It’s a car collector’s wet dream: two legendary 1950s Aston Martins, both finished in iconic British racing green, are being offered for sale this season. The first is the ultra-rare 1954 DB3S (above) which played a starring role in Checkpoint, one of the most famous motor racing films of the Fifties, centered on the Mille Miglia. Today it’s arguably the most original surviving production DB3S and a world-class four-wheeled work of art. In ’53, the first year of works competition, the DB3S won every race it entered except the Le Mans 24 Hours.
London’s Post Vintage has not quoted a price for the car but if you have to ask…. Meanwhile at Bonhams’ Aston Martin auction in Newport Pagnell on May 22 the starring lot is sure to be the famed VMF 65 – the ex-Works 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Team Car raced by such legendary drivers as Stirling Moss, Peter Collins and Roy Salvadori. Built to race in that year’s Le Mans, it never made it to the track having suffered an accident en route, but went on to claim many more victories. It carries an estimate of £380,000 - £440,000, or topping out at almost $700,000 for those keeping score at home.
London-based TMB Artmetal, makers of “provenance” items fashioned from actual bits of automotive, aeronautic, locomotive and maritime icons whose Spitfire sculpture we wrote about a few months back, has come out with limited edition cufflinks made from the Prince of Wales’ prized 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Volante. TMB has created 200 pairs of the links in two designs, formed from the original aluminum engine pistons which were removed when the Prince recently converted the car, a 21st birthday present from the Queen, to run on biofuel.
Each design finished with 18ct gold comes in a limited edition of 100 pairs. One edition is an exact, miniature sculpture of the DB6 Volante, whilst the other replicates the car’s iconic wheel spinners – the quick-release fixing that secures the Aston’s wheels. Each pair comes accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and is priced at £995 or about $1,600, with all profits going to the royal’s youth charity, The Prince’s Trust. Charles has been on an eco-kick of late, and has also converted his Jaguars, Audi and Range Rovers to run on 100 per cent biodiesel.
It was a hallmark of the international sporting set in the grand old days that a gentleman always brought along a handsome pair of field glasses in a fitted leather case when attending race meetings, horse shows, steeplechases and the like. Ditto while on safari, conducting military campaigns and observing regattas. Often they were of solid brass and wrapped in saddle leather, a worthy accessory to the morning coat, silk topper, or club blazer. Now the famed French house of Hermès has revived the habit with a stylish new set of binoculars. Wrapped in Hermès’ signature saddle leather, with a handstitched leather carrying strap, they’re priced at about $2,500.
Though it’s not an official collaboration, to our trained eye the binoculars themselves appear to be Leica’s compact, super-sharp Ultravid model from their sports optics collection (Hermès owns a stake in the famed German camera-maker). Whether attending cricket at Lords, polo at Windsor, Wimbledon, the regattas at Henley and Cowes, or especially Royal Ascot, these are essential kit. Remember the words of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Hedworth Meux (1856 – 1929) on Ascot: “The best horses in the world and the prettiest women are seen on the Royal Heath. We racing men go to see the horses, non-racing men such as Lord Curzon go to look at the women.” We of course do both.
© Copyright 2010 Duncan Quinn. All Rights Reserved.
The legendary Ferrari 250 GTO, of which only 39 were made between 1962 – 1964, is one of the most beautiful cars in the world. No doubt that’s why a British businessman is said to have shelled out $28 million for one in 2008, making it the world’s most expensive car as well. Certainly longtime owners like Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, Ralph Lauren, Anthony Bamford and of course Ferrari’s own museum will never part with theirs at any price. Small wonder then that Ferrari plans to revive it in the form of a GTO version of the 599XX, which insiders believe will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this spring.
An earlier effort to revive the revered classification (which stands for Gran Turismo Omologato), the 288 GTO produced from 1984 – 1986, has of course not quite lived up to the legend, so the 599 will no doubt be greeted with a certain degree of skepticism. Rumor has it the new model will kick out 700 hp and be capable of 0 - 62 mph in 3.2 seconds with a hypothetical top speed of 215 mph. In all likelihood fewer than 500 will be made at a price of about $465,000. Of course you could trade your 250 GTO for 62 of the new ones…
© Copyright 2010 Duncan Quinn. All Rights Reserved.
One of the last great private steamships of the 1920s has been put up for sale at a cool $70 million. Built by automobile magnate Horace Dodge in 1921 in order to outdo rival mogul J.P.Morgan’s Corsair, the 257-ft. SS Delphine was fitted out with an interior by Tiffany & Co. and every conceivable luxury a gentleman could wish for on the high seas. Constructed at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in Michigan, she was pressed into service during World War II as the flagship for Admiral Ernest Joseph King, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Navy, and Churchill and Roosevelt are said to have met aboard her prior to convening the Yalta Conference with Stalin in 1945.
After the war the Delphine was reacquired by the Dodge family and following many years of idleness eventually went to rack and ruin, seemingly destined for the scrapyard. However, a Belgian clothing tycoon rescued the ship before it was dismantled, and spent some $60 million returning it to its former glory, steam engines and all. Kitting it out with the latest technology was effected extremely unobtrusively, while original fixtures like the telegraph in the mahogany pilothouse remain. Along with accommodations for 26 guests and 28 crew members, there’s a music salon, cinema, fitness center, spa, sauna, smoking room and swimming pool. A little short on the $70 million at the moment? Not to worry, until she’s claimed by a new owner the Delphine can be chartered for a mere $90,000 per day.
