Around the houses, July 2010

– RM Auctions –

The company broke its own record for the most successful motor car auction ever when it sold £28.5 million worth of machinery at Monaco, topping the May 2007 Ferrari sale in Maranello which achieved £28.2m. Seven cars sold for more than €1m, with five of those going past the €2m mark. Astonishingly a 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Pininfarina cabriolet sold for more than a 250GT SWB – £2.4m (another world record) against £2.3m, a strange reversal of priorities. The 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 ‘Birdcage’ brought £2.1m, and a 1957 Ferrari 250GT LWB Tour de France £2m. The 1937 BMW 328 MM ‘Bügelfalte’ that featured in our May issue reached a high bid of £3.7m but failed to sell at auction. Instead it was sold for an undisclosed sum the following day.

RM Auctions also had a reasonably good Classic Car Auction at Michigan on April 24/25, with machinery worth over £1.6m being sold. Out of 265 lots, 168 vehicles found a new home, including a 1985 Jeep Comanche which sold for £5800. This truck has form as a record-breaker on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, and it also set National Truck, National Open and other world records.

– Barons –

Sadly, the 1933 SS1 coupé didn’t sell at Barons’ Jaguar Heritage auction on April 27. The car’s lack of history may explain why it failed to reach its £70-90,000 reserve. Cars went for good money elsewhere, with the 1948 Jaguar 3½-litre saloon selling for £41,300 and two XK150s fetching in excess of £32,000.

– Bonhams –

The auction house has announced that it will sell the Michael L Amalfitano Collection on August 12/13 at Quail Lodge. The collection includes many sports-racing cars, such as the 1970 Porsche 917 raced at Le Mans by David Hobbs and Mike Hailwood. During the race ‘Mike The Bike’ crashed and returned to the pits with the car’s steering wheel, prompting Gulf-JW team principal John Wyer to ask, “Is that what came off, or is that all that’s left?” The car was then sent back to Stuttgart where the chassis was repaired and converted into a Spyder for Interserie (European Can-Am) racing. The car is currently in this configuration and is expected to fetch between £920,000-1.2m.

Other Porsches included in the auction are the 1967 Porsche 910 coupé that was driven by Gerhard Mitter in that year’s Nürburgring 1000Kms (£440-480,000), a 908 ‘Flounder’ Spyder (£520-590,000), a 1975 RSR (£210-250,000) and a 962 (£280-310,000).

Bonhams enjoyed a successful Monaco sale on April 30. The ‘Les Grandes Marques á Monaco’ auction made more than €3m, with pre-war cars selling particularly well. A 1938 Jaguar SS sold for £212,605, while a 1932 MG J2 went for £43,100 and a 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 Nürburg cabriolet for £204,540. A 1989 Ferrari F40 that raced in the Italian GT Championship and the BPR series also sold well, exceeding its £200,000 estimate by £17,280.

Bonhams also had a great sale on April 25 at the International Classic Motor Cycle Show in Stafford. Star item was the 1938 Brough Superior SS100 that sold for an astonishing £157,700. Much less well-known, a c1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller went for £86,200, while a 1961 Norton 350cc Model 40 Manx took £22,425, a 1974 Laverda 750SFC production racer £27,025 and a 1938 Moto Guzzi 500 GTC/L to Condor Specification £41,100.

– Historics at Brooklands –

This new auction house has confirmed some interesting cars for its inaugural sale taking place on June 2 at Brooklands track in Surrey. These include a 1968 Ford Escort AVO rally car with an estimate of £40-50,000, a 1937 MG TA that has raced extensively since the 1960s (£20-30,000), an unusual boat-tailed 1937 MG TA (£25-35,000), a 1965 Renault Gordini R8 (£25-30,000), a 1966 Ford Lotus Cortina MkI prepared to rally specification (£27-33,000) and a 1930 Bentley 4½-litre Vanden Plas tourer (£615-715,000).

– Sotheby’s of Australia –

While Sotheby’s managed some good sales at its April 18 auction, many racers failed to go, including the ex-John Goss Ford XB Falcon. A 1967 Brabham BT21 and a 1963 Austin-Healey 3000 MkII which ran in the Sebring 12Hrs also stayed at home. Surprise result was the unique 1969 Cosworth 4WD GP car, which fetched a surely trivial £7880 minus an engine.

