March 2015 - UK auction previews
17 February, 2015
The ex-Kitty Maurice 1955 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupé will be offered at Goodwood’s 73rd Members’ Meeting on 2 March. The car is one of only nine Le Mans fixed-head coupés built from April 1953 to October 1956 and is historically significant being the last Frazer Nash to compete at Le Mans - having been raced at the 1959 event by gentleman driver John Dashwood (estimate £550,000 – 650,000).
An Audi Quattro Sport is rare sight at UK auctions with only 214 examples built, of which only 164 were sold to customers. This particular example has a 'mph' speedometer and is understood to be one of the original six cars delivered to the UK. The 24,000-mile car has had three owners and is estimated at £220,000 – 280,000.
Another rarity is a 1983 Lamborghini Jalpa P350 Targa Coupé, one of only 35 right-hand drive examples produced, estimated at £35,000 – 45,000. An Aston Martin DB4 project is offered with an estimate of £190,000 – 220,000. The car was left in a garage in the early 1980s, remaining there until it was sold at Bonhams' Aston Martin Works auction in 2008, with a total of 80,347 miles on the clock. The current vendor has begun a left-hand drive conversion and the car remains in need of total restoration.
Notable entries amongst the Porsche offering in Coys’ London sale on 10 March are a 1989 911 Turbo Cabriolet to LE Spec by Porsche (£140,000 – 155,000) and a 1977 911 Carrera from the Porsche Competition Department (£350,000 – 400,000).
Historics at Brooklands has consigned a 2001 Ferrari 550 Maranello World Speed Record Edition for their 7 March sale. This left hand drive car, one of only 33 examples built, has 40,707km on the clock and is estimated at £140,000 – 160,000. A 1957 Bentley S1 Continental by HJ Mulliner, finished in a wonderful shade of Seychelles Blue, is being sold with no reserve. The leather interior has been completely refurbished, with new French polishing to all veneers, and over 85 hours of recent work carried out at a cost in excess of £18,500.
Other highlights include a 1979 Ford Escort RS2000, estimated at £14,000 – 18,000 and a 1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal, estimated at £42,000 – 48,0000.
Silverstone Auctions upcoming sale at The Restoration Show features a 40,000-mile 2001 BMW Z8 with an estimate of £75,000 – 95,000. Originally a Texan car, it comes with the leather book pack, drivers manual, a genuine Z8 spare wheel, full toolkit, a half tonneau, roll bar hoop covers and a wind deflector. Strong demand for Z8s should see the car exceed its estimate. Another model in demand at the moment is Porsche’s GT2. A UK supplied 31,000-mile 2003 GT2, one of only 129 examples sold in the UK, is estimated at £65,000 – 75,000, and a left hand drive 2010 911 GT2 RS – one of only 500 produced – which has covered 8,284km from new is estimated at £200,000 – 220,000.
Star lot at Brightwells sale is a 1936 Riley Sprite, one of only 55 examples built. It has been in single ownership for 44 years and was restored around twelve years ago, having travelled 3,000 miles since (estimate £100,000 – 120,000). Looking for something appropriate to take your racing car to the Goodwood Revival? Classic Car Auctions are offering a 1957 Volkswagen T2 Pickup/Race Car Transporter, estimated at £17,000 – 19,000.
An 'A Spec' 1959 Daimler SP250 that was the subject of a restoration in 2012 is due to go under the hammer at DVCA’s March sale, with a pre-sale estimate of £35,000 – 38,000. Herefordshire Vintage Auctions 18 March sale includes a 1952 Morgan Plus 4 four-seater which started life in Hong Kong. The car returned to the UK in 1968 and has been owned by the current vendor since 1970 (estimate £25,000 – 30,000).