H&H Auctioneers Classic Times Christmas Edition 2019

H&H CLASSI C T I M E S | WI NT ER 2 0 1 9

CLASSIC TIMES WINTER 2019

THE ENDURING APPEAL OF: BARN FINDS | PAGES 2-3 BENTLEY MOTORCARS | PAGE 4 BOND, JAMES BOND | PAGE 5 BESPOKE ROYAL CARS | PAGE 7

WORLD RECORD BROUGH | PAGE 6 SOLD FO R £425,500

1936 ASTON MARTIN MK II 1.5 LITRE SPORTS SALOON

Visit us @ www.handh.co.uk or call +44 (0) 1925 210035

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H &H C L A S S IC T IMES | WINTE R 2 0 1 9

DEAR FRIEND OF H&H CLASSICS I would like to thank you for your support in 2019.

One of the many reasons that H&H is still going

from strength to strength after twenty-six years

is the loyalty you have shown us not just in terms of buying / selling but also by way of word of mouth recommendations. H&H is a brand grown on trust and nourished by good practice.

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We are passionate about the collector motorcar and motorcycle market and continue to invest in it. 2020 will see us revamp our website and incorporate a new back office system to the benefit of buyers and sellers alike.

More and more of our business is being conducted online but although we are embracing this change, we will not be turning our back on pen and paper just yet! Indeed, among the reasons for reinstating the Classic Times is an understanding that not all of our 64,000 clients worldwide are wedded to their

smartphones! There has been much ‘doom and gloom’ and ‘naysaying’ about the state of the market in 2019 but trust me when I say that the ‘best of the best’ motorcars, motorcycles and automobilia pieces are not getting any cheaper. Buyers have become increasingly selective and the laws of supply and demand have left some sellers out of pocket but the enthusiasm and passion remain.

With that in mind I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Simon H ope Chairma n & Foun der

SOME OF THE MOST INTERESTING BARN FINDS FROM 2019

high proportion of ‘barn finds’ and ‘garage finds’

require total restoration the cost of which is

rarely recouped in the value of the finished article so why do they fetch so much?

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The answer is multi-faceted. There is no doubt that being the one to bring a motorcar or motorcycle back to its former glory has a real appeal especially as it often helps gain entry to prestigious concours events. Vehicles which have been laid-up for decades have a certain mystique about them.

Plus, their inactivity means that they have been spared the restoration (or restorations) which many more regularly used examples have undergone.

A motorcar or motorcycle is only original once and restoration standards vary depending upon the budget and expertise involved. Some people would rather buy a rotten original than a shiny facsimile. Besides, changing legislation means that the chemicals used in paintwork and upholstery are very different today to what they were thirty years ago or more.

STORED SINCE 1974 Only 2 former keeper s

1954 Jaguar XK120 SE Drophead Coupe SOLD FOR: £93,150

Purchased by the vendor in 1972, and in storage for all but two of the intervening years. 1 of 34 RHD Special Equipment cars made and early competition history.

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H&H CLASSI C T I M E S | WI NT ER 2 0 1 9

1936 Aston Martin MK II 1.5 Litre Sports Saloon SOLD FOR: £69,000 • 1 of just 24 made, owned by the vendor’s family since 1953.

• Off the road for five decades but complete and still finished in its original Green with Green livery.

1 OF O NL 24 EVE Y R MADE!

1 OWN ER SINCE 1969

DRY STORE D FOR 37 YEARS

SOLD FOR

£454,25AR0S YE AFTER 30 RN IN A BA

1982 MG B GT SOLD FOR: £14,375

Amazingly, the B GT had not been on the road since its first owner took delivery and thus was warranted to have covered a mere 106 delivery miles! Dry stored in a garage / woodshed, the 2+2-seater proved a true timewarp.