Forthcoming auctions

* June 2 Historics at Brooklands Inaugural Sale, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey Tel: 0800 988 3838

* June 6 Bonhams Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, Collectors’ Motorcars and Automobilia, Greenwich, Connecticut, USA Tel: 020 7447 7447

* June 7 Shannons Melbourne Winter Classic Auction, Cheltenham, Victoria, Australia Tel: 0061 2 8019 4116

* June 14/15 Barons Classic, Collectors’ and Historic Cars, Esher Hall, Sandown Park, Surrey Tel: 023 8066 8413

* June 19 Bonhams Rolls-Royce, Bentley Motor Cars and Automobilia, Rockingham Castle, Northamptonshire Tel: 020 7447 7447

* June 19 Silver Auctions Coeur d’Alene Auction, Coeur d’Alene Resort, Idaho, USA Tel: 001 800 255 4485

* June 23 Brightwells Classic Cars, Motorcycles and Automobilia, Easters Court, Leominster, Herefordshire Tel: 01568 611122

* June 24 DVCA Classic Collectors’ Cars and Related Automobilia, The Gartell Light Railway, Yenston, Somerset Tel: 01963 363353

* June 25-27 Barrett-Jackson Orange County Auction, Orange County Fair and Event Centre, Costa Mesa, USA Tel: 001 480 663 6255

n July 2 Bonhams Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobilia, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Chichester, Sussex Tel: 020 7447 7447

* July 3/4 Silver Auctions Jackson Hole Auction, Teton Village, Jackson, Mississippi, USA Tel: 001 800 255 4485

* July 10 Silver Auctions Spokane Auction, Spokane County Fair & Expo Center, Spokane, Washington, USA Tel: 001 800 255 4485

* July 17 Coys Fine Motor Cars, Blenheim Palace, Woodstock Tel: 020 8614 7888

* July 18 Shannons Classic Vehicle Auction at MotorEx, Sydney Showground, New South Wales, Australia Tel: 0061 2 8019 4116

* July 21 H&H Sales Ltd Classic Collectors’ Cars, The Pavilion Gardens, Buxton Tel: 08458 334455

* July 24 Bonhams Collectors’ Motor Cars and Related Automobilia, Silverstone Classic, Northamptonshire Tel: 020 7447 7447

Results

April 19 Bonhams
• 1938 SS Jaguar 2½-litre drophead coupé: £100,500
• 1934 Bentley 3½-litre drophead coupé: £69,700
• 1985 Modena Spyder California (ex-Ferris Bueller’s Day Off): £79,600

April 21 H&H Sales Ltd
• 1935 Riley 12/4 Special: £24,750
• 1933 Talbot AV105 tourer (with FIA and HTP papers): £88,000
• 1950 HRG 1500-based trials special ‘Crocus’ (ex-Scottish Rally Championship winner): £18,150
• 1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona: £176,000
• 1930 Lagonda 2-litre supercharged tourer: £148,500

April 24/25 RM Auctions
• 1985 Jeep Comanche Bonneville Salt Flats pickup: £5800

April 26/27 Barons
• 1948 Jaguar 3½ saloon: £43,420
• 1958 Jaguar XK150 DHC: £39,124
• 1959 Jaguar XK150 FHC: £36,330

April 30 Bonhams
• 1938 Jaguar SS: £212,605
• 1932 MG J2: £43,100
• 1934 Mercedes-Benz 500 Nürburg cabriolet: £204,540
• 1989 Ferrari F40: £217,280
• 1971-72 Lola-Chevrolet T222 Can-Am spyder: £117,000
• 1968 Lancia Flaminia Super Sport ‘double bubble’ coupé: £117,000
• 1954 Lancia Aurelia B20GT Series IV coupé: £87,739
• 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster: £126,669

May 1 RM Auctions
• 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica cabriolet Pininfarina: £2.4m
• 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 ‘Birdcage’: £2.1m
• 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta: £2.3m
• 1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France: £2m
• 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California spyder: £1.8m
• 1938 Delahaye 135 MS Competition cabriolet: £1.5m
• 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II ‘Special Town Car’ by Brewster: £1.2m
• 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Berlinetta: £669,630
• 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta: £655,470
• 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato spider: £751,120
• 1963 Shelby 289 Cobra Le Mans racing car: £636,300
• 1934 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Phantom II aII-weather cabriolet: £746,510
• 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Vantage saloon: £248,750

Around the dealers
Competition cars currently for sale here and abroad

1965 Lotus 33
Chassis R10 won the 1964
Rand Grand Prix with Jackie Stewart at the wheel. Jim Clark also won the following year’s South African GP in this car. The Lotus is now a regular at Goodwood and the Monaco GP Historique. POA
www.hallandhall.net Tel: 01778 392562

1971 Alfa Romeo TT33
Built and sold by Autodelta to a Greek owner, this TT33 has a big history file and is on the button. Could make a very competitive car. POA
www.duncanhamilton.com Tel: 01256 765000

1989 Porsche Carrera 3.2 Speedster
One of 64 right-hand drive Speedsters supplied to the UK. Has 17,000 miles on the clock and comes with a full history. POA
www.thehairpincompany.co.uk Tel: 01249 760686

1969 Caldwell D9 Formula Ford
This is the prototype for the D9 series and is ready to race after a full restoration. The car is currently in the USA. £15,000
www.legendsracing.co.uk Tel: 01451 821611