First F1 Brabham sells at auction

1962 Brabham-Climax BT3

Sold by Bonhams, £325,000

A fabulous piece of history, this was the first Formula 1 car to carry Jack Brabham’s name and was also the first Brabham to score an F1 point.

Featuring a 1500cc Coventry-Climax V8 mounted in Ron Tauranac’s brilliant spaceframe chassis, its BT3 designation came from the initials of the two business partners’ surnames. After passing through the hands of various racers – including Ian Raby and John Scott-Davies – the car was bought by Tom Wheatcroft in 1970. He restored it, and it formed a key part of his Donington Collection, from which it was acquired by the vendor.

1989 Ferrari Testarossa

Sold by Bonhams, £120,000

This car was given to Gerhard Berger before the start of his final year with Scuderia Ferrari. He was reunited with it decades later and signed the dashboard and engine bay at the owner’s request.

1991 Williams FW14

Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £3.5m

A true piece of F1 history, FW14-5 was not only driven to five GP wins by Nigel Mansell, it was also the actual car with which he famously gave a ‘taxi ride’ to Ayrton Senna at the end of the British GP.

1994 Porsche 968 Club Sport

Sold by Historics, £36,400

Although out of production for more than 25 years, the 968 Club Sport is still regarded as one of the best track day cars ever made. This one had covered just 27,000 miles from new.

1990 Honda VFR750R

Sold by Silverstone Auctions, £65,250

Finding any example of this thoroughbred Honda road-going racer is difficult enough – but there surely won’t be another chance to own one ‘as new’ with just two ‘push’ kilometres on the clock. The bike was previously in the collection of Honda historic parts guru David Silver.

1984 Ford Granada 2.8 Estate

Sold by Hampson Auctions, £3938

This liveried rally support vehicle was prepared for an event that was cancelled due to Covid. It was equipped with full-size tyre rack, bucket seats and Minilite wheels fitted with rally-style rubber.

1956 AC Ace

Sold by Bonhams, £390,000

Only the sixth Bristol-engined AC Ace to have been built, this was delivered new to Belgian racer and AC importer Jacques Swaters. It was entered by Armand Blaton for Le Mans ’59 but didn’t take part.

1964 Citroën 2CV 4×4 Sahara

Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £110,000

This was one of the ultra-rare Saharas that featured four-wheel drive thanks to a second engine that powered the back axle. It ended up in the UK where it was restored by a former Citroën employee.

Forthcoming sale highlights

H&H, National Motorcycle Museum
Solihull, July 20

H&H is furthering its reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the world of classic motorcycle auctions with this 200-plus lot affair which features everything from pioneer machines to modern classics. Desirable bikes includes a 1963 BSA Rocket Gold Star with A10 Super Rocket engine and Gold Star frame.

RM Sotheby’s
Monterey, August 19-20

We’ll have a comprehensive round-up of all auctions taking place during Monterey Car Week, but this serves as advance notice for any Mercedes-Benz Gullwing fans: the RM Sotheby’s sale will include the most desirable iteration of the breed – an all-alloy model that was the 14th of 29 built and fully restored.

Bonhams, Moto dei Miti Museum
Civita Castellana, Italy, October 1-2

If you love classic Italian motorcycles, this sale is not to be missed, not least because the sale is in the Moto Dei Miti Museum of Genesio Bevilacqua, the founder of Althea Racing, winner of the 2011 Superbike World Championship. The museum is normally open to those who pay an annual fee.

The Jim Taylor Collection, Broad Arrow Auctions
Gloversville, New York, October 14-15

The fledgling auction house has landed a coup with this remarkable single-owner collection of more than 120 cars, which is highlighted by a ‘pampered’ 1955 Jaguar D-type that’s said to be one of the most original examples of the model in existence.