18 classics from Lewis Hamilton’s dad’s collection for sale

A champion collection?

Six-time Formula One drivers’ champion Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to Silverstone, so perhaps it’s no coincidence that his father, Anthony, has consigned several cars to Silverstone Auctions’ next sale.

18 cars from Hamilton Snr’s personal collection will cross the block during this 31 July-1 August sale, and if the beautiful-looking Swallow Doretti Roadster pictured here doesn’t float your boat, there’s plenty more in store, particularly if you’re a Triumph fan.

And, yes, we too were curious to see what cars piqued Hamilton Snr’s interest, so don’t be shy – take a look!

1. 1968 Triumph TR5 (est: £80-90,000)

We thought we’d start with one of the six Triumphs in this collection – and this is no ordinary TR5.

The auction house says it has been described as ‘the best in the world’ that is ‘now a benchmark for concours judging’. Wow.

1968 Triumph TR5 (cont.)

Unsurprisingly, this Wedgewood Blue example complete with matching Surrey Top presents so well at least in part because it was painstakingly restored by a previous owner.

Its 2498cc ‘six’ is said to fire instantly and cleanly, and inside and out it appears to be immaculate.

2. 1965 Morris Mini Traveller De Luxe (est: £20-24,000)

Isn’t this sweet? What’s more, the first owner of this ‘Woodie’ was Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and it will be sold with royal correspondence.

A photographic record of its ’90s restoration is included, too, and it’s said to be in good condition today.

1965 Morris Mini Traveller De Luxe (cont.)

Finished in this lovely shade of Tartan Red with a matching red interior, this 850cc-engined Mk1 is as charming as it is practical.

And any prospective bidder will doubtless be pleased to know that it retains its heater, over-riders, chrome sill edging, filler cap and wheel trims, part of the De Luxe spec for ’65 Travellers.

3. 1959 MGA Twin Cam (est: £55-65,000)

The auction house is once more overflowing with praise for this MGA Twin Cam, describing it as ‘spectacular’ and ‘stunning’, saying that it ‘performs impeccably’ and is ‘undoubtedly one the finest restored MGA Twin Cams available anywhere today’.

All of which is rather a lot to live up to.

1959 MGA Twin Cam (cont.)

This BMC Black car departed for North America when new on 30 December 1958, then black but with a green interior.

It returned to the UK in 2014, whereupon it was restored and converted to right-hand drive – and a full photographic account of this work is included in the sale.

4. 1981 Triumph TR8 (est: £35-40,000)

Another Triumph – and this one has done just 124 miles in its 39 years.

Finished in fetching and very period Pharaoh Gold with a tan and plaid interior, this was one of the press-launch TR8s and, as such, is a rare survivor.

1981 Triumph TR8 (cont.)

With British Leyland in turmoil, unsold and unregistered TR8s were consigned to the scrapheap, but this example was sold ‘out of the back door’, according to Silverstone Auctions.

Now a delivery-mileage example, this V8-powered drop-top is said to have been stored carefully throughout its life and will cross the block with a £35-40,000 guide price.

5. 1932 Wolseley Hornet March-bodied Special (est: £35-40,000)

This lot carries the same pre-sale estimate as the one before, but is a totally different proposition – and it’s the oldest in this selection from Anthony Hamilton’s collection.

It is also one of only seven Wolseley Hornet Specials fitted with a John Charles of Kew bespoke body designed by Freddie March, who just a few years later became the Duke of Richmond.

1932 Wolseley Hornet March-bodied Special (cont.)

With its shortened, twin-carb engine, 12-inch hydraulic brakes and remote-control gearchange, Hornet Specials were used competitively, a team of three winning a relay race at Brooklands in the year this example was built.

As you’ll by now expect from a car coming from this collection, this Special has been the subject of a no-expense spared restoration.

6. 1954 Swallow Doretti Roadster (est: £55-65,000)

Let’s return to the delightful Doretti we opened this slideshow with and, in case you’re wondering, that very attractive, purple-ish hue is known as Maroon.

