Going, Going, Gone

A 1980s car described as having the highest running costs ever was one of the stars of BCA's recent Classic & Historic sale, staged at BCA Blackbushe on Tuesday 2nd October 2007.

The 1985 Buckingham cost around £250,000 to build and had covered just 348 miles in the past 22 years. Commissioned by a wealthy enthusiast, it took eight skilled Aston Martin Lagonda craftsmen some two years to design and three years to construct. The car used modern technology but with classically inspired coachwork design finished in two-tone Burgundy and Champagne. The 'gullwing' rear doors led to an air-conditioned passenger cabin, finished in Champagne leather with rosewood trim and black leather. The radiator badge, produced by Garrards, the royal jeweller, was in gold and black enamel. A true one-off, the Buckingham sold for £28,000 ' meaning it had cost over £630 per mile in depreciation alone.

The 1986 Porsche 930 'Flatnose' was a UK supplied right-hand drive model featuring a particularly impressive specification. Finished in Guards red, it was an original factory 'flatnose' 930 Turbo and has the G50 5-speed gearbox, full red leather seats, cup-type alloy wheels, stainless steel exhaust system, Sony radio/cassette head unit with Kenwood amplifier and 10-stack CD multi-changer. Fitted with a new mohair hood and tonneau, this impressive sports car with phenomenal performance sold for £25,000.

The 1959 Jaguar XK150 Coupe was originally modified to the personal specification of John Appleton, a renowned pre-War driver at Brooklands and was used for continental trips in connection with his business. Featuring an uprated 3.8-litre engine with an E-Type sump and a Weslake gas-flowed big-valve cylinder head this Jaguar could happily cruise at 130mph on the Autobahns. This high performance XK was supplied with a wealth of information on Appleton, the car and the modifications carried out and it sold for £18,200.

Other delights sold on the day included the rare racing 'Dunsmore Special' from 1985 that sold for £13,475 and a well-preserved and largely original 1924 Morris T-Type 1-Ton Van that realised £8,250. The bright yellow 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GT was offered as a non-runner and made a remarkable £30,000, underlining the enduring appeal of the Dino as one of Ferrari's prettiest designs.

BCA's next Classic & Historic sale is at the Blackbushe auction centre on Tuesday 27th November at 12 noon. Catalogue details and illustrations are displayed on the BCA site at www.classic-car-auction.co.uk.

WWII Spitfires are used to being centre stage at the Duxford Imperial War Museum, but one was among many historic planes moved to make room for H&H's inaugural car, motorcycle, bicycle, automobilia and registration sale at Duxford on 9th and 10th October, which achieved £1.25 million.

1937 Autovia

A lovely 1968 Ferrari 330 GTC headlined the car section and determined bidding took it way past its top estimate to finish at a touch under £150,000, an excellent figure by any standards. Aston Martins have been on the rise for some long time now and the very pretty metallic red DB6 Vantage surprised few by making £69,850. Its delightful Feltham-built relative, a black 1933 Aston Martin 12/50 Open Tourer, was on the money at £47,300.

A stunning addition to any collection would be the very usable, pillar box red 1927 Lancia Lambda Series VII Tourer. This was also bang on the money at £42,900. All eyes were on the incredibly rare - one of only 44 made and the only 'Special' Saloon - 1937 Autovia and how wonderful to have two others brought along by those attending the sale. On offer at 'No Reserve', it eventually changed hands for £26,400.

Two cars completely outstripped their estimates. The first was a splendid British Racing Green 1957 Jaguar MKI 3.4-litre Saloon that, if cars could talk, would doubtless have an audience spellbound with its life's experiences ' not least because it had reputedly competed in both the Tulip and Monte Carlo rallies in its time. It more than doubled its anticipated sale figure at £25,300.

The other major flyer was a very pretty polished aluminium 1951 Cooper MKV JAP-engined F3 car. The Ecurie Richmond mount of one time Works Cooper driver Alan Brown, the little chain-driven motorcycle-engined car was fiercely fought over by one bidder in the room and one on the telephone. The gavel finally fell at almost twice the expected total ' ie at £27,500. The ex-Dickie Stoop, violet-coloured 'barn find' Lotus Elite also caused a great deal of interest and found a new home for £19,800, despite requiring extensive restoration.

A selection from the Bert Hadley archives

The automobilia sale of 9th October was a great success, with excellent prices being achieved for bound magazine collections, sales brochures and car badges in particular. However it will be best remembered for the remarkable total achieved for the archives of pre/post war works racing driver Bert Hadley. The photos, artwork, trophies, clothing and other items of assorted memorabilia fetched £17,088.77, way surpassing that of previous such collections sold by H&H and for which they have rightly gained an enviable reputation.

H&H's final car, motorcycle, bicycle, automobilia and registration sale of the year will be held at Buxton on 20th and 21st November. Further information on all H&H sales is available at www.classic-auctions.com.

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