COYS AUCTIONS - Fine Motor Cars at Blenheim Palace

Coys return to Blenheim Palace on 15th July for Fine Motor Cars and The Jaguar Legend, which has become over the years a must-attend event in the international historic motoring calendar. With its summer garden party atmosphere and high-level catering set against the backdrop of Blenheim Palace, birthplace of Winston Churchill, a World Heritage site and one of the most important historic buildings on Earth, Coys are offering a fantastic selection of historic collectors and investment quality motor cars, and an additional feature is the now well established Blenheim Palace Concours d’Elegance adjacent to the auction, with a broad selection of some of the finest and most important classic motor cars in Britain, which are available to view and admire. 1926 Bugatti Type 37  Two Owners Since 1940 Period Competition History at Brooklands and Shelsley Walsh One of Three Type 37s Supplied to Bugatti Agent Malcolm Campbell In 1926 Estimate:  £400,000 - £600,000 1938 Bentley 4¼ Litre MR Overdrive  H.J. Mulliner ‘High Vision’ Saloon with Unique Perspex Roof 1938 Earls Court Show Car Estimate:  £90,000 - £110,000 1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Estimate:  £180,000 - £200,000 1968 Jaguar E Type Series 1 Roadster 4.2 Original Right Hand Drive  Estimate:  £90,000 - £110,000 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster Original UK Right Hand Drive Estimate:  £100,000 - £120,000 1962 Bentley S2 Continental Drophead Coupe by Park Ward Estimate:  £190,000 - £230,000 1960 Mercedes-Benz 190SL Roadster Estimate:  £65,000 - £85,000 1922 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Tourer Estimate:  £200,000- £240,000 1994 Audi Cabriolet Formerly the Personal Conveyance of Diana, Princess of Wales Estimate:  £35,000 - £40,000 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster Rare Right Hand Drive Example Estimate:  £120,000 - £140,000 1956 Austin Healey BN2 ‘100M Spec’ As Featured In “The Car’s The Star” Documentary Estimate:  £65,000 - £80,000 1965 Alfa Romeo Guilia GTC Right Hand Drive Estimate:  £85,000 - £95,000 1971 Porsche 911T Targa  Estimate:  £50,000- £60,000 1935 Fiat Balilla 508 Van  Estimate:  £25,000 - £30,000

BONHAMS TO OFFER DRAGON AT GOODWOOD REVIVAL AUCTION

BONHAMS TO OFFER DRAGON AT GOODWOOD REVIVAL AUCTION

1934 De Havilland DH84 Dragon cabin biplane. © Bonhams/Keith Wilson 

• 1934 De Havilland DH84 Dragon cabin biplane comes to open auction market for the first time ever
• One of just five airworthy and operational examples in the world
• The property of Sir Torquil Norman’s Norman Aeroplane Trust
• Expected to realise in excess of £200,000

On September 9, Bonhams is to offer Sir Torquil Norman’s gloriously evocative twin-engined 1934 De Havilland DH84 Dragon cabin biplane as one of the stars of its 16th annual Goodwood Revival Meeting Sale.

This iconic aircraft is one of only five of its type still flying anywhere in the world, and Sir Torquil had it completely restored upon acquisition nearly twenty years ago. The De Havilland DH84 Dragon originated in the early 1930s when British airline pioneer Edward Hillman was operating the single-engine DH83 Fox Moth, and wanted de Havilland to design a twin-engine ‘big sister’ to fly from the south of England to Paris as economically as possible. Simultaneously - from a very different angle - the Iraqi Air Force had approached De Havilland seeking an aircraft suitable for patrol and communication flying. So the Dragon was hatched.

The interior of the 1934 De Havilland DH84 Dragon cabin biplane. © Bonhams/Keith Wilson

Hillman Airways received its first DH84 Dragon in 1932. It cost £2,795 and carried six to eight people on scheduled flights from Romford, Essex, to Paris Le Bourget.

