Hugely Varied Entry to Historics September 23rd Classic Car Auction

With more than 150 entries, Historics 23rd September Classic Car Auction at Brooklands Museum promises to be its biggest ever.

Whether your interest is in classic Jaguars, Ferrari supercars, Porsches, Aston Martins, Americana, or quintessentially English automobiles, the sale offers something for everyone. 

This barn-find 1955 Jaguar XK140 is a genuine RHD example (only one of 480 built) and was first registered on 14th July 1955. The accompanying Heritage Certificate confirms the car retains its all-important original matching number 3.4 litre engine and the body number matches that of the chassis plate. It has been stored in 'barn found' condition since 2008 and is estimated at £35,000 to £45,000.

Anyone who ever drove a Ferrari 550 Maranello felt it could do with a faster gearchange and in 2002, the succeeding 575M Maranello got it with an automated manual F1 gearbox capable of turning its 510HP into a 0-60 of 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 202mph. Handling criticisms were answered by the Fiorano handling pack, which this car has, making it one of the finest classic front-engined V12 Ferraris you can buy. It is estimated at £89,000 to £115,000.

The last of the air cooled Porsche 911s was the 993 that succeeded the 964 in 1993. This example actually dates from 1993, has a 12 stamp service history and new springs and dampers last year. Normally a 911 like this would be twice the estimate of £28,000 - £36,000, but a mileage of 136,000 and a Tiptronic automatic transmission help to make this Carrera 2 one of the most affordable 993s you could buy today.

A lot of attention is being attracted by this 1959 Aston Martin DB4 which, while not perfect, is very sensible estimated at £265,000 to £295,000, less than half what less good looking DB5s have been fetching lately. This car cane from the factory with an up-rated 3.31:1 axle and the engine block was replaced with a later DBS vantage C-Type unit bored out to 4.2 litres and fitted with Cosworth pistons. At the same time, new main bearing shells and big end bearing shells were fitted as well as being treated to a lead-free conversion with larger valves and three SU carburettors together with a new Borg & Beck clutch. So it will go as well as it looks. Only the superleggera bodybowk lets it down in a few places and the scruffy rear bumper has been removed.

While the first C1 Corvette was something of a curiosity sporting a fairly mundane ohv straight 6 from Chevrolet passenger cars, by 1957 the styling has been improved and the option introduced of a fuel injected 283 cubic inch V8. This extremely rare, Trophy Winning 1957 Corvette C1 'Fuelie' is one of only 1,040 ever built. According to the C1 registry, chassis number E57S102614 was sold new on 1st March, 1957 and was built in St. Louis, Missouri. Factory options included the ultimate top-specification 283ci/283hp V8 with Rochester fuel-injection, heater, whitewall tyres, two-tone Polo White paint and even an elusive hard-top (supplied with this example in original condition). The car is totally original including  engine, interior and chassis and manual 3-speed transmission. It is estimated at £50,000 to £55,000.

And if you're into Chevys, this 1967 El Camino may be of interest. Half car, half truck, this '67 was based on the 'mid-size' Chevelle platform so isn't as big as some of its predecessors. It runs a 195HP 283ci V8 with three on the tree automatic transmission and is estimated at £14,000 to £18,000.

And now a car for anyone interested in something quintessentially English, to the extent that the eccentrics in Malvern re-introduced the model a few years ago. But this is an original fire-spitting, JAP engined V-twin from 1933. It left the factory on 3rd Feruary 1933, was leter stripped for a rebuild, then spent a lot of its life in bits and pieces in tea chests until it was unearthed, restored and reconstructed in the early 1960s. It then spent many years as a privately owned exhibit at the National Motor Museum Beaulieu. The 1100cc JAP engine breathes through an Amal carburettor with power fed through a three-speed gearbox with reverse. Finished in Ivory white with contrasting red wheels with black seats and red trim, the car shows a delightful patina throughout. In long-term family ownership for some 59 years and with wonderful provenance and patina, this is one of the finest genuine 1930s Morgan Super Sports in existence. It is estimated at £30,000 to £40,000, which could turn out less than a new one.

If that's a little too quick for you, Historics also has a 1927 Austin 7 Chummy, Britain's answer to the Model T Ford, about a third of the size, and the first mass-market car with a conventional pedal arrangement of clutch, brake and accelerator in that order, left to right. This charming Ausin 7 with bulkhead mounted headlights is estimated at £10,000 to £14,000.

More exciting: a postwar amalgamation of English special building and Mercury V8, the 1947 Allard M-Type DHC. It featured a split front beam axle, effectively made from two beam axles, each shortened to about 3/4 length, as used in the later Mallock U2 and Ford F100 pick-up trucks. Under the hood is a 3,622cc side-valve Mercury V8 and behind it a three speed manual transmission. Estimate: £27,000 to £34,000

Finally, a touch of traditional Eglish luxury in the form of a 1962 Bentley Continental convertible by Mulliner Park Ward. These cars were coach-built and the S2 featured Rolls/Bentley's new 6,230cc aluminium V8 (that was not necessarily a good thing). Standard spec included  electrically operated windows, a power operated hood and hood cover, Dunlop Roadspeed tubeless tyres and luggage straps. Once the property of Newspaper publishing magnate Eddie Shah, £12,455 was spent in 1992 to bring this specialist motorcar back up to scratch. It is extimated at £90,000 to £110,000.

Viewings are Thursday 21st September and Friday 22nd September with the sale starting early on Saturday 23rd September at 10.00am. 

Follow the signs for parking in 'The Heights' at Brooklands rather than via Brooklands Museum or Mercedes Benz World.

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