Auctions
Bugatti rarity
Type 30 goes under the hammer in London
London will be hosting various auctions in early December, starting with Bonhams’ sale of collectors’ cars and automobilia at Olympia on December 3. One of the most interesting cars to feature will be an extremely rare 1926 Bugatti Type 30; this example is believed to have been owned by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the legendary French aviator and author.
Chassis 4724 is one of only three surviving examples of the Type 30 by coachbuilder Lavocat et Marsaud. It was discovered in Uruguay in 1974 and brought to the UK 15 years ago. It is expected to fetch £220,000.
In the same auction is the world’s oldest surviving Rolls-Royce. Chassis number 20154 was built in 1904, the same year that the legendary company was founded, and was exhibited at the Paris Salon in autumn 1904 and then at the Olympia Show, London, in February 1905. Bids are expected to exceed £1 million.
The following day Coys is due to sell a rare Jaguar XJR-15 supercar that was produced in 1990. One of 50 examples made, it is based mechanically on the Le Mans-winning, TWR-run XJR-9. This particular example has only 30 miles on the clock and its estimate is due to be released soon.
Moving back to November 20/21, H&H is selling a 1933 Lagonda 3.5-litre Tourer at its Pavilion Gardens auction. This is one of the three Lagondas rebodied by the late Peter Whenman of Vintage Coachworks and is the only one of the trio to carry the 3.5-litre straight-six engine. It has recently been subjected to a full restoration and has previously competed in several European rallies, including the prestigious Megève Simplon in the Alps. The estimate is £80,000-£90,000.
In the same auction there is also an interesting 1935 Riley 12/4 Falcon Special and a 1959 Aston Martin DB4 Series II. The former was hand-built by the vendor and was intended as a hillclimb/sprint car. It is based on a narrow-track Falcon chassis and features a tuned 1500cc Riley engine mated to a four-speed manual transmission. It has been thoroughly tested and is expected to reach £12,000-£14,000. The Aston Martin DB4 was based in France for several years and is in need of some attention to restore it to its former glory but is still expected to sell for £45,000-£55,000.
In Brescia, on November 17, Luzzago will be auctioning an interesting 1974 Dallara sports car which has a Fiat-based 1288cc engine linked to a five-speed Colotti gearbox. Recently it has competed in a number of races and hillclimbs in Italy and has a current FIA certificate. In the past it was raced extensively by Degano, Blusotti and Marini, again mostly in Italy, and it comes with a well-used CSAI passport verifying its race history since 1984 (its activities from 1974 to 1984 are not documented). It is expected to sell for €48,800 (£35,000).
An item of particular note is Michael Stassart’s Ferrari 333SP which raced at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring from 1995-2003. Sadly, the actual car isn’t for sale – but it has been recreated in 1:8 scale. This bespoke model comprises 5000 pieces and is extraordinarily accurate. The real car may well come up for auction soon but to buy the model now call 07739 514171. It’s priced at £10,500.
In our October issue we mentioned a Kremer-built Porsche 935 K3 and an ex-Sauber-run BMW M1 Procar that were on auction on October 6. Although both of them received a lot of interest, neither ended up reaching their estimate. The Porsche is expected to sell in an after-sale soon.
Around the dealers
Competition cars currently for sale here and abroad
Ford GT40 P/1079
This car was delivered new in 1968 by Ford Advanced Vehicles to Jean Blaton; the original invoice comes with the car along with its entry form for the 1968 Le Mans 24 Hours. 1079 also contested the 1000Km races at Monza and Spa; in the latter event it qualified third behind another GT40 driven by Jacky Ickx and Frank Gardner’s F3L. The car has been fully restored to its original specification and has been raced successfully at the Le Mans Classic and, most recently, the 2007 Tour Auto, where it finished second in class. This is a wonderful example of one of the original racing GT40s. Available from www.janluehn.com, POA.
Crossle 20F
Made by the Crosslé Car Co in Holywood, Northern Ireland, in 1971, this chassis has won the HSCC Championship twice and is considered to be one of the most competitive cars on the Formula Ford grid. It has a Ford 1600cc crossflow engine that has recently been restored and a just-rebuilt gearbox. Contact Richard Rowe on 07771 884827, £24,500.
Cooper-Climax
This is Patsy Burt’s famous hillclimb car. Its engine has been rebuilt by Crosthwaite & Gardiner and it currently races in HGPCA events for pre-1966 GP cars and the HSCC. During Burt’s ownership between ’63 and ’65 it set two course records, nine ladies’ records and won 19 class awards. Contact Tony Bailey at Donington Cars on 0118 926 5188, £80,000.
Abarth Simca
Chassis 0128 is one of the later Kamm-tail versions and is believed to be one of the chassis brought from the factory to the UK by British agent Radbourne Racing. UK Abarth specialist Tony Castle-Miller spent over 10 years searching for the correct parts before selling the car to Judge Parker in Virginia. Available from www.kidston.net, £140,000.
Auction diary
November 2 Bonhams, veteran motor cars and automobilia, London-to-Brighton Veteran Car Run, 101 New Bond Street, London. Tel: 020 7468 5801
November 4 Hilton Head auction, concours d’élégance and motoring festival, South Carolina, USA. Tel: 00 1 843 785 7469
November 10 Bonhams, Von Dutch, Los Angeles, USA. Tel: 020 7468 5801
November 17 Luzzago, important classic cars, Brescia, Italy. Tel: 00 39 030 241 1531
November 21 H&H, cars, Pavilion Gardens, Buxton. Tel: 01925 730630
November 26 Shannons, Melbourne summer classic auction, Australia. Tel: 00 61 (0) 13 46 46
November 27 BCA, motor vehicles, Blackbushe. Tel: 01252 878555
November 30 RM Auctions, Al Wiseman Collection, Tarpon Springs, Florida. Tel: 00 1 519 352 4575
December 1 Oldtimer Galerie Toffen, classic cars, Switzerland.
December 2 Bonhams and Goodman, collectors’ cars, Melbourne. Tel: 00 61 (0) 3 8530 3900
December 3 Bonhams, important collectors’ cars and automobilia, Olympia, London. Tel: 020 7468 5801
December 4 Coys, True Greats, Royal Horticultural Hall, London. Tel: 020 8614 7888
December 8/9 Barons, classic collectors’ and historic cars, Sandown Park, Surrey. Tel: 0238 066 8413
December 19 Bonhams, exceptional Ferrari motor cars, related automobilia and fine watches, Gstaad, Switzerland. Tel: 020 7468 5801
January 12/20 2008 Barrett-Jackson, Greatest Collector Car event, Scottsdale, Arizona. Tel: 00 1 480 421 6694
January 18 RM Auctions, vintage motor cars, Phoenix, Arizona. Tel: 00 1 519 352 4575
February 15/17 RM Auctions, The Florida Collector Car Auction, Greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Tel: 00 1 519 352 4575