Cars for sale
Star lot @ Sotheby’s 1928 Mercedes 680S Torpedo Avant-Garde
{ Villa Erba, Lake Como, May 27 }
Thought to be the only survivor of three short-screen cars built by the stylish Parisian coachbuilder; 6.7-litre straight six with on-demand Roots-type supercharger boosting to 180hp, disappearing top, lizard-skin interior, displayed at 1920 New York Auto Show. Full US restoration; Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este winner. Estimate: €6.5-8m
UNDER THE HAMMER
Key highlights at classic and racing auctions from around the world
Motostalgia
@ Amelia Island, USA March 11
1938 Auto-union Wanderer W25K
Sold for $104,500
1918 Stutz Bearcat
Sold for $209,000
1967 Datsun Fairlady oadster
Sold for $15,400
H&H
@ Duxford, UK March 29
1964 Ferrari ‘Nembo’ spider
Rebodied 330GT, rhd, 4-litre V12, proceeds go to East Anglia Air Ambulance. Sold for £609,000
2001 Ferrari 360 spider
Previously owned by David Beckham, 7800 miles from new. Sold for £92,000
1978 Ford Capri 3.0 S
Sold for £18,281
1979 Lotus Esprit Commemorative model.
Sold for £38,250
1979 Bitter CD
Opel-based small-production coupé with 5.4-litre Chevy V8. Sold for £67,500
CCA
@ NEC, UK April 1-2
1985 BMW 635CSi
Exceptional example of 1980s executive express. Sold for £31,900
1960 Mercedes-Benz 190SL
Barn-find condition. Sold for £73,700
1973 Bond Bug
Restored 1970s cult transport. Sold for £7700
Auctions America
@ Ft Lauderdale, USA April 2
1963 Mercedes-Benz 190SL roadster
One of the last of the Gullwing’s less sophisticated brothers; fitted with disc brakes. Sold for $1.2m
1970 Intermeccanica Spider
Italian looks, American V8 power. Sold for $132,000
1966 Sunbeam Tiger
Another Anglo-American co-operation, with 260ci Ford V8. Sold for $99,000
1960 Fiat Jolly
Twin-cylinder fun for good weather. Sold for $85,000
@ Auburn, USA May 11
2012 Ferrari 458 GTD
2014 Daytona class-winner. Estimate: $225-275,000
1953 Nash-Healey roadster
Trans-Atlantic mix of Nash straight six, Healey chassis and Pininfarina styling. Estimate: $80-100,000
2012 HPD ARX-03
IMSA car. Part of liquidation sale of Level 5 Motorsports. Estimate: $75-100,000
Silverstone Auctions
@ Silverstone, UK MAY 13
1991 Porsche 944 Cabrio
Seemingly forgotten Porsche, but an excellent package. Estimate: £25-30,000
1978 Jaguar XJC
Good-looking coupé version of XJ saloon; Jaguar’s famous V12 on board. Estimate: £26-30,000
RM Sothebys
@ Villa d’Este, USA may 27
2014 Ferrari LaFerrari
Maranello’s staggering 950hp hybrid supercar; 180km since new. Estimate: €2.6-3.2m
1988 Porsche 959
Road version of 4WD tech-fest that raced and rallied. Estimate: €925,000-1m
1935 Bugatti Type 37 Atalante
Prototype of this design, bodied by Bugatti. Estimate: €2.8-3.2m
Dream Garage Jensen CV-8
Although Jensen could boast A FEW forward-looking innovations its time – glassfibre bodywork, seat belts as standard and, in the FF, full-time four-wheel drive – the firm never quite resolved the front-end styling on its home-grown range before Touring took a hand with the Interceptor. Varying noses graced the 541 and 541R before the CV-8 arrived with its bold double headlamps – and if you’ve ever felt it looked unfinished, that’s because, as the chromed surrounds suggest, it was originally meant to wear Perspex covers over its headlamps. In the end these were deleted for production due to worries about light distortion, but some owners have reinstated them, giving a more complete look.
And if you fall for the one that Classicmobilia is offering, that option will be open to you too. With a Chrysler V8 under that sculpted bonnet it’s not short of animal energy: at the time it was one of the fastest devices on offer, with the 0-60mph marker coming up in less than seven seconds. A top speed of almost 140mph may not impress so much today, but it’s all about the way it gets there – loud and strong. Contemporary reports gave it a thumbs-up for handling and comfort, and those rear seats are just about adult-sized so it’s arguably at the crossover between indulgence and practical transport.
Choosing a big, under-stressed V8 instead of the previous heavy Austin straight six made a lot of sense: the US-sourced unit was well developed and reliable and instantly pitched this characterful machine to front of the traffic-light Grand Prix. Of course a machine like this, hand-built in West Bromwich, could never be less than costly – at £3500 it was twice the price of a Jaguar MkII. But every cop and robber had one of those…
Only about 500 CV-8s were built between 1962 and 1966, when the steel-bodied Interceptor swished onto the scene in its stunning Italian tailoring. This example, a MkII with the larger 6.3-litre V8 and a few minor improvements, has twice been a museum exhibit, in America and Austria, but it’s no static display item: it has been recommissioned and Jensen specialist Cropredy Bridge has replaced worn parts, rebuilt the gearbox and completely rewired it. The result is the proverbial businessman’s express, a usable grand tourer with a bootful of exclusivity. And if you dig, those lamp covers are findable…