BARONS GETS UNDER STARTER'S ORDERS AT SANDOWN PARK

BARONS GETS UNDER STARTER'S ORDERS AT SANDOWN PARK

Sandown Park racecourse will be resounding to the sound of classic car engines and the auctioneer’s gavel this Tuesday, July 17, as Barons brings together a superb line-up of entries for its Summer Classic auction.

E-type lovers looking for a project to take to the road next summer have two barn-find Series 2 2+2 restoration projects to choose from, each with a guide price of £15,000-£20,000. The 1969 example is a complete car, with a running engine, while the 1970 example has a full-length Webasto sunroof and a triple-carb engine in need of restoration. Next week’s sale also features an E-type bodyshell in excellent condition which, together with the other parts offered in the same lot, would make perfect donor elements for an existing restoration project (guide price £6,000-£10,000).

Sunshine fans who want to enjoy top-down summer motoring this summer have a choice of 23 convertibles, spanning nine decades from the 1920s to the 2000s and ready to hit the road.  The earliest cars in the sale are the 1921 Morris Oxford bullnose open tourer (£12,000-£14,000) and the gorgeous, wonderfully original 1925 Riley Redwing, believed to be one of only four ever built (£27,000-£33,000). The classic 50s, 60s and 70s roadsters include a splendid 1959 MG A (£28,000-£33,000), 1960 Austin-Healey 3000 BT7 (£28,000-£35,000), 1964 Sunbeam Alpine Series IV (£4,000-£6,000), 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Pagoda (£60,000-£80,000) and a stunning, freshly-imported Californian 1972 Triumph TR6, offered at no reserve.

Moving into the 1980s, convertibles on offer from this decade include the outstanding 1982 Mercedes 500 SL (£29,000-£39,000), the lovely little 1980 Triumph Spitfire 1500 Sports (£3,000-£5,000) and a 1983 Renault 5 TX (£6,000-£8,000).  The 1990s are represented by several roadsters, including an unusual and as-new 1996 Varanti (Toyota) 2-seater, built by coachbuilder Varanti on a Toyota MR2 chassis (£4,000-£5,000), a US-spec 1998 Jaguar XK8 that has covered just 6,000 miles from new (£6,000-£9,000), an 18,000-miles from new 1994 MG RV8 (£13,000-£16,000) and a very rare 1994 Rover Mini Cabriolet (£10,000-£13,000).

Bringing things - relatively - up to date there is the 2000 Mercedes 320 SL (£11,000-£15,000), 2002 Jaguar XK8 (£6,000-£8,000) and a 2006 TVR Tamora that is one of the last - possibly the very last - TVR Tamora to drive off the production line at TVR’s Blackpool factory before it ceased production (£19,000-£22,000).

Sportiness isn’t restricted to convertibles of course, and Barons has a fine array of punchy cars on offer on Tuesday that will be enormous fun to drive even if the roof doesn’t come off!  These include a very low mileage 1984 Ferrari 308 GTV QV (£40,000-£47,000) a beautiful 1967 E-type Series 1.5 2+2 with only 40,000 miles on the clock (£49,000-£54,000), a rare 1983 Ferrari 400i (£28,000-£38,000), an outrageously stylish 1980 Porsche 911/930 Turbo Flatnose (£50,000 to £60,000) and a rare 1960 supercharged Austin Seven Mini (£13,000-£16,000).

Next week’s sale also includes the chance to purchase some much-treasured, one-owner cars that are just waiting for that second, long-term owner to come along. These include a one-lady-owner from new 1985 VW Golf C. Complete with A full-service history and with just 19,000 miles covered, this still looks like it has just left the VW dealer showroom!  It carries a guide price of £4,000-£6,000 - a perfect chance to acquire a modern classic that can only appreciate in value. Equally treasured is the 1994 Ford Fiesta 1.3 LX, which has been in the care of its lady owner since new and has covered less than 8,000 miles in that time. It is in excellent condition, has been used only for local journeys in Guildford, and the rear seats look as if they have never been sat on!  Guide price: £2,000-£3,000.

In addition to the 1994 Mini Cabriolet, that much-loved British marque, Rover, is represented at the sale by two interesting cars. The 1986 SD1 Vitesse Twin Plenium is a good example of a very rare, limited edition vehicle, with a guide price of £12,000-£16,000, while the 1995 827 Sterling is in superb condition and is another one-owner-from-new car.  It has a full main dealer and approved main service agent service history and is a great deal of very fine car for the guide price of £1,500-£2,500.

For further information and to view the full list of cars on offer in the July 17 sale, please visit www.barons-auctions.com.