Sir Torquil Norman’s DH84 Dragon to be offered by Bonhams at the Goodwood Revival Meeting Sale is UK-registered ‘G-ECAN’. It dates from the Second World War era, having been built originally by De Havilland Australia in their plant at Bankstown Airport, Sydney, in 1943. It is construction number ‘2048’ and served in the RAAF as a navigational training aircraft, serial ‘A34-59’ before being converted post-war to civilian standard. It was operated under Australian civil registrations ‘VH-AQU’ and later ‘VH-DCX’ for some time as a Flying Doctor Medical Service machine, based at Alice Springs.

It passed subsequently into the Marshall Airways collection at Bankstown Airport, before being acquired by Sir Torquil at the turn of the century and being painstakingly restored to flying condition by respected specialists Cliff Lovell, Henry Labouchere and Hants Light Plane Services of Chilbolton, Hampshire. It was completed in DH84 Mark II specification, and since completion has become a familiar sight at air shows and Vintage fly-ins around the UK - having now completed some 450 flying hours throughout Europe.

The DH84 Dragon is regarded as the spark which triggered Sir Torquil Norman’s late engineer brother - Desmond - to create his highly successful Britten-Norman Islander twin-engined near-equivalent design, of which nearly 1300 have now been produced since 1965, compared to 115 UK-built Dragons followed by a further 87 produced in Australia.

Sir Torquil Norman is an old Etonian graduate of Harvard and Trinity College, Cambridge who gained his pilot’s licence aged only 18 and completed National Service in the Fleet Air Arm. He subsequently flew his own Piper Comanche, flew in No. 601 Squadron RAAF, and took up skydiving, a passion shared by his wife, Anne.

A committed philanthropist and supporter of the arts, he bought the derelict Roundhouse venue in Chalk Farm for £3 million in 1996 “on impulse”. As founder and chairman of the Roundhouse Trust he then raised £27 million from public and private sources, including a significant contribution of his own personal funds, to restore the crumbling Victorian former railway repair shed, which had been a major arts venue in the 1960s and '70s.

He was instrumental in the restored Roundhouse reopening in June 2006 as a 1,700 seat performance space. Sir Torquil, was knighted in 2007 for services to the arts and to disadvantaged young people. A longtime collector of historic aircraft, he is a hugely respected figure within the Vintage aircraft community - and his gorgeously evocative De Havilland DH84 Dragon is sure to attract tremendous interest when offered by Bonhams in the September Goodwood Revival Sale.

James Knight, Group Motoring Chairman at Bonhams commented, “The DH 84 was the executive jet of its day. Its ability to cover great distances with at least six passengers and land almost anywhere ensured it was the must have aircraft of the period – for personal, commercial and military use. In fact, weather permitting, we hope to have the Dragon on view at Goodwood. As you can imagine, it is beautifully presented, harking back to the glory days of aviation, and ready to be operated by the next enthusiast owner.”

Enquiries

For further information and images call Poppy McKenzie Smith on +44 (0) 20 7468 8363, or emailpoppy.mckenziesmith@bonhams.com or press@bonhams.com.

THE SILVERSTONE CLASSIC APPROACHES

NEXT AUCTIONS SILVERSTONE CLASSIC RACE CAR SALE - 27th July 2017 SILVERSTONE CLASSIC SALE - 29th & 30th July 2017 THE SILVERSTONE CLASSIC APPROACHES The much anticipated Silverstone Classic 2017 is just four weeks away and we have consigned a truly special and exciting selection of cars for both the race car and classic car sales. The catalogues have now been closed for entries so read on to see some of the highlight cars for auction. Silverstone Classic Race Car Sale Silverstone Classic Sale LABATT'S RACE CARS We are delighted to announce the consignment of two of the most recognised and admired Touring Cars in motorsport's history. A 1989 Ford Sierra RS500 (Est. £180,000 - £220,000) and a 1991 BMW E30 M3 (Est. £140,000 - £180,000), both raced with Labatt’s sponsorship by Tim Harvey, will both be offered in the Silverstone Classic Race Car Sale on Thursday 27th July.

