Top 20 cars in this week’s big London sale

A royal appointment

Having had a successful couple of days in Monterey, Gooding & Co is now turning its attention to the Concours of Elegance for its London sale, in the UK, on 3 September 2022.

Held in the picturesque surroundings of Hampton Court Palace, during Concours of Elegance, the auction is set to feature everything from a Citroën 2CV to a Ferrari 250GT Short Wheelbase, plus a number of Bentleys from the Timeless Collection.

Here’s our run-down of the 20 most valuable lots, in ascending order…

20. 2012 RUF RS 12 S (est: £350-450,000)

The name of Alois Ruf is revered in Porsche circles thanks to his company’s performance enhancements, which are extensive enough for Ruf to be officially recognised as a manufacturer in its own right.

The RT 12 was introduced in 2004 and was based on the 997 turbo platform. It used a modified version of the Carrera 4 shell, while the twin-turbo 3.6-litre engine produced 560bhp. There was also the option of an even more powerful 3.8-litre version. 

Delivered new in July 2012, Gooding & Co’s RUF RT 12 S has been retained by its first owner ever since. It features a modified 3.8-litre engine that kicks out 730bhp, and longer fifth and sixth gears were fitted in order to give it 200mph-plus performance.

19. 1973 Dino 246GTS (est: £375-425,000)

The open-top Dino 246GTS was introduced in 1972 and only 1282 were built, most of which went to North America.

Chassis 06482, however, was a European-market car built on 15 May 1973. It was finished in Azzurro Metallizzato – a rare choice for a Dino, but one that suits its compact Pininfarina lines.

Its first owner retained the GTS until 2004, not a surprise when you consider how highly the Dino – with its mid-mounted V6 engine – is rated as a pure driver’s car. 

Offered with Ferrari Classiche certification, 06482 has been part of a German collection since 2010 and is thought to have covered only 43,840 miles from new.

18. 1934 Riley MPH (est: £375-475,000)

Marketed as being ‘As old as the industry, as modern as the hour’, Riley produced a number of innovative road cars during the inter-war years and enjoyed considerable success in motor racing. 

It’s thought that only 16 examples of the high-performance MPH were built in 1934 and ’35, and chassis 44 T 2255 is believed to have been bought new by Southampton distributor and racer Hector Dobbs.

According to the car’s 1990-issued FIA papers, Dobbs modified it into single-seater configuration and raced it at venues such as Brooklands. A two-seater body had been fitted again by the time it was offered for sale in 1954, and in more recent years this Riley has been used in a number of historic events.
 

17. 1959 Lancia Flaminia Sport (est: £400-500,000)

The Flaminia was Lancia’s flagship model when it replaced the Aurelia in 1957. It used a unitary chassis and a V6 engine that drove through a four-speed transaxle, while disc brakes were also offered.

It was originally bodied by either Pinin Farina or Touring, but Zagato got in on the act in 1959 with the lightweight Sport. Only 99 were built with covered headlamps, of which the car being offered by Gooding & Co is one.

Finished in Bruno Tropicale with a Tan leather interior, it spent much of its life in the US before being shipped to The Netherlands during the 1990s. It’s fitted with the correct-type 2.5-litre engine, which has been upgraded to triple-carburettor specification.

16. 1953 Bentley R-type Continental Fastback (est: £625-725,000)

With their combination of flowing coachwork and powerful 4566cc engine, any R-type Continental Fastback is a desirable car. Not only was it the fastest four-seat production car when it was launched, it was also the most expensive production car of its day.

Chassis BC20A is a particularly interesting example. It was completed on 30 January 1953 and shipped to its first owner – Louis Schneiter – in Switzerland. Shortly after it arrived, the R-type was displayed on the Rolls-Royce and Bentley stand at the prestigious Geneva motor show.

Subsequently owned for a number of years by an American enthusiast, the Bentley returned to the UK in 2014. 

=14. 1929 Bentley Speed Six Sports Saloon (est: £700-900,000)

One of the Bentleys being offered from the Timeless Collection, this Speed Six still wears its original saloon coachwork by Freestone & Webb. 

Chassis number FR2644 is a short-wheelbase Speed Six that was delivered to Captain C Davaynes Smith in July 1929. It retains its ‘matching numbers’ 6½-litre six-cylinder engine and is said to be in extremely well-preserved condition.

Only 182 Speed Six chassis were built in total, and the model played its part in the ‘Bentley Boys’ legend by winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1929 and 1930.

