July 2019 - UK auction previews
27 June, 2019
A pair of racing icons that carried off the ultimate spoils in period heads the entries at Bonhams’ Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale on 5 July. A legendary Williams FW14B that dominated the 1992 season will be offered by its private owner in running order, including the complex hydraulic active-suspension system. Nigel Mansell completed the perfect double with chassis 08 at each of the opening five races – bagging pole and the win – helping the Brit claim the ’92 drivers’ title.
Equally significant is the 1928 Bentley Jackson Special Old Mother Gun – the first 4½-Litre to roll out of the Cricklewood plant. Chassis ST3001 started life as a works Bentley team car, where its crowning glory was an outright victory at the 1928 Le Mans 24 Hours in the hands of Captain Woolf Barnato and Bernard Rubin. The car passed to Brooklands regular Richard Marker in 1932, who subsequently commissioned RR Jackson to construct a single-seater aluminium body more suited to the demands of the high speed Weybridge circuit – a body it retains today.
Other pre-war machinery includes a 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 'Long Chassis' Tourer with a replica Touring body by Rod Jolley (estimate £4,000,000 – 5,000,000), and a 1928 Bentley 6½ Litre Standard Six Saloon, one of only six believed to have survived (estimate £800,000 – 1,200,000); while a 1907 Métallurgique with a 21-litre Maybach engine designed for Zeppelin airships is estimated at £800,000 – 1,000,000.
A 1964 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk III BJ8 which won the 1964 Spa-Sofia-Liège rally in the hands of Rauno Aaltonen and Tony Ambrose is set to cross the block with a guide of £200,000 – 250,000. ‘BMO 93B’ is one of four Works cars prepared by the factory for the 1964 season and is presented in its Liège-winning spec.
Supercars on offer include a 9,346-mile 1998 Jaguar XJ220 (estimate £350,000 – 450,000); a one-of-50 2017 Lamborghini Aventador Miura Homage with delivery miles (estimate £240,000 – 280,000); and a 21,050-mile 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series (estimate £160,000 – 200,000).
Highlights among the Aston Martins heading to Beamish Classic Car Auctions’ inaugural sale on 6 July are a 1967 DB6, the subject of a meticulous restoration by Aston Workshop (estimate £325,000 – 349,000); a 1966 DB6 which was given a refurb in 2000 (estimate £170,000 – 190,000); and a 1968 DBS V8 Prototype that started life as a six-cylinder DBS, prior to being used for development of the V8-engined version (estimate £90,000 – 110,000).
A 1923 Vauxhall OE 30-98 Mulliner Two-Seater tops the catalogue at Brightwells’ 10 July sale. Chassis OE50 was owned by the well-known creator of the GN Wasp, Jack Moor, from 1934 until 1966 and has been with the consignor’s family since 1976 (estimate £180,000 – 220,000).
Brightwells’ sale also features a 1961 Jaguar XK150S 3.4 Fixed Head Coupe, estimated at £110,000 – 160,000. The car is one of just 199 examples in this spec and has covered a scant 19,578 miles from new, with single family ownership from 1964.
Notable entries at Historics’ 13 July sale include a 3,250-mile right-hand drive 2002 Ferrari 550 Barchetta (estimate £250,000 – 285,000); an elegant 1957 Mercedes-Benz 220S Cabriolet which had been kept by its previous owner for some 42 years (estimate £56,000 – 65,000); and a French-registered right-hand drive 1961 Aston Martin DB4 (estimate £370,000 – 390,000).
A rare example of BMW’s first generation M5 is in the line-up at Barons’ Summer Classic Sale on 16 July (estimate £39,000 – 46,000). This 1986 E28 model was built for BMW’s press fleet, leaving the factory with Special Individual Paint and Interior options. The car had been treated to a full restoration and engine rebuild by its previous owner, a technician at Vines BMW, and comes complete with 29 stamps in the service book and a wealth of invoices supporting its well-maintained history.
Pete Waterman’s 1989 Porsche 928 GT will go under the hammer at H&H’s 24 July sale with a guide of £40,000 – 50,000. Owned from new by the record producer, the recently serviced GT was supplied by Chariots of St Albans and now shows just 23,000 miles.
Silverstone Auctions rounds off the month with its annual Silverstone Classic sale, held from 27-28 July. Star attraction is a left-hand drive 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing at £850,000 – 1,000,000. The Gullwing began its life in the US, prior to being imported into the UK in 1989 by the late Peter Warr, remaining with the ex-Lotus F1 Team Manager until purchased by the consignor in 1993.
Other big-ticket entries include a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 at £575,000 – 675,000; a 1995 Porsche 911 RS, one of 100 built in Clubsport spec (estimate £170,000 – 200,000); and a 2018 Ferrari California T ’70th Anniversary’ with just 78 delivery miles from new (estimate £255,000 – 285,000).
An ex-Sir John Whitmore 1965 Ford Lotus Cortina will be offered at £190,000 – 220,000. ‘KPU 392C’ was run in the famous red and gold livery of Alan Mann Racing, with Whitmore clinching the 1965 European Touring Car Championship in the car after winning 8 out of 9 rounds.
Elsewhere, a 1963 Austin Mini Cooper S which Barrie Williams steered to victory in the 1964 International Welsh Rally carries an estimate of £60,000 – 80,000, and a 1985 MG Metro 6R4 with just 7 miles on the clock, which spent a number of years on display at the Donington Collection museum, is £200,000 – 240,000.
Fans of BMW’s wild 2002 turbo are in for a treat with 2 cars consigned; a three-owner 57,583-mile example in Chamonix White has a guide of £65,000 – 75,000, and a Polaris Silver car which spent some 20 years in Spain is £65,000 – 85,000.
Classic car auction price estimates for: Bentley | Alfa Romeo | Métallurgique | Austin-Healey | Jaguar | Lamborghini | Mercedes-Benz | Aston Martin | Vauxhall | Ferrari | BMW | Porsche | Ford | Austin | Mini | MG
From leading auction houses: Bonhams | Beamish Classic Car Auctions | Brightwells | Historics | Barons | H&H Classics | Silverstone Auctions
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