1950 Healey Silverstone Estimate (£): 165,000 - 185,000 1971 Lola T212 (HU37) Estimate (£): 140,000 - 160,000 1989 Safir GT40 Mark V Continuation Estimate (£): 170,000 - 220,000 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Coupe Estimate (£): 100,000 - 120,000 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S Estimate (£): 25,000 - 30,000 2015 Land Rover 90 Celebration Heritage Edition - property of Rowan Atkinson CBE Estimate (£): 38,000 - 45,000 1975 Porsche 911 2.7 MFI Estimate (£): 190,000 - 230,000 1983 Ferrari 308 GTB QV Estimate (£): 80,000 - 90,000 1962 Lotus Elite S2 Mk14 Estimate (£): 60,000 - 70,000 1973 Ford Escort Mk1 Mexico Estimate (£): 27,000 - 30,000 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster Estimate (£): 90,000 - 110,000 1964 VW Type 2 (T1) Double Door Walk-through' Camper Estimate (£): 70,000 - 80,000

(Hammer prices will be subjected to an additional buyer’s premium of 15% including VAT @ 20%)

BONHAMS CELEBRATES 25 YEARS AT FESTIVAL OF SPEED WITH £10M SALE

BONHAMS CELEBRATES 25 YEARS AT FESTIVAL OF SPEED WITH £10M SALE

The 1973 Porsche 911 RS Lightweight Carrera sold for £830,300

The Bonhams 25^th annual Festival of Speed sale took place on Friday 30 June and saw the exceptionally rare1973 Porsche 911 RS Lightweight realise an astonishing £830,300. German marques thrived throughout the sale, with the perennially appealing 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster attracting the interest of the room and the car’s newest (and indeed only its fourth) owner securing the car for £897,500. A much earlier example from Mercedes also achieved a top price – the 1911 Mercedes Simplex 28/50hp ‘Roi des Belges’ Tourer sold for £359,900 having been in single family ownership for the past 60 years.

Indeed, vintage cars were successful throughout the sale, with the 1914 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Open Tourer, originally the property of his Highness the Maharana Sir Fateh Singh Bahadur of Udaipur, achieving £550,300, well above its pre-sale estimate, after a prolonged battle between two committed bidders in the room and on the telephone. A similar battle saw the 1908 Hotchkiss 16/20hp Type T-Roi-des-Belges also sell for considerably more than its pre-sale estimate of £80,000-100,000, realising £163,900.

 

1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster achieved £897,500

British marques were well represented at the sale. The star was undoubtedly the resplendent and outstandingly original 1931 Bentley 8-Litre Sedanca de Ville, which sold for £779,900. Aston Martins were also popular, with the one-of-a-kind 1957 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkII Coupé Design Project 193 (DB Mark III Prototype) achieving £337,500 and the 1959 Aston Martin DB4 ‘Series 1’ Sports Saloon realising £326,300.

 

  1957 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkII Coupé Design Project 193 (DB Mark III Prototype) sold for £337,500  

Ferrari, which celebrates its 70^th anniversary this year, saw some of its most iconic models up for sale at the auction. The 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ Berlinetta was one of the first offered and set the standard when it achieved £539,100. Widely considered one of the most elegant Ferraris, a 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GT Spyder finished in striking orange sold to an auction room bidder for £253,500.

1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ Berlinetta achieved £539,100

James Knight, Group Motoring Director and the auctioneer for the sale commented: ‘We were delighted to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of our Festival of Speed sale with such a fantastic range of motor cars. The results once again reflect the appetite for special motor cars, whether it be based on condition, originality, rarity, or provenance - or a combination of all of these. On some lots I felt like an umpire as the bidders rallied their bids back and forth with pace and commitment. We sold motor cars to Australia, Japan, the Americas, Continental Europe and the home nations. The overall total of more than £10,000,000 is a fantastic way to bring the UK auction season to a close, and we focus now on accepting entries for our September Sales at Beaulieu and the Goodwood Revival Meeting.’

Other highlights included:

• The ex-Col. Sorel, Col. Giles and David Scott-Moncrieff 1930 Bugatti Type 46 5.3 litre Weymann Sportsman’s Saloon achieved £281,500
• 1936 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Supercharged Special realised £253,500
• 1973 Iso Grifo 5.8-Litre Series II Coupé sold for £208,700 to a telephone bidder