=14. 1952 Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica (est: £700-900,000)

Initially named the ‘High Speed’ or ‘Competition Model’, the Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica gained its famous moniker after HJ Aldington and Norman Culpan took one to third overall in the 1949 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Powered by Bristol’s BMW-based 2-litre ‘six’, the Le Mans Replica was hugely successful in competition. It won the 1951 Targa Florio courtesy of Franco Cortese, and helped to launch the career of the late, great Tony Brooks.

Displayed at the 1951 Earls Court Motor Show, the car being offered at Hampton Court Palace – chassis 421/100/159 – was raced in period by first owner John Melvin and took part in the 1953 Goodwood Nine Hours.
 

13. 1932 Bentley 8 Litre Tourer (est: £750,000-1m)

Perhaps the mightiest of all Cricklewood Bentleys, the 8 Litre was excessive in almost every respect. The 7983cc engine delivered immense torque and could pull the hefty chassis from walking pace to more than 100mph in top gear alone.

Having been impressed by its performance, The Autocar concluded that the 8 Litre represented ‘motoring in its very highest form’.

Originally built on the 13ft chassis, this particular 8 Litre Tourer had its frame shortened in the 1940s so that its owner could fit a drophead coupé body. This was later removed and the present Le Mans-style Tourer coachwork was created during the 1990s.

12. 1937 Bugatti Type 57C Ventoux (est: £800,000-1.2m)

Completed in June 1937 following an order from noted Bugatti client J Moreau, chassis 57506 was one of 96 factory-built supercharged Type 57Cs. Delivered with black Ventoux coachwork and a red interior, it’s thought to have been retained by Moreau throughout the war.

By 1946 it had passed to Jean Mantoulet – founder of Moulinex – and subsequent custodians included M Desmarest and Paris-based enthusiast Jean-Louis Bouyer, who kept it for more than 30 years. 

After being given a body-off restoration, this stylish and fast post-vintage thoroughbred was bought by a UK-based owner in 2011 and has since appeared at Bugatti Owners’ Club events.

11. 1932 Bentley 8 Litre Sports Saloon (est: £900,000-1.2m)

Although it won plaudits for its blend of performance and luxury, the 8 Litre was priced at £1850 and was therefore not the ideal car to launch in the midst of the Great Depression. Only 100 were built before Bentley was placed into receivership.

Chassis number YX5110 is a long-wheelbase example that was delivered new in June 1932. During the 1970s it was owned by renowned enthusiast Peter Agg, who had it restored, and since 2010 it has been part of the UK-based Timeless Collection.

It’s a rare survivor in that it still has its original body as well as matching-numbers engine and gearbox.

10. 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ (est: £1m-1.2m)

Introduced in 1963, Alfa Romeo’s TZ – for ‘Tubolare Zagato’ – was one of the prettiest little sports cars of its era. It was successful, too, winning its class in 1964 at major events such as the Sebring 12 Hours, the Targa Florio and the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Only 112 TZs were built, with chassis number 750081 being invoiced to Alfa Romeo on 9 September 1964. It made its competition debut in 1965 at the Ascoli-Colle San Marco hillclimb, where it won its class in the hands of first owner Luigi Citeroni. It was also regularly raced by its second owner, Barbaro Grelli, and more recently has appeared on events such as the Tour Auto.

9. 1965 Ferrari 275GTS (est: £1.05m-1.25m)

The 275GTB and GTS replaced the fabled 250 line in October 1964. They retained the Gioacchino Colombo-designed V12 engine – albeit now stretched to 3.3 litres – but gained independent rear suspension and a five-speed transaxle.

Only 200 examples of the Pininfarina-styled 275GTS convertible were built between 1964 and 1966, and chassis number 07019 was completed on 12 April 1965 with Bianco bodywork and black interior. 

It was sold new in Spain, and is thought to have stayed with its original owner until 1988. It was subsequently in the long-term ownership of an Italian enthusiast until 2019, and has apparently had very little use over the past four decades.

8. 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing (est: £1.1m-1.3m)

A landmark model in terms of design and engineering, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing has long been a favourite of enthusiasts and collectors around the world.

Sold new to an owner based on the USA’s West Coast, chassis 6500278 has retained its original colour scheme of Ivory with a red interior, and for many years it remained within the state of California.

Gooding reports that it retains its matching-numbers 2996cc, fuel-injected straight-six engine. That robust unit was enough to power the 300SL to more than 160mph – making it the world’s fastest production car when it was launched in 1954.
 

7. 1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Sports Tourer (est: £1.2m-1.5m)

Produced in the midst of Bentley’s run of victories at the Le Mans 24 Hours, the 4½ Litre was unveiled in 1927. Its 4398c engine featured four valves per cylinder and produced 110bhp in standard form on twin SU carburettors. 