© Copyright 2010 Duncan Quinn. All Rights Reserved.
Pawel Litwinski / Gooding & Co.
Time to kick your car collection into high gear for the New Year – on January 23 Gooding & Company is offering some exceptionally pedigreed European motors at its annual Scottsdale Auction. Aesthetics-wise our pick of the lot is the 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet (above), expected to fetch over $2.2 Million, one of only 40 Series 1 Pininfarina Cabriolets ever built. Upon its completion, the car was immediately shipped to the United States to be proudly displayed on Ferrari’s New York Auto Show stand, and the sale marks the first time one of these babies has crossed the auction block in many a year.
Considered by connoisseurs to be among the most beautiful Ferraris ever made, it’s sure to make a strong showing. Equally alluring is a highly coveted 1956 Jaguar D-Type Sports Racer, painted cream with blue racing stripes, expected to fetch above $3.5 million. This particular model is known for a victory at the Pomona Six-Hour Enduro race in 1959, the D-Type’s last big win in the USA. There’s also a stunning 1959 Costin Lister Jaguar Sports Racer on offer if your budget’s more in the $1.5 million range.
© Copyright 2010 Duncan Quinn. All Rights Reserved.
Many motorcycling enthusiasts regard Norton as the British Motorcycle Industry’s swansong. The company is certainly not letting down the side with its two stylish new bikes introduced for 2010: the 961 Commando Café Racer and Sport. Both feature an air-cooled 961cc engine delivering 79 hp and 65 lb-ft of torque. The new models build on the buzz generated by the limited edition Commando 961SE (above), and share the exclusive model’s same engine and chassis, though not its carbon fiber components.
Suspension is provided by adjustable Ohlins shocks while Brembo brakes provide stopping power. The Commando 961 Café Racer includes a fly screen, clip-on handlebars and sports exhaust, while the Sport has chromed tubular steel handlebars. The Norton Commando 961 Café Racer and Sport are available in four color combinations: black and gold, red and gold, yellow and black, and silver, red and black. The Café Racer retails for $ 22,200 while the Sport retails for $19,730. Not bad at all for such a stylish ride.
© Copyright 2010 Duncan Quinn. All Rights Reserved.
Parfumier Creed of Paris, founded in 1760, has decided to offer an extremely limited quantity of a bespoke cologne created for King Edward VIII in 1936 to the well-heeled public. Dubbed Windsor, the exclusive scent is made from ingredients grown in the British Empire, and can be seen as a sort of olfactory tour of the colonies Edward once ruled. Of course old Ed abdicated his throne that same year in order to marry a girl called Wallis Simpson and subsequently became the Duke of Windsor. He was of course a man of impeccable taste and that’s reflected in the fragrance.
As subtly elegant as his suits and ties, its top notes are British gin, Jamaican lime and a touch of Scottish highland pine; the middle note the variety of Nuits de Young roses now known as the “Duke of Windsor”; and the bottom notes Bahamian orange, Canadian cedar and a dab of Australian eucalyptus. Windsor is presented in a shatterproof 1.7 oz. leather-wrapped bottle numbered by laser and signed by sixth-generation master perfumer Olivier Creed. Only 320 bottles will be available in the U.S. for $400.
© Copyright 2010 Duncan Quinn. All Rights Reserved.
Steve Petrovich
Thanks to James Bond 1960s Aston Martins are an automotive icon for the ages – not that the marque really needed any help from 007. Among collectors the extremely rare competition versions of the street legal swifties are highly prized, of course; one such model, a 1963 Aston Martin DB4 GT, one of only 75 built, will cross the auction block on Jan. 21 during RM Auctions’ Automobiles of Arizona event at the Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix, which this year features a special night of Britain’s best. The example on offer is the last DB4 GT built and sold by Aston’s Newport Pagnell Factory.
The competition variant of the DB4, the model was formally introduced in September 1959 at the London Motor Show the year Aston won the World Sportscar Championship title. It was based on the race winning prototype SP199/1, which won its first outing at Silverstone in May 1959 with the great Stirling Moss at the wheel and was one of the first cars away at Le Mans that June. The car underwent a complete restoration and handles beautifully even when topping out at 150 mph. Expected to fetch $950,000 – $1,000,000, we say it’s cheap at twice the price.
London-based TMB Art Metal, makers of “provenance” sculptures, cufflinks and other items fashioned from actual bits of automotive, aeronautic, locomotive and maritime icons, has come out with a new limited edition Spitfire Mk 1 sculpture stylish enough to adorn any gent’s library or office. Made in a limited edition of 24, the sculptures are crafted of aluminum originating from the Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk III engine fitted to X4276 KL-B, legendary RAF ace Al Deere’s personal Supermarine Spitfire for the latter part of the Battle of Britain and 1940, which crashed on 28th December of that year.
Numbers 1 to 12 will be mounted upon the twelve original pistons removed from X4276’s V12 Merlin and numbers 13 through to 24 upon the 12 beautifully engineered original engine conrods. All are supported by purposefully made bronze stalks with precision engineered ball and sockets which facilitate movement so the sculptures can be placed in various attitudes of ‘flight’. All sculptures are set upon a mahogany and burr walnut plinth and come with a certificate of authenticity signed by one of the original Supermarine test pilots. Now that’s what we call art.
