Three exceptional classics from the British Isles are set to tempt and excite at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach sale, which takes place on 15-16 August at the Equestrian Centre in the Californian seaside resort. It is expected that the three cars – a Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback, a Rolls-Royce Phantom II and an Aston Martin DB5 Convertible – could fetch as much as $5,600,000 (£3,550,000).
Of the set, the 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental dhc is expected to achieve the highest sum – between $1,500,000 and $2,000,000 – when it crosses the block during Car Week. The Phantom II is no stranger to Pebble Beach, having won its class at the 2010 Concours d’Elegance while in the ownership of Fred Buess, who has had the car for more than 50 years. Originally, the Thrupp & Maberly-bodied two-seater was ordered by a Rootes Group executive, and at one point was owned by actor Tyrone Power.
Slightly more common – but very nearly as valuable – is a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible, which is one of just 123 examples ever built. The car is expected to fetch between $1,400,000 and $1,800,000 and was originally built for Hollywood screenwriter Wilton David ‘Bill’ Manhoff, who was responsible for a string of famous scripts including the 1964 stage play The Owl and The Pussycat and television programmes such as Leave it to Beaver and The Odd Couple.