1936 Bentley 4.5 Litre Vanden Plas Tourer SOLD FOR: £454,250 One of just six W.O. Bentley 4 1/2 Litre cars assembled by the Service Department from new old stock parts in 1936, ‘EMF 113’ was offered from the estate of ex-RAF pilot Charles Blackham who had bought it for £260 in 1952.

1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale SOLD FOR: £66,700

1 of just 25 cars converted to RHD for Alfa Romeo UK by Ruddspeed. Off the road since 1987 but well stored.

TOO GOOD FOR MODERN TRAFFIC’

20,600

MILES FROM NEW!

ORIGIN A OWNER L SHIP FROM 1970

1962 TVR Grantura MKIIA SOLD FOR: £18,400

Supplied new by Aitchison-Hopton of Chester who controlled TVR at the time, the TVR was not road registered until 25th July 1962 but sported various 1959 features. Offered for sale by its original owner, the Coventry-Climax engined machine had covered just 20,600 miles.

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1965 Mercedes-Benz 190C SOLD FOR: £16,100

Laid-up in 1975 because its first owner considered it “too good to use in modern traffic with careless drivers”, the MercedesBenz had covered just 7,295 miles when it went under the hammer. Still belonging to its original keeper’s family, the 190C was exceptionally original.

1970 Ford Transit SOLD FOR: £17,250

A rare sliding door model that had only ever been owned by one family, the ‘Pig Snout’ Transit had led a charmed life for a commercial vehicle.

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H &H C L A S S IC T IMES | WINTE R 2 0 1 9

BENTLEY’S CENTENARY YEAR

It all started with a paper weight

hardly a thing associated with

ground breaking engineering or speed. But 100 years later, the Bentley marque is as strong as ever, associated as it is with luxury, status and British innovation at its best.

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“It’s extraordinary when you think about what a pull the Bentley name still has after a century,” says H&H Classics chairman Simon Hope, whose own company celebrated its silver jubilee in 2018.

“Just looking at what we have sold over the years and what is available even now through our catalogues, the range of collectables is a testimony to the magic of the name.”

Becoming an agent for French marque DFP in 1912, WO Bentley sought to generate publicity for his new business by entering the cars in competition. Inspired by an aluminium paperweight, he had lightweight pistons made from the same material which together with a revised camshaft design enabled the DFP racers to set records at Brooklands in 1913 and 1914.

Following WW1, W.O. was able to set-up Bentley Motors and within five years they had their first Le Mans winner.

“The superlatives came thick and fast,” says Hope. “The Bentley marque may have changed hands a number of times over the years , but that initial touch of genius has never left it and it’s a name that conjures up everything you want to get your hands on if you are a motor sport or classic car enthusiast, as we all are here.”

H&H Classics remembers some of the best Bentleys it has sold out of a total of 397 auctioned for £14 million as Bentley celebrates its Centennial year. Here are nine of the most interesting: SOLD: £874,000

SOLD: £454,250

SOLD: £201,600

1929 BENTLEY 4.5 LITRE LE MANS STYLE TOURER

1936 BENTLEY 4.5 LITRE VANDEN PLAS TOURER

1936 BENTLEY 4.25 LITRE GURNEY NUTTING PILLARLESS COUPE

SOLD: £115,875

SOLD: £95,200

SOLD: £308,000

1950 BENTLEY MK VI PARK WARD DROPHEAD COUPE

1954 BENTLEY R-TYPE SPORTS SPECIAL

1956 BENTLEY S1 CONTINENTAL FASTBACK

SOLD: £109,125

SOLD: £50,400

SOLD: £101,080

1960 BENTLEY S2 CONTINENTAL DROPHEAD COUPE

1969 BENTLEY T-SERIES MPW DROPHEAD

2012 BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GTC

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H&H CLASSI C T I M E S | WI NT ER 2 0 1 9

JAMES BOND MEMORABILIA

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With the imminent release of ‘No Time to Die’ - the twenty-fifth instalment W of Eon Productions’ long running James Bond franchise - the debate as to

which actor has best portrayed Ian Fleming’s fictional spy has re-ignited.

