On June 23rd RM Auctions is staging a staggering sale of classic British motorcars during the Salon Privé, an English garden party-style car show and luxury goods fair at Syon Park, the sprawling London estate of the Duke of Northumberland. There will also be a Concours d’Elegance highlighting categories including the Ferrari 250 Competizione and motorcycles from the Steve McQueen era. Dubbed the “Quintessentially English†sale, the auction features a range of desirable examples from famed UK marques made during the last century, with estimates ranging from about £50,000 – £500,000. We were especially taken with some of the hand-finished details on the cars, pictured here.
Among the avarice-inducing vehicles on offer are a number of Bentleys including a 1929 Speed Six ‘Le Mans’ Style Tourer and a 1955 R-Type Continental Fastback; several Jaguars including a 1960 XK150 3.8S Fixed Head Coupé and a 1967 Jaguar E-Type Series 1½ 2+2 Coupé; a plethora of Aston Martins including a 1937 15/98 Roadster, a 1962 DB4 Series IV Vantage Coupé, a 1964 DB5 Coupé, and a 1977 V8 Series III Coupé.; and a few examples of lesser-known models including a 1952 Tojeiro MG Barchetta Sports Racer, a 1961 Sunbeam Alpine Harrington Coupé, a 1960 AC Aceca Bristol, and a 1976 Jensen Interceptor Mark III Convertible.
Jared Paul Stern is the editor of DRIVEN.
All images courtesy of RM Auctions.
I’m going to need a mop.
oh man! beautiful.
Dear god I love these….I’ll have to buy 2 or 3.
Unbelievable…
I’m genetically predisposed to love swoopy, fastback coupes (me: ’63 356). My mom had that Jag E-type and I remember how loooooooong it took me to wash it as a kid – that long-ass nose!
To me there is always the conflict of owning a work of art like that where the enjoyment is to use it as it was intended to be used or to keep it in pristine condition.
The 1964 Aston DB5 just does it for me! Being a Bond fan it’s just perfect. And to this that back in Goldfinger (the first time the Aston appeared in a Bond movie) they had to buy them. They brand didn’t think it would be great publicity! lololol…
I would give a bit of my left pinky for one of those! Not all of it. Just a little.. lol…
It’s too bad that automotive brands nowadays don’t do cars with this much style. I can’t really remember of any current model that will live to be a classic like the ones depicted above.
Great Post as usual Michael..
There’s an E-Type like that one for sale down the street from me. You guys want it?
gorgeous. that ’92 Vector on the RM site is unbelievably awesome….
@ Ryan Hines:
I’ll have my people call your people to call their people. I’m interested. We’ll start there.
Enzo Ferrari supposedly said the e-type was the most beautiful car in the world.And he was from a competing car co. at that!!
Car porn at it’s finest!
“And I’m spent!”
@ Ryan Hines:
They’ve only got one down the street from you? I was hoping to buy a family pack.
That E Type Jag is the dream.
That Aston is near-perfect.
I agree with S&R – the Aston is outstanding. Great post.
Our genteel cousins can really do the work when it comes to petrol fired beautiful can’t they?
My heart says Aston, but everything else says that E-Type for best in show. I still would have liked to have seen a Lancia in the mix…that’s right I said it, a Lancia.