25 lots to watch at the Goodwood Revival sale

Hammer time in Sussex

The Goodwood Revival (16-18 September 2022) has it all: excellent racing, amazing exhibits, diversions for all the family, exquisite staging and, of course, the classic car park that’s a car show in itself.

If you fancy joining that Goodwood institution next year, Bonhams has arranged a vast selection of automotive temptation for its Revival sale on Saturday 17 September.

Here are our 25 favourites, in no particular order.

1. 1952 Aston Martin DB3 Works Team Sports-Racing Two-Seater
 (est: £2.8m-3.3m)

This is a true slice of Aston Martin and Goodwood history. It was driven to victory by Peter Collins and Pat Griffith in the 1952 Goodwood 9 Hours – the first endurance event at the circuit.

Then it was campaigned in the 1952 Le Mans 24 Hours, again with Peter Collins behind the wheel, but this time partnered with Lance Macklin.

It also took second place at the 1953 Sebring 12 Hours with George Abecassis and Reg Parnell on driving duties, Abecassis taking the wheel again for the 1953 Mille Miglia.

2. 1964 Morris Mini ‘Cooper S’ 1275cc Sports Saloon (est: £35-45,000)

Here’s another car with Goodwood heritage, but in a slightly different way.

This particular car had been off the road since 1978 and was a genuine barn-find when it was discovered in 2016. Interestingly, it has ‘dry’ rubber-cone suspension like the 1071cc Cooper ‘S’, rather than the 1275cc cars’ usual Hydrolastic set-up.

Following a complete restoration, it was used as a course car at the 2019 Goodwood Revival, and still wears that livery.

3. 1931 Bentley 4½ Litre Supercharged Vanden Plas Le Mans-style Replica (est: £800,000-1m)

This 4½ Litre Bentley is one of 657 built on the long (10ft 10½in) chassis, and one of the final 11 cars to leave the Cricklewood factory, and as such wears the XT3628 chassis plate.

It was originally bodied by Wylder & Co of Kew, Surrey, in a two-door saloon fashion. By 1946, this had been replaced by Vanden Plas open coachwork.

The car spent several decades in Canada before returning to the UK in the 1990s. It was then turned into a Le Mans-style replica, and as such a John Bentley replica Amherst Villiers MkIV supercharger is fitted.

Stamped ‘XT3628’, the front axle is believed original; likewise the 13:39-ratio rear axle, which is believed to be numbered ‘LB2330’.

4. 1967 Lotus Elan S2 Convertible (est: £20-30,000)

This particular car hadn’t moved for 30 years before the current owner bought it. She was primarily after a road car, but one strong enough to enjoy the odd track day in, and set about a restoration, including the purchase of an entirely new road-weight body.

The engine has been rebuilt by JS Motorsports to a fast-road specification, and the chassis and mechanical parts checked by the Veteran Racing Car Club before being rebuilt by Witchampton Garage in Dorset. 

The car was finished Fiat Azure Blue, which is close to an Elan colour. It has had only light use, and completed just one track day since the restoration was finished in 2013.

5. 1922 ‘Strasbourg’ Sunbeam Grand Prix Racing Two-Seater (est: £700-800,000)

Sunbeam was one of the pre-eminent British motor manufacturers of the pre-war era. For the 1922 Grand Prix de l’ACF race in Strasbourg, Sunbeam prepared four cars – one prototype and three new chassis.

This is the prototype, stamped number 1.22, which was driven by the future Sir Henry Segrave after his original car suffered a mechanical malady.

The race didn’t fare much better, after a botched refuelling stop covered Segrave in petrol, and though he tried to continue, he retired the car as the burns became too much. The car was widely thought to be another chassis, but strenuous research during its restoration revealed the car’s origins.

6. 1972 Fiat 500L (est: £7-9000)

The least expensive car in the sale is also one of our favourites.

It’s a rare, right-hand-drive 500L, and was bought by renowned car collector Peter de Savary from the family who owned one of his favourite Italian restaurants in London.

It was restored some time ago, and features a sunroof, a front bumper bar and a later Fiat logo on the front grille.

7. 1923 Bentley 3/4½ Litre Supercharged Birkin-era ‘Old Mother Gun’ Replica (£600-650,000)

The original Old Mother Gun was famed for its exploits at Le Mans; it set the fastest race lap of 73.41mph before crashing out.