However, our regular timed Online Automobilia sales show that the 007 devotees among you rate them as follows: SOLD: £414

SOLD: £956.25

SOLD: £1,380

Daniel Craig

Roger Moore

SOLD: £632.50

George Lazenby

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Sean Conner

SOLD: £2,700

SOLD: £115

SOLD: £337.50

Though, the allure of a single Bon d pales into comparison with the appeal of Goldfinger

Timothy Dalton

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Pierce Brosna

For those who are neither shaken nor stirred by MI6’s finest our 2019 automobilia auctions have contained plenty of other highlights:

SOLD: £4,370

SOLD: £47,250

SOLD: £3,600

Registration Number - MR 5

SOLD: £4,500

SOLD: £3,375

SOLD: £1,800

An Extremely Rare Alfredo ‘Dino’ Ferrari Autograph Presentation (1932-1956)

Bexhill Speed Trials Souvenir Programme, 1902

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Solid 18Ct Gold Rolex Oyster, Supplied New in April 1957

A Restored Austin J40 Pedal car

J. M. Fangio Leather Crash Helmet and Goggles

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H &H C L A S S IC T IMES | WINTE R 2 0 1 9

2019 A YEAR IN REVIEW

The global economy was decidedly sluggish in 2019

with stock and property markets proving similarly

unenthusiastic. Increased monetary policy accommodation kept the cost of borrowing at historic lows but there was no stampede towards spending. The collector car market does not operate in isolation and this year saw a continuation of existing trends.

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1991 AUDI QUATTRO 20V

Truly remarkable examples, whether that be in terms of provenance or condition, performed strongly at all price levels. There is an increasing understanding that values may have dropped for certain blue-chip models in the past half-decade but the cost of restoring them has not.

The collector car market is a complex beast and prices are never uniformly going up or down. Usability remains a key factor be that at an internationally renowned blue riband event or a local car show.

The more you can do with a car the more sought after it will typically be. California remains wedded to its ‘zero emissions’ agenda and Bristol is set to become the first UK city to ban diesel cars.

Focusing purely on what comes out of an exhaust pipe takes no account of how environmentally friendly most collector cars are in comparison to their modern counterparts. Many predicted that the advent of the motorcar would signal the extinction of the horse, but enthusiasts won through. If you think owning a collector car is expensive try looking after a racehorse!

The two best sellers under the hammer during 2019 were a 1994 McLaren F1 to ‘LM’ specification and a 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta making $19,805,000 and $19,256,750 respectively.

Both had been tipped to make more but although ultra-collectible neither was a paradigm.

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SOLD: £86,250 At the more everyday level smart MG B Roadsters are now routinely fetching over £20,000 (and more on forecourts). If you can say of a motorcar ‘go find another’ and it is fresh to market, then the ability to surprise is still there. The 1936 Bentley 4½ Litre Vanden Plas Tourer that we sold in March 2019 at IWM Duxford was the most original of just six such cars made and had only had two owners from new. A genuine ‘garage find’ in need of total restoration, it attracted global attention and obliterated its pre-sale estimate of £150,000 - £200,000 to make £454,250; a world record for a RC-series car.

Predictions for next year? Much the same with buyers remaining cautious and selective in their outlook for the most part. Prices are not plummeting towards the earth, but some are drifting slowly downwards as global economic growth remains weak and environmental / usage concerns grow. However, others are riding a strong thermal of new interest and enthusiasm - think Youngtimer performance machinery and iconic JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) models.

A BUMPER YEAR FOR BIKES

H&H SOLD A VERY HEALTHY 472 MOTORCYCLES IN 2019 (73% OF THOSE OFFERED).