Chassis TX3235 – which still wears its original Vanden Plas Sports Tourer coachwork – was delivered to its first owner, FB Landale, on 18 July 1928. It cost him the then-considerable sum of £1295.

The Bentley passed through various British owners before being exported to South Africa in 1975, and since 2008 it has been part of the Timeless Collection.

=5. 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder (est: £1.25m-1.75m)

Porsche produced a series of giant-killing sports cars during the 1950s and perhaps the best known of those was the 550 Spyder.

Chassis number 550-0079 was officially completed on 2 February, and it’s believed that its first owner was Swiss racing driver Heinz Schiller. It was campaigned extensively by both Schiller and its next owner, Edouard Margairaz, at famous venues such as Avus and Mont Ventoux.

At some point between 1958 and 1973, the car was updated with 718-style bodywork and a larger engine. Acquired by its current custodian in 1982, it has been in storage for the past three decades. 
 

=5. 1965 Aston Martin DB5 convertible (est: £1.25m-1.75m)

One of the most instantly recognisable of all classic cars, the Aston Martin DB5 was launched in 1963 as a development of the pretty DB4.

The Tadek Marek-designed 3995cc six-cylinder engine produced 282bhp – or 314bhp in Vantage spec – and the DB5 was a fast, capable and luxurious GT car that was immortalised in the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. 

Only 123 convertible DB5s were made between 1963 and 1965, and chassis number 1906/R was bought new on 20 January 1965 by actress Beryl Reid. It has recently received a full restoration at Aston Martin Works.

4. 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.8 RSR (est: £1.75m-2.25m)

RSR: three letters to quicken the pulse of any Porsche enthusiast. Developed for Group 4 competition use, this highly focused – and now extremely coveted – model won at Daytona, Sebring and the Targa Florio in 1973. 

Chassis 911 360 0885 claimed victory in the 1973 European GT Championship thanks to the efforts of driver Clemens Schickentanz and the Kremer Racing team, which campaigned the RSR on behalf of Oldenkott Tobacco. 

Updated in period to 3-litre RSR specification, ‘0885’ continued to race through 1974 with new owner Hubert Striebig, and took part in the Le Mans 24 Hours in both ’74 and ’75. It was subsequently restored to 1973 form and used in historic racing events until 2000.

3. 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost (est: £2.5m-3m)

It’s rare for even a pre-World War Two car to retain its original coachwork, let alone one that dates from before World War One.

In the case of this Rolls-Royce, the Barker tourer body has remained with the car ever since it was fitted in 1912. Its first owner was Edgar Bowring, who kept it until 1943.

All of its subsequent owners are known, and they include Stanley Sears – a noted Rolls-Royce collector and father of racing driver Jack Sears.

Commonly known as the Silver Ghost, the 40/50hp was justifiably acclaimed in period as being ‘The Best Car in the World’ and is a legendary model in Rolls-Royce history.

2. 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Cabriolet (est: £3.75m-4.75m)

Developed from the Type 51 Grand Prix car, the Type 55 featured a supercharged 2.3-litre engine and was one of the most exciting road cars of its day.

Only 38 were built between 1932 and 1935, and the car being offered at Hampton Court Palace – chassis number 55230 – was fitted with a Gangloff cabriolet body.

Marque authority Mark Morris has researched the car’s history and states that the Bugatti’s first owner was likely to be Marcel Vidal – a racing driver and friend of Ettore himself. It was delivered in June 1932. 

The Type 55 remained in the Paris area after the war and was even raced at Montlhéry in June 1947, before crossing the Atlantic for a new life in the US.

1. 1960 Ferrari 250GT SWB Competizione (est: £6m-7m)

The Ferrari 250GT Short Wheelbase was the definitive GT car of its time and was offered in two forms – the steel-bodied Lusso and the more powerful, aluminium-bodied Competizione.

Blending Gioacchino Colombo’s V12 engine with the new Tipo 539 chassis and a beautiful Pinin Farina-designed body, it has become one of the most coveted of all Ferraris.

Initially built with the chassis number 1931 GT, the car being offered at Hampton Court Palace was renumbered 2021 GT at the Ferrari factory in the summer of 1960. It was subsequently owned by well-known racer Pierre Dumay. 

Regularly used in historic events during the 1990s and 2000s, 2021 GT was recently restored by Ferrari Classiche and Lanzante Ltd.

To find out more about these and the other classic cars being offered at Gooding & Company’s London Sale during Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace on Saturday 3 September 2022, please click here.