The car being offered in Bonhams’ Goodwood Revival auction is a replica, built on the short, standard, 9ft 9½in wheelbase chassis, but it contains an important part of Bentley history. 

The engine has been rebuilt around the crankcase of engine ‘SM3906’, incorporating Phoenix con rods, Cosworth pistons and twin Bosch magnetos.

Engine SM3906 started life in ‘SM3901’, which was the first production 4½ Litre Supercharged chassis, registered ‘GF 776’. This is 216, a 3 Litre chassis.

8. 1966 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTC Cabriolet (est: £68-78,000)

There were only ever 999 Alfa Romeo Giulia GTC Cabriolets, and just 99 of those were made in right-hand drive.

This is the 84th example built and it’s one of only 12 survivors. The car remained in the UK until seven years ago, until a Swiss collector bought it for his Paris collection.

It was repainted six years ago in its original Hawthorn White and has since been repatriated to the UK. It recently had its gearbox rebuilt and its brakes overhauled.

9. 1964 3.9-Litre Cooper-Zerex-Oldsmobile

This car – or what’s left of it – was most famous for being driven by Bruce McLaren at Aintree, Silverstone, Mosport Park and Brands Hatch in 1964, but its motorsport career is much bigger than that.

It was at the sharp end of competition for three years, beginning life as a 1961 Cooper Climax Formula One car for Walt Hansgen, with a 1.5-litre FPF engine. It was then acquired by Roger Penske, who fitted a 2.7-litre Indy Climax engine and redesigned it into a sports car body, before calling it the Zerex Special. It won races at Riverside, Laguna Seca and Caguas.

It was adapted for 1963’s rule changes, and converted to a right-hand-drive chassis, retaining only the suspension-mounting end frames of the F1 car. Penske took several victories in the car, including at Brands Hatch.

It was sold to Bruce McLaren in 1964, who won in it at Aintree and Silverstone. For 1965, it was fitted with a 3.5-litre Oldsmobile V8, and promptly driven to victory at the Player’s ‘200’, at Mosport Park, Canada. Later that year it was fitted with a 3.9-litre Oldsmobile V8, and carried on winning, this time the Guards Trophy at Brands Hatch.

In 1965 it was bought by Texan amateur racer Dave Morgan, who fitted it with an anteater-nose body and raced it in the USA. In 1967 it was sold to a Venezuelan racer, and it has only recently emerged from South America. Bonhams hasn’t released an estimate for this car…

10. 1959 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk1 Jamaican (est: £45-55,000)

What started life as an Ivory White Austin Healey 3000 BT7 was transformed into a Fiberfab Jamaican in the late 1960s.

The original body had fallen into disrepair, and Fiberfab of California’s stylish bodies proved a tempting replacement for the then owner. It’s believed that just four or five Healey-based examples are still running.

This particular example was bought as a project and rebuilt as a competition car. It’s been successful over recent years and completed an 82mph average lap at Mallory Park.

11. 1964 Porsche 904 GTS (est: £500-600,000)

This Porsche 904’s early life was filled with action – its first owner, a Mr Pierre Jaillardon, took part in France’s Lodève hillclimb in 1964 and its next owner, René Maucourt, competed in rallies and hillclimbs throughout 1964 and 1965.

After a crash, it was sold to José Piger, minus its engine and gearbox. It was restored in the mid 1970s, and went through the hands of Bruce Canepa and Kerry Morse, before returning to France to enter the stewardship of Thierry Reynaud. He restored the car, before selling it to Marcel Petitjean in 1993.

The car is fitted with a Porsche 911 engine, but was on static display for many years.

12. 1971 AC 428 (est: £60-90,000)

The AC 428 was designed to take the raw, brutal ingredients of the Cobra and transform them into the basis of an exclusive grand tourer.

The third-generation Cobra’s coil-suspended chassis was extended by 6in in the wheelbase, and bodied by Pietro Frua in Italy. And thanks to a price-tag greater than that of an Aston Martin DB6, just 51 were built.

This example has called Canada, Australia and the Middle East home, and is fitted with an automatic gearbox; it’s said to need recommissioning before use.

13. 1938 SS100 Jaguar 3½-Litre Roadster (est: £400-500,000)

Just 116 SS100 Jaguars were built with the 3½-litre engine, and this is one of them. The beginning of the Jaguar brand name – after the war, SS was hardly a popular pair of letters – it exhibited the characteristics that would define the breed; namely a sports car with six cylinders.