Just 276 of these were built and this is a well cared-for example that, you guessed it, has been carefully restored.

1954 Swallow Doretti Roadster (cont.)

Although this car’s restoration took place in Australia by The Classic Factory, with Moore Style in Sydney entrusted with refreshing and reupholstering the tan-piped oatmeal interior.

It also has red carpets and a black soft top.

7. 1960 Alvis TD21 (est: £40-45,000)

Here’s another example of a seldom-seen British classic, and this Series 1 Drophead Coupé looks fantastic.

First registered in Jersey, where it seems it covered very few miles, it was restored back in 1998 and has enjoyed ongoing care since.

1960 Alvis TD21 (cont.)

The auction house concedes it will need some gentle recommissioning before being enjoyed, but since that major work it has had an engine rebuild, new hydraulics, new front suspension and more, so it shouldn’t take too much effort.

And what an elegant classic conveyance it would make.

8. 1971 Radford Mini Cooper ‘S’ (est: £45-55,000)

Now this ’71 Mini looks smart, don’t you think?

This is a Radford Mini de Ville GT that then went to Wood & Pickett where it was finished as a Margrave Mini – its list of extras came to a staggering £3487.50, at a time when a brand-new Ford Cortina was £968!

1971 Radford Mini Cooper ‘S’ (cont.)

A reminder, then, if one was needed, that automotive personalisation is nothing new.

Since then, this Mini has covered 48,000 miles in the hands of four owners, the first of which held onto it for 27 years – and now it is looking for its next keeper.

9. Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (est: £175-200,000)

It’s the first non-British car we’ve reached and rather less classic than the others, too, but given that Anthony’s son Lewis clinched the 2008 F1 drivers’ title with McLaren, it can’t be too surprising that it features.

And with fewer than 11,000 miles on its odometer, this modern-classic supercar has lots of life left in it.

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (cont.)

At its heart is this awesome-sounding, handbuilt, 5.4-litre supercharged V8 from Mercedes’ in-house performance experts AMG, with a still-amazing 617bhp – it does 0-60mph in a mere 3.8 seconds.

Left-hand drive, in Designo Black Metallic and with those evocative doors and huge carbon-ceramic brakes, this recently serviced SLR looks to be a rather special one, too.

10. 1960 Triumph Italia 2000 GT (est: £120-140,000)

You knew more Triumphs were coming, but perhaps you’d not have guessed one of these?

This Giovanni Michelotti-designed, Vignale-built classic two-door is expected to achieve more than any other Hamilton-owned Triumph at Silverstone Auctions’ sale.

It is understood to have joined the collection in 2018, following a long search.

1960 Triumph Italia 2000 GT (cont.)

This is the 157th example and it went to its first owner, in Italy in 1960 – not much else is known, other than it was restored in Germany in 2004.

Arguably the most stylish Triumph-badged coupé? If you fancy it and you have deep enough pockets, it could be yours.

11. 1977 Triumph Stag (est: £25-30,000)

Here’s another Triumph and another Michelotti design, but one that’s probably a lot more familiar.

This MkIII Stag, equipped with the manual gearbox with overdrive, is a matching-numbers car that is described by the auction house as ‘a really stunning example’.

1977 Triumph Stag (cont.)

Restored in 2015, it has just done over 57,000 miles and has some factory options, including alloy wheels, a hardtop, inertia-reel seatbelts and headrests.

Now ready for someone else to enjoy it, this Stag will also be sold with a copy of its original sales brochure.

12. 1954 Swallow Doretti Roadster (est: £55-65,000)

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, this is a second 1954 Swallow Doretti Roadster – with the same £55-65,000 pre-sale estimate as the last.

Few car collections boast one, but to have two must be pretty unusual.

But then this car borrows quite a bit mechanically from the TR2, and we know by now how much Anthony Hamilton loves Triumphs.

