BEST
OF BRITISH HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH BEST OF GERMANY - MERCEDES SL JOINS JAGUAR
E-TYPE ON H&H CLASSICS STAND AT LONDON CLASSIC SHOW
H&H ONE OF ONLY FIVE AUCTION HOUSES TO SELL A CAR FOR MORE THAN $10M BRINGS TWO SPECIAL CARS TO LONDON
H&H Classics will feature another beautiful car on their stand at
the London Classic Car Show (ExCel18-21 Feb) – a Mercedes 250SL sports
car from the 1960’s will join a racing E-Type Jaguar.
Both cars will be sold at the H&H Duxford sale later this year in Cambridgeshire on April 20th.
“The 1967 Mercedes-Benz 250SL that will grace the H&H stand in
London shortly, ‘SYR 16F’, must surely be among the best Mercedes-Benz
250SLs available today and carries a guide price of £100,000 -
£120,000,” says Damian Jones, H&H Sales Manager.
The Mercedes’ British owner trained as a mechanic before pursuing a
more lucrative career path. He has had a lifelong passion for
Mercedes-Benz cars and a particular interest in the marque’s ‘Pagoda’
models (so-called because of the distinctive shape of their detachable
hardtop roofs).
A valuation official and concours judge for the Mercedes-Benz Owners’
Club (UK) who even re-named his house ‘The Pagodas’, the vendor went to
great pains when having ‘SYR 16F’ restored during the 1990s.
Whilst not every single ‘nut and bolt’ may have been changed the
majority were and the accompanying ream of invoices extends to one for
new glove-box brackets! Some 16,000 miles later – including trips to
Germany and Switzerland – the results are stunning.
Jones adds: “The nicest W113-series Pagoda that we have had the
pleasure of offering for sale, ‘SYR 16F’ is presented in its original
Silver Grey with Blue livery and retains such niceties as factory-fitted
power steering and automatic transmission.”
H&H Classics stand, number C170, will also feature a special 1961
Jaguar E-Type 3.8 Competition Roadster, ‘9 VPD’, which was among the
very first E-Types to go racing. Shaped by Malcolm Sayer (1916 –1970),
an aircraft and car designer, his most notable work being the C-Type and
D-Type Jaguar sports racers that claimed five Le Mans 24-hours
victories between them as well of course as the immortal E-Type
production car. He spent the last twenty years of his life working at
Jaguar Cars and was one of the first engineers to apply principles of
aircraft design to cars. It is thus hardly surprising that this car has
something of the aerodynamics of an aircraft, but the fact that is was
so beloved by so many has something to do with its sheer artistic
beauty.
Finished in Opalescent Dark Blue livery the 1961 Jaguar Roadster is
estimated to sell for £700,000 - 900,000 at H&H Classics Duxford
sale on April 19-20.
H&H Classics Ltd:
H&H was founded by Simon Hope in 1993 as a specialist
auction house dedicated solely to the sale of collectors’ motorcars and
motorcycles. Some twenty-two years later, the company can boast a
continuous trading history which exceeds that of most UK rivals. The
company is staffed by hands-on enthusiasts with over 600 years combined
experience, and its specialist valuers are among the most knowledgeable
in the industry.
H&H has had the pleasure of handling everything from
1890s London to Brighton runners through to 1990s Formula 1 cars, not to
mention a variety of iconic motorcycles and holds a considerable number
of World Record auction prices.
With the head office near Warrington, Cheshire but
specialists based throughout the country, H&H holds regular sales at
the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, Donington Park in Leicestershire,
Chateau Impney in Droitwich, and the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club
Annual Concours & Rally. H&H Classics Ltd, The Motor House,
Lyncastle Road, Appleton, Warrington, WA4 4SN. Company Number: 02852199.