This eye-catching MG TD was consigned for sale by its owner of 52 years who originally acquired it to compete in events such as the Exeter and Lands End trials ñ but, finding it underpowered, he fitted it with a supercharger. After being retired from competition, the car was fully restored in 2001 and upgraded with a five-speed gearbox. It was subsequently used for continental touring and was sold with a vast history file containing what SWVA described as an “eye watering” number of invoices, its original buff logbook and a wad of MOT certificates dating back to the 1980s.
2013 Aston Martin Vantage V12
Sold by Collecting Cars, £60,400
Some still believe the ‘original’ Vantage V12 to have been the finest product of Aston Martin’s modern era — especially with the manual gearbox. This one had covered just 20,000 miles from new.
1965 Excalibur SS
Sold by H&H, £49,583
Designer Brooks Stevens’ attempt to combine 1920s styling with modern-day performance quickly attracted the attention of movie star Tony Curtis, who was the original owner of this example.
1999 Renault-Williams Laguna
Sold by Artcurial, £91,500
Built to contest BTCC 1999, this was one of two team cars driven by Jason Plato and Jean-Christophe Bouillon. It was sold direct from the Renault Classic collection in ‘as last raced’ condition.
1970 Volkswagen Beach Buggy
Sold by Historics, £47,040
The big prices achieved lately for Meyers Manx beach buggies (including £375,000 paid in 2020 for the one used in The Thomas Crown Affair) has sent values spiralling. This example was said to be “the best in the UK”.
2012/2014 Maserati Granturismo GT4
Sold by Bonhams, £39,000
A real bargain — this is one of three such cars built to compete in the Maserati Trophy series, scoring six podium finishes during the 2014 season. A mere 590 miles had been covered since a refurbishment.
1954 Maserati A6 GCS/53
Sold by Artcurial, £2.9m
Maserati experts have deemed this to have been the best and most original example of an A6 GCS in existence. Despite an extensive competition history it had remained free of accident damage.
1967 OSI 20M TS
Sold by The Market, £21,250
This is one of only 2000 coupés produced by OSI — the marque set up by Ghia coachbuilding boss Luigi Segre and Fergat parts factory owner Arrigo Olivetti. It was based on a Ford Taunus chassis.
Forthcoming sale highlights
Christie’s, London September 28
EON and Christie’s have come together to stage a 60-lot auction of James Bond movie memorabilia to mark 60 years of 007 on screen. The star attraction is the Aston Martin stunt car used in the opening scenes of No Time To Die. It is tipped to fetch up to £1.5m, with the sale being expected to raise £10m – all for charity.
Sotheby’s, New York December (date tbc)
This flagship Sotheby’s watch sale will be highlighted by a trio of Rolexes owned by the late Stan Barrett, who clocked 739.66mph in the Budweiser Rocket Car in 1979 to become the first person to break the sound barrier on land. Two of the watches were gifts from best friend Paul Newman – and he wore both during the drive.
Bonhams, Stafford October 15
Bonhams’ autumn motorcycle auction is a must for lovers of the shale, which includes a remarkable array of speedway machines collected by the late Aston Martin dealer Capt Ivan Forshaw. The 31 bikes span 60 years of speedway history through models such as Crocker, Indian and Jawa. Engines and memorabilia will also be offered.
Gooding & Company September 3
The California-based team heads back across the pond to stage another of its London sales during the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court. Big-ticket cars on offer include a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT short wheelbase Berlinetta Competizione estimated to fetch up to £7m and a 1932 Bugatti Type 55 cabriolet (£3.75m-£4.75m).