1954 Swallow Doretti Roadster (cont.)

Royal Blue metallic with a red-trimmed cabin featuring blue piping, like the other Doretti, this, too, was restored Down Under.

It might have done close to 100,000 miles, but given the time and money invested in it, that shouldn’t deter any prospective bidders.

13. 1957 Chevrolet Corvette C1 (est: £75-90,000)

As far as this collection goes, this lot really does represent something different – and, as we’ve come to expect from Anthony Hamilton’s cars, it appears to be in fantastic condition.

Silverstone Auctions describes it as one of the best restorations it has seen.

1957 Chevrolet Corvette C1 (cont.)

And what an interior! A perfect contrast to its Onyx Black paintwork, here you’ll see this car’s manual gearbox which works alongside its 4.6-litre V8.

It was restored way back in 1996 and has been lovingly looked after ever since.

14. 2006 Ford GT (est: £250-280,000)

We’ll linger Stateside just a little longer to consider this consignment from the Hamilton collection, another younger GT and also the car expected to achieve the highest price when it crosses the block in a few weeks.

And what’s incredible about this Ford GT is that it has done just 43 miles. Yes, really.

2006 Ford GT (cont.)

Whether you see such a low mileage as meagre or marvellous is personal opinion, but this US-spec GT gives its winning bidder the opportunity to get their hands on an as-new example.

Its first owner lived in the Spanish capital, Madrid, and it was imported to the UK in 2014.

So, should it be driven and enjoyed, or kept low mile and displayed?

15. 1960 Triumph TR3A (est: £35-40,000)

Formerly left-hand drive and a resident of California, back in the ’90s this car was a concours champion.

This was after it returned to the UK in 1988, converted and restored – clearly to a very high standard.

1960 Triumph TR3A (cont.)

The Dark Racing Green paintwork sits well with its Stone interior, and we think it looks ready to be enjoyed once more.

Does anyone have a spare £35-40k?

16. 1958 Austin-Healey 100-6 (est: £30-35,000)

This Big Healey shares a lot with the Triumph we just looked at, in that it’s dark green, imported, and that it has been restored and converted to right-hand drive.

It headed to Miami, Florida when new, then finished in Ivory White, and later lived in Birmingham, Alabama.

1958 Austin-Healey 100-6 (cont.)

In 2012, this example came back to Blighty where it underwent its transformation to the car you see here, as detailed in the accompanying paperwork.

Apparently ready for its next adventure, let’s hope it finds a new home when it crosses the block with Silverstone Auctions.

17. 1968 Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ (est: £30-35,000)

Now here’s another classic from this collection that’s well travelled – and that’s because this is an Australian-spec Mk1 Cooper ‘S’.

Features that differentiate cars supplied to that market include the stainless-steel over-riders, corner ‘nerf’ bars and twin tanks.

1968 Morris Mini Cooper ‘S’ (cont.)

Upon its arrival to the UK it was restored, and with its smart Minilites and Almond Green and White finish, with matching upholstery, it looks very sweet.

Wind-up windows and quarterlights on this Mk1 are further points that mark it out as an Australian-spec model.

18. 1957 Triumph TR3 (est: £25-28,000)

Well, it was only fitting that we finished with a Triumph, and this TR3, described as a ‘transition car’ because it was factory fitted with some TR3 and some 3A parts, is, you’ve guessed it, quite different from how it rolled off the production line late in the summer of 1957.

Back then, when it departed for North America, it was Pearl White. It returned to the UK in the ’90s and, as a sound, ex-California car, was earmarked for restoration in 2003.

1957 Triumph TR3 (cont.)

That bare-metal restoration saw it switched to right-hand drive and painted red, and it has since been well cared for.

It joins the other 17 cars from the collection of Anthony Hamilton, Lewis Hamilton’s father, in the catalogue for Silverstone Auctions’ Silverstone Classic Live Online Auction on 31 July-1 August.

To find out more, please click here.