Auction results: January 2023

1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

Sold by RM Sotheby’s, Price undisclosed

Sold through an RM Sotheby’s sealed bids auction, this remarkable 300SL had been a constant in vendor Martin Cushway’s life since the day he was born in 1963. Collected new from the factory by his father, it had covered 380,000 miles as a result of numerous continental trips which included several non-stop 27-hour drives from Britain to Portugal. Cushway Jr recalled lying beneath the folded-down roof as a boy while his father drove across Europe at high speed. It was the 17th-from-last SL produced and, despite its high mileage, had needed just two engine rebuilds and one repaint.

1929 Grindlay Peerless

Sold by Bonhams, £74,750

A 500cc motorcycle that was bought second-hand in 1935 for £30 by enthusiast Edmond ‘Boy’ Tubb, who won a coveted Brooklands Gold Star six months later by lapping the circuit at 102mph.

1959/62 TVR Grantura

Sold by H&H, £27,225

This sold for £18,000 in 2019 on behalf of its first private owner, who’d acquired it from the works in 1962 believing it to be new. It turned out to have been the 1959 factory development car.

1969 Lamborghini Miura S

Sold by Artcurial, £1.2m

Considering fewer than 800 Miuras were built and only around 400 survive, it’s remarkable how many turn up from hiding. This garage-find had belonged to its 87-year-old French owner for almost 50 years.

1990 CitroËn 2CV6 club

Sold by Bonhams, £26,730

Once considered a comedy car, the 2CV is now recognised as genius engineering and models of all ages are sought-after. This example had 10 miles from new – an unwanted gift from father to son.

1974 Porsche 914 LE 2.0 Can-Am

Sold by Collecting cars, £18,400

This was one of 1000 special edition 914s built to celebrate Porsche’s 1973 Can-Am victory. Of those, 500 were finished in the ivory and red ‘Creamsicle’ livery and this was one of only 111 to have survived.

1960 Plymouth Fury/Herter’s speedboat

Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £53,750 

Anyone who has read Stephen King’s automotive horror novel Christine will know about the Fury’s distinctive lines. This un-haunted example came complete with a matching Herter’s speedboat.

1974 Ducati 750SS

Sold by Bonhams, £172,500

Only 401 examples of Ducati’s round-case, blue-frame Ducati 750SS were built and genuine examples are among the most in-demand of all classic bikes – as this example demonstrated.

Forthcoming sale highlights

• RM Sotheby’s, Munich, germany, November 26
  This new fixture on RM Sotheby’s sale calendar sees the auction house set out its stall at Munich’s Motorworld, a venue described as the city’s “centre of driving culture, lifestyle and events”. The former repair shop on the Munich-Freimann railway has been redeveloped into a venue housing a range of high-end car brands, automotive businesses, workshops, shops, restaurants and a hotel.
• Mecum, Kansas City, us, December 1-3
  Should you be in the market for a late-20th-century Chevrolet Corvette in red livery, you’re in luck: Mecum’s Kansas City sale at the Convention Center will feature no fewer than 15 of the things built between 1984-96, all being offered at no reserve and all with very low mileage. The cars are from a single-owner collection and will be among a vast selection of lots ranging from a 2007 Mini convertible to a Hummer stretch limo.
• H&H, Solihull, December 7
  This final, major motorcycle auction of 2022 takes place at the National Motorcycle Museum. Among the 400 or so lots will be a selection of Vespa and Lambretta scooters that includes a 1954 Vespa Douglas that was discovered during a probate valuation having been laid-up in a garage for 62 years. Found with the one-owner machine was its original bill of sale, accessory brochures, petrol ration books and photos taken during a European tour.
• CCA, Warwickshire, December 10
  This pre-Christmas sale of ‘everyman classics’ from Silverstone Auctions sub-brand CCA will include a broad spectrum of more-affordable collector cars ranging from restoration projects to ‘young timers’ and interesting but practical daily drivers. Fast Ford fans will be drawn to a 1988 Escort XR3i that has covered 2849 miles from new. It’s being offered ‘without reserve’, but expect a record, not a bargain.