This is chassis 39083, which was originally sold to a WAG Watson in Battleship Grey. Between 1940 and 1965, it belonged to Howard Kerr of Oklahoma, where it was displayed in Oklahoma City. 

It then had a couple of Swiss keepers, one of whom had the car restored before that work was undone by a fire.

It was stored until 2000, when its new owner undertook an extensive restoration that took 1300 hours to complete. After another custodian, this time in Germany, it was part of the Danish Frederiksen Collection. It was brought back to the UK in 2015. 

14. 1985 Ferrari Testarossa ‘Monospecchio’ Coupé (est: £90-120,000)

This Ferrari Testarossa is a very early monospecchio (single external mirror) and monodado (single nut location for the alloy wheels) car, and is only the 21st right-hand drive Testarossa imported to the UK.

As such, it’s the purest form of arguably the definitive 1980s supercar.

This example was professionally stored between 2005 and 2019, but then brought back to life by its current owner, with £20,000 spent on its refreshment.

15. 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante ‘Prince of Wales’ (est: £300-500,000)

Should this car now be rechristened the King Charles III?

Either way, as the V8 Vantage’s performance grew in the 1980s, so did the extravagance of its styling. This wasn’t universally loved, with the Prince of Wales, as he was, not being a fan. He ordered a Volante with the Vantage engine and bonnet, but otherwise as standard. Aston offered this for two years, and built just 26 examples before production ceased in 1989.

This particular car, chassis 15741, was originally RHD and finished in red, with a manual gearbox. In 1995 it was converted to LHD, retrimmed in tan leather and painted in British Racing Green.

It changed hands in 1997, then called Dubai home for more than a decade, before returning to Europe in 2011.

16. 1966 Lancia Flaminia 2.8-Litre 3C Super Sport ‘Double Bubble’ Coupé (est: £280-320,000)

Lancia was a technical tour de force in the 1950s and 1960s, and the Flaminia carried that on with its V6 engine and De Dion rear transaxle and rear brakes.

The Zagato-bodied Sport and Super Sport used a shortened wheelbase, increased power and disc brakes. A 2.8-litre engine was introduced for 1963.

This car, consigned to Bonhams’ Goodwood Revival auction, is one of 187 Zagato Super Sports made, and one of only three factory RHD cars. It’s believed that the other two are in Australia. It was treated to a €100,000 restoration in the 2000s.

17. 1950 Jaguar XK120 Roadster (est: £120-160,000)

The Jaguar XK120 was a true supercar of its day, with amazing performance for the era. It was unsurprising that a fair few of the 12,078 built (1175 in RHD) ended up competing.

That’s what happened with this car, which was first delivered to Swedish racing driver Oscar Swahn, who competed in this car in three rounds of the World Sports Car Series between 1951 and 1953. 

After a period of time on display in a Swedish museum, it returned to the UK in 2010 and treated to a full mechanical refreshment, and has since competed in several rallies across the UK and Europe.

18. 1965 MG EX234 Prototype Roadster (est: £70-90,000)

The MGB was a smash hit on its release, but its engineers weren’t happy with the car’s chassis dynamics.

The engineering team developed this prototype car with a raid on the BMC parts bin – hydrolastic suspension, a 1275cc A-series engine and gearbox, and an Austin Champ rear axle.

It was sent to Pininfarina for styling, and returned with hints of the Fiat 124 Sport Spider and Alfa Romeo Duetto, and previewed the Kamm tail later used on the Alfa 1750.

Pitched as a replacement for both the Midget and the B, both of those cars were selling well and the project was shelved, leaving this as the only surviving prototype.

19. 1966 Citroën DS21 Décapotable (est: £140-160,000)

Any droptop DS is a rare sight, but this is getting on for ‘unicorn’ status. It’s one of only six or seven built with the 2175cc engine and in right-hand drive; just 170 were fitted with this engine in total.

Issues with registering its three-point harness in the UK – new MoT regulations would have failed it – meant that it was sold to Malta. 

It came to the UK in 2014, and was treated to a major service in 2018, which saw the fitment of a new clutch, new front brake discs, new timing chain, electronic ignition, uprated alternator, electric fuel pump and four new Michelin tyres.