NEVE RACED R RALLIEOR D

SOLD: 0 £425,50

1930: BROUGH SUPERIOR SS100

FP Gentl eman Dickson

The 1930 Brough Superior SS100 which obliterated the

previous world record for the marque to fetch £425,500

despite needing restoration grabbed all the headlines but the Bike Department were no less proud of the 1925 NUT 700cc that made £28,980 (against an estimate of £18,000 - £20,000) and the 1928 Norton Model 16H which took £24,150 (versus an estimate of £10,000 - £12,000).

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1928: NORTON MODEL 16H

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SOLD: £23,625

1925: NUT 700CC

SOLD: £28,350

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H&H CLASSI C T I M E S | WI NT ER 2 0 1 9

BESPOKE ROYAL CARS One of the privileges of our profession is the many interesting and historically significant cars we sell at auction and none more so than those that have previously been owned by, or used to transport, members of our Royal Family. These are some of our highlights: BESPOKE 2003 ARNAGE R BENTLEY FIRST OWNED BY PRINCESS ANNE SOLD FOR £37,950

PRINCE S ANNE’S S

blue Hidden lights g in h s fla

Sandsto ne Leather

Supplied new by Bentley Motors of Crewe to Her Royal Highness, Anne The Princess Royal, chassis CH09487 boasted a number of special features.

Mindful that the Arnage R could reasonably be expected to accommodate more than one member of the Royal Family on occasion, extra supple Sandstone leather upholstery was used to trim its front and rear seats.

Intended for use when travelling with the Special Escort Group only, the blue flashing lights concealed behind its grille remained in working order (albeit activating them on public roads would be highly illegal) as does the convoy ID light affixed to the rear-view mirror.

Understood to have been retained by ‘Britain’s hardest working Royal’ until 2006 and to have covered c.10,000 miles during that time, it remains a very special motorcar.

HER MAJES TY QUEEN ELIZAB ETH II

2001 DAIMLER MAJESTIC 4.0 LWB SOLD FOR: £43,700 Built to a bespoke specification for the personal use of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, chassis F35595 was despatched from the Works on 14th March 2001 but not road registered as ‘Y694 CDU’ until 4th June that year.

• Built to a bespoke specification for the personal use of Her Majesty The Queen

• First road registered on 4th June 2001 and passed to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust in January 2007 • Less than 1,400 miles since leaving the Royal Household and just 15,325 miles from new

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PRINCES’ E CHARL

1994 BENTLEY TURBO RL SOLD FOR: £15,640 There was more to this long wheelbase Bentley Turbo R than met the eye, as it was built to the special order of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.

Finished in HRH’s preferred livery of Brewster Green, by far the most interesting accompanying item, however, was the car’s official order that spells out the uniqueness of the royal fleet.

Included under the heading of ‘Alternatives to Standard and Optional Extras’ were such instructions as: ‘supply and fit blue lamp’; ‘rear seat cushion to be lowered as much as possible, fixed sunroof, front head rests to be easily removable and rear reading lights. One can only wonder about some of these requirements which only adds to the intrigue. The dropped seats of course provide a modicum of privacy.

PRINC PHILIP E ’S

1954 LAGONDA 3 LITRE DROPHEAD COUPE SOLD FOR: £346,800 This was the car that won Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd its first Royal Warrant, the magnificent 1954 Lagonda 3 Litre Drophead Coupe built to the special order of HRH, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Finished in a bespoke shade of Edinburgh Green matched to Grey leather upholstery, the luxurious four-seater Convertible was 1 of just 20 MK1 cars made and used by The Duke of Edinburgh for personal transport up until 1961.

A regular at The Thursday Club where fellow members comprised the likes of Baron Nahum, David Niven, Peter Ustinov and Francis Bacon, Prince Philip drove the Lagonda to Cowdray Park for polo matches and Cheam prep school to drop off Prince Charles.

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ALREADY CONSIGNED: DUXFORD MARCH 2020 1939 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupe ESTIMATE: £300,000 - £400,000

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HEAD OFFICE: The Motor House, Lyncastle Road, Warrington, Cheshire WA4 4SN

Visit us @ www.handh.co.uk or call +44 (0) 1925 210035