Around the houses, January 2012
News from the main auction houses around the world
RM Auctions
It was Italian machinery that made the headlines on the evening when the Canadian auction house held its annual UK sale in Battersea Park on October 2, with the 1958 Ferrari 250GT ‘Tour de France’ (above) selling for £2.24m, and a 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast for £644,000. By contrast, the far rarer and more exotic 1972 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/TT/3 made £588,000.
A packed schedule of 100 cars and 25 bikes also included the very striking 1935 Voisin C25 Cimier Coupé (£380,000) and the 2008 Force India F1 car painted by motor sport artist Dexter Brown. It sold for £168,000 with proceeds going to the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and the newly-established Force India Formula One Team Academy, a programme helping young people in India get involved in motor sport.
The line-up of two-wheeled machinery – which contributed £247,455 to the overall sale total – was topped by a stunning 1973 MV Agusta F4 1000 that eventually went for £49,140.
We might only be approaching the Christmas period, but RM is already looking ahead to May 10-12 next year. The company’s annual Monaco sale, which coincides with the 8th Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, has been extended to two days after RM was asked to sell the Saltarelli Ducati Collection. This private collection of bikes from the Italian manufacturer will take a whole day to get through. Already confirmed for the car lots is the ex-Nino Vaccarella 1968 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/2 ‘Daytona’. This particular example won the 1968 500km Imola race with Vaccarella and Teodoro Zeccoli behind the wheel, and is expected to reach £775-950,000.
Auctions America
In the first big motoring sale of next year – the Las Vegas Premier Motorcycle Auction on January 12-14 – Auctions America is selling an 1894 Roper steam-powered motorcycle. It’s one of the oldest bikes in existence and is expected to establish a new motorcycle world record. The current peak stands at £324,440, set in 2008 by a 1915 Cyclone Board Track Racer.
The Lee Roy Hartung Collection featured in last month’s issue certainly captured the imagination of various collectors. The three-day sale on November 3-5 featured 15,080 lots and attracted bids from nine countries worldwide and 45 states in the USA. The final total for the auction came to £2.47m.
Silverstone Auctions
On Friday November 4, Silverstone Auctions hosted its last sale of 2011. Only one of the competition cars that we flagged up last month found a new home, the 1961 Morgan Plus 4 which finished 13th overall in the 1962 Le Mans 24 Hours. It sold for £120,000 post-sale.
Road cars fared better under the hammer with a 1969 AC 428 coupé going for £136,400, a rare right-hand-drive 1958 Jaguar XK150S roadster for £96,000 and a very smart and original 1964 Austin Mini Mk1 for £6875.
H&H Sales
Two interesting motor sport lots will feature in H&H’s December 7 sale – a 1954 Kieft 1100 sports racer (£40-50,000) and a 1981 Vauxhall Chevette HSR works rally car (£60-70,000).
The former was entered by the works in the 1954 Dundrod Tourist Trophy for Don Parker and David Boshier-Jones, while the latter is one of 50 evolution machines built by Dealer Team Vauxhall to keep the Chevette HS competitive in international rallying. KFL 305W was used by Tony Pond to win both the 1981 Circuit of Ireland Rally and the Manx Trophy outright.
Barons
Anyone looking for a reasonably cheap way into historic racing should keep an eye on Barons’ December 13 sale. First up is a very competitive 1971 Ford Escort MkI Mexico (£28-32,000) which has been race-prepared by Euphoria Racing. The car has racked up nine class wins in the Heritage Grand Touring Car Challenge since 2007. Also included in the sale is a 1959 Elva 100 Formula Junior which Barons expects to fetch £25-30,000.
Away from the motor sport lots there is a 1932 Alvis Speed 20 SA, a fine sporting car which carries an estimate of £95-120,000.
Forthcoming auctions
Dec 1 Bonhams Important Collectors’ Motor Cars, Motorcycles and Fine Automobilia, Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands, Surrey Tel: 020 7468 5804
Dec 7 H&H Sales Ltd Classic Cars and Automobilia, Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire Tel: 08458 334455
Dec 7 Coys True Greats, Royal Horticultural Halls, London Tel: 020 8614 7888
Dec 8 DVCA Classic Cars and Automobilia, Gartell Light Railway, Yenston, Somerset Tel: 01963 363353
Dec 13 Barons Annual Yuletide Classic, Collectors and Sportscars, Surrey Hall, Sandown Park, Surrey Tel: 023 8066 8413
Jan 12-14 Auctions America Las Vegas Premier Motorcycle Auction, West Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Tel: 001 954 566 2209
Jan 14 Coys Autosport International Sale, NEC, Birmingham Tel: 020 8614 7888
Jan 17-22 Barrett -Jac kson Scottsdale Sale, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA Tel: 001 480 663 6255
Jan 18-22 Russo and Steele Scottsdale Auction, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA Tel: 001 602 252 2697
Jan 19 Bonhams Collectors Motor Cars and Automobilia, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA Tel: 020 7447 7447
Jan 19-20 RM Auctions Arizona Sale, Biltmore Resort and Spa, Phoenix, Arizona, USA Tel: 001 519 352 4575