Plus, in the interests of reliability, the hydraulic system was converted to accept green LHM fluid while retaining the appearance of the original clear LHS2 fluid system.

20. 1961 Jaguar E-type Series 1 ‘flat-floor’ Roadster (est: £225-275,000)

This classic Jaguar is the 31st right-hand drive E-type Roadster built, and has had just two owners from new, and one owner since December 1961.

Its first keeper measured 6ft 5in and struggled to fit in the car, so sold it to the current custodian. It was bought as a company car, but after three years he entered a hillclimb and set the third fastest time.

He later entered the E-type into a race at Mallory Park, driving the car to and from the circuit, and finished third. The car was then converted into a proper racing car, with Weslake engine tuning. It was towed to the circuit with an Aston DB5, and mixed it with exotic machinery.

It was highly successful in Modsport Racing, but after an accident at Mallory Park, the owner and the car retired from competition.

It was stored for many years, but dusted off for a complete restoration to original specification, but with some of its motorsport tweaks still present.

21. 1959 Cooper Monaco-Climax Type 49 Sports-Racing Two-Seater (est: £260-320,000)

Here’s another car with period Goodwood racing history. This Cooper Monaco-Climax Type 49 was entered by John Coombs, the Guildford-based Jaguar dealer, into the 1959 RAC Tourist Trophy. The driver pairing was stellar: future triple World Champion driver Jack – later Sir Jack – Brabham and his former Cooper works teammate Roy Salvadori, fresh from his victory with Carroll Shelby in that year's Le Mans 24 Hours. Sadly that race would end in retirement due to a sheared steering arm bolt. 

Brabham also drove this car across Europe and the UK that year, before taking it to the Bahamas Speed Week events.

In 1960 the car was sold to amateur racer Sam Weiss, who won and set the fastest lap in the car at Cotati, near San Francisco. Two meetings later Weiss crashed the car, killing himself in the process. The damage was relatively light, and it later appeared with Van Housen Motors.

This Cooper’s competitive life continued until 1963. By the 1970s the car was back in England and road registered; in the 1980s it was in the stewardship of German racer and Bugatti stalwart Thomas Bscher. It has had several owners across Europe since, and has been campaigned in historic racing for several years.

22. 1997 Bentley Continental T (est: £95-100,000)

The Bentley Continental T was something different from Crewe – pumped up, more aggressive, but no less exclusive.

At the time of launch, its £220,312 price-tag made it Bentley’s most expensive car. It was a truly special machine, with around 400bhp and 4in taken from the wheelbase.

Just 322 were made, and this one benefits from a 1998 specification 426bhp upgrade. It has covered 90,000 miles.

23. 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SL (est: £140-150,000)

Just two owners have enjoyed this 280SL Pagoda, with the late custodian buying the car from its elderly first owner in 2013.

The original keeper had several cars and the Pagoda was always kept garaged and rarely used, covering 59,000 miles. It’s now on 61,612 miles.

Though the service book has been lost, it has had new wings and a repaint in white, and it is being sold with its hardtop.

24. 1964 Morris Mini ‘Cooper S’ 1,275cc Competition Saloon (est: £45-50,000)

This is the car built for celebrity chef and avowed car enthusiast James Martin. Built from a standard 848cc, it was built by Acespeed with a Swiftune engine and gearbox, plus Koni dampers.

James Martin campaigned it at the Silverstone Classic, Croft and Zandvoort. In 2013, the car was raced at the Goodwood Revival by Martin and Andy Harrison, finishing 14th overall on aggregate. For the 2015 Goodwood Revival, Martin was partnered with Jason Plato, ending up in 11th place. 

This Mini was bought by its current owner in 2018 and sent to Swiftune for race preparation. It has continued its racing career, but in more recent times the car has been treated to a full restoration, which was completed in December 2021.

25. 1988 BMW M3 (E30) Group N Racing Car (est: £50-70,000)

This BMW M3 started life as a standard road car in Italy, but was transformed into a Group N racing car in the mid-2000s. It competed at Varano, Adria and Imola. 

Its next owner campaigned the car across Italy, with the last recorded race being at Mugello on 4-5 September 2015 as part of the Campionato Italiano Autostoriche, where he finished first in class.

Looked after by Roberto Restelli of Alfa Delta, the car had an engine rebuild in 2015.

To see this and all the other cars consigned to Bonhams’ Goodwood Revival auction on 17 September 2022, please click here.