November 2021 auction results: A sincere form of flattery

1973 Ford Escort Twin-Cam replica

Sold by Collectingcars.com, £24,250

During the two years that I scraped a living buying and selling classic cars in the 1980s (giving up just before the ‘boom’), a dealer friend bought a superb replica of an RS2000 works rally car for £500, sold it for £850 – and was threatened with court action by the buyer when he realised ‘it wasn’t a real one’. Times have changed. Although street legal, this Twin Cam replica was built for competition and was bristling with modifications, at the heart of which was a tuned 2.4-litre Zetec engine. The attention to detail was excellent – and the price it fetched surely represented a fraction of the build cost. Ouch.

1961 Dolphin America Sports Racer

Sold by Bonhams, £43,855

This pristine Dolphin was sold from the estate of the late LA superior court judge Joseph DiLoreto. The company was set up in 1959 by US engineer Bud Hull and English designer John Crosthwaite.

1968 Husqvarna Viking 360

Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £147,900

The latest of several Steve McQueen-owned Husqvarna bikes to have crossed the block in recent years, this is the one that caused his interest in the marque after he saw Bengt Åberg racing it.

1970 Lamborghini Miura P400S

Sold by Gooding & Company, £942,560

This Miura proved to be the top seller among a collection of seven cars owned by the late Rush drummer Neil Peart. He called the cars, six of which were painted silver, his ‘Silver Surfers’.

1992 Airstream Model 34 Caravan

Sold by Bonhams, £170,580

This 34ft Airstream might well turn up at America’s race tracks serving as team accommodation. It was sold by Hollywood A-lister Tom Hanks, inset, who bought it as a ‘home from home’ to use on location while making films such as Forrest Gump, Sleepless in Seattle and Apollo 13.

1980 Porsche 935 K3

Sold by Gooding & Company, £1.4M

This was the most successful 935 developed by Kremer Racing. It was originally built for Ted Field’s Interscope team, the livery of which it wears today having been the subject of a thorough restoration.

‘Exciting Figures’ racing driver cut-outs

Sold by Bonhams, £153

If you’ve run out of real people to bore with tales of your driving exploits, life-size cut-outs of Jim Clark, Sir Stirling Moss and Mike Hawthorn might lend an ear. Each was from an edition of 100 on foam board.

1962 Ferrari 268 SP

Sold by RM Sotheby’s, £5.6M

Classic car prices may have softened but there are still buyers willing to battle for the best of the best – as evinced by the sale of this former NART Ferrari, which has had just two owners since 1969.

Forthcoming car sale highlights

Bonhams, Knokke-Heist, Belgium
October 10

If the Belgian coast has never been top of your list of destinations, you probably haven’t heard of the resort of Knokke-Heist. Bonhams has held an annual car sale there for more than a decade, with this year’s event being highlighted by a 1994 Bugatti EB110 SS with an engine featuring additional tuning tweaks.

Bonhams, London
November 5

Anyone who’s worried that the shift towards electric-only car production is going to kill classic car values might have their fears allayed by the success of Bonhams’ Golden Age of Motoring Sales. They see big money paid for cars dating back to 1886 – many of which were considered defunct by the 20th century.

Silverstone Auctions, Birmingham
November 12

The star of this sale’s extensive motorcycle section is likely to be a Brough Superior attached to the Alpine Grand Sport Cruiser sidecar with which it was ordered new in 1939. The chair is of the ‘petrol tube’ type designed to carry additional fuel, while extras include Monarch forks and Amal touring handlebars.

RM Sotheby’s, Le Castellet, France
November 19

This sale comprises 75 exceptional cars from the collection of Jean Guikas, the historic racer and classic enthusiast who began buying in 1989 and turned a hobby into one of the most renowned dealerships in Europe. Among the lots are a 1978 Renault-Alpine A442 and a 1993 Jaguar XJ220 C LM