Le Mans-spec Austin Healey sells for £54k: auction results

1955 AUSTIN-HEALEY 100 ‘LE MANS’

Sold by Dore & Rees, £54,000
Austin-Healey introduced a Le Mans kit following the impressive second and third in class finishes by virtually standard 100s at the 1953 edition of the race. The upgrade included higher compression pistons, bigger valves and louvred bonnet – with all-important leather retaining strap. Just such a kit was fitted to this Healey before it was shipped to the US for Lester Seasongood, senior officer of the Sports Car Club of America. Campaigned extensively by Seasongood and two further US owners, it then returned to the UK 20 years ago where it was restored and converted to RHD.

2024 IWC PILOT’S WATCH

Sold by Bonhams, £197,000
Lewis Hamilton wore this special IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph ‘Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team’ on the podium after winning this year’s British GP. Thrown in was a pair of worn gloves.

1962 PORSCHE 356B ‘twin grille’ 

Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £900,000
Among the scrappers in the much-publicised Rudi Klein ‘Junkyard’ auction was this unrestored Porsche – the penultimate example of the 250 ultra-collectible ‘twin grille’ models by D’Ieteren.

2004 LOCOST 7 

Sold by WB Auctions, £3324
Although it fetched little more than half its pre-sale high estimate, this Lotus 7 replica had been well put together and was running nicely after a rebuild of its engine. Low cost fun, indeed.

2010 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR McLAREN STIRLING MOSS 

Sold by Bonhams, £3.2m
This was the last of the 75 speedsters built in tribute to Stirling Moss’s 1955 Mille Miglia 300 SLR. The car had covered just 30 miles from new.

1927 WALKER 980cc BULLPUP

Sold by Bonhams, £6210
A one-off labour of love, Hampshire engineer Victor Walker built this motorcycle and then used it for 36 years before selling it for £25 in 1963. With its long wheelbase, the Bullpup was no greyhound…

1937 SINGER NINE LE MANS 

Sold by DVCA, £26,400
This Le Mans tourer was sold from the estate of the late car journalist and historian Nick Baldwin. Le Mans versions celebrated the diminutive model achieving 13th in the 1933 24 Hours.

1979 BMW 323i

Sold by H&H, £33,750
This innocuous-looking 323i won the 1979 BMW County Championship in the hands of Martin Brundle and Patrick Neve (against a field that included Derek Bell, Nigel Mansell and Barry Sheene) before being re-converted for road use by the Sytner dealership.

Forthcoming sale highlights

• RM Sotheby’s Dubai, December 1
  Rain might not be plentiful in the UAE but the place is awash with contemporary supercars, as demonstrated by this sale which reads like an inventory of the most exotic vehicles built this decade: Aston Martin Valkyrie, check; McLaren Seena, check; Lamborghini Centenario, check… the list goes on. There are bespoke builds too (Aston Martin Vanquish shooting brake, anyone?) as well as plenty of traditional classics.
• Bonhams motorcycles online, January 17-27
  Looking to snag a two-wheeled bargain in the depths of winter before most people have recovered from Christmas excess? Then (from the comfort of that sofa you’ve been lying on for a fortnight) log-in to this online Bonhams sale which is likely to yield a steal. British, Japanese and Italian classics abound, ranging from Brough Superiors and Vincents at the higher end to small-capacity two-strokes at the lower.
• Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, Arizona, January 19-27
  As is tradition, Barrett-Jackson will kick-off the 2025 classic auction year with a bang by staging an event lasting nine days at the giant Westworld equine centre. The site covers 386 acres, and Barrett-Jackson will be needing a large part of it to accommodate its usual massive ‘docket’ running to more than 1000 lots. Golf carts are the favoured way of getting around to see it all.
• Artcurial, Paris, February 7-8
  Paris-based Artcurial reprises its role as the official auction house of the annual Rétromobile classic car show at Porte de Versailles, which runs from February 5-9. In addition to its usual offering of exotic cars and motorcycles (which will include some tempting restoration projects), Artcurial will stage a second auction the following day dedicated to the worlds of motor sport, yachting and flying.