big-ticket cars include a Slough-built 1939 Citroën Light 15 Roadster – restored by the consignor in 2003 (estimate £100,000 – 120,000); a 1979 Aston Martin V8 Volante which was owned by the previous custodian for 33 years (estimate £130,000 – 150,000); and a left-hand drive 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE at £175,000 – 225,000.
Classic car auction price estimates for: Ford | Vauxhall | Mercedes-Benz | Delahaye | Lamborghini | Ferrari | Porsche | Aston Martin | Rolls-Royce | Austin | Mini | Bentley | Lancia | Citroën
From leading auction houses: Bonhams | Coys | H&H Classics | Brightwells | Anglia Car Auctions
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