H and H Classics Hosts Rare Feast at Rockingham Castle

Held in association with the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club, the H&H Classics auction at Rockingham Castle on June 21 features many outstanding examples of that marque, including two ex-Motor Show cars: a 1956 Silver Cloud (£20,000-25,000) and a 'garage find' 1957 Silver Cloud Limousine with Freestone & Webb coachwork, reputedly first owned by actress Zsa Zsa Gabor (£5,000-7,000).

Another ex-Motor Show star is a 1953 Bentley R-Type H.J. Mulliner Lightweight Sports Saloon (£20,000-25,000). One of only 34 made, the chassis was built to accept either manual or automatic transmission and is resplendent in Nabha Green, Nabha being the codename of a Mulliner-bodied Phantom IV privately commissioned by the Duke of Edinburgh, which helped Rolls-Royce obtain the Royal Warrant.

Perhaps even more tempting, not least for classic rally enthusiasts, is a 1925 Bentley 3/4.5 Tourer with a fascinating history and a wonderful patina. Chassis 1150 began life as a 3-Litre Light Tourer, fitted with open four-seater coachwork by Freestone & Webb. Service records list early custodians in London, Newcastle-on-Tyne, Narbeth and Kettering, and indicate that parts for the car were sent to garages in Caterham, Exeter and Jersey before the factory lost touch with it in 1936.

A continuation buff logbook (the first was 'torn-up by mistake') indicates that it was re-registered for road use as EVB 740 in June 1946, having acquired two-seater bodywork and a 4.5-Litre engine from a car rumoured to have been in Kenya from 1937-1969. H.M. Bentley (W.O.'s brother) had started creating such 3/4.5 Litre cars by the late 1930s, so Chassis 1150 was perhaps converted in that period before being laid-up during WW2.

Subsequent owners included The Hon Mrs Heather King of Lincolnshire (daughter of Scouts founder Robert Baden-Powell and wife of W/Cmdr John Hall King) and 'Jack' Williamson of Northamptonshire, a well-known Bentley racer, who notified the County Council of a further engine change in April 1955, although no alteration was made to the 25HP rating.

Reportedly restored by William Sykes and Bill Rockell in the early 1970s, Chassis 1150 was returned to 3-Litre power (using an engine from a 1925 Speed Model), rebodied as a Vanden Plas-style Le Mans Tourer and incorrectly re-registered as KU 7678. By 1977 it was in Swedish ownership; some 10 years later it was fettled by marque specialist Richard C. Moss, loaned to Benjafield Club member Philip Strickland for use on the 1997 Pingst Rally and entrusted it to the Bentley Boys for stripping and repainting shortly before the Millennium.

It was then purchased by specialist dealer Stanley Mann, who had it inspected by Brian Fenn of the Bentley Drivers Club and marque expert Michael Hay, who checked and confirmed its chassis number so that it could be issued with an age-related registration.

Sold to its current owner in January 2003, it was returned to 3/4.5 Litre specification two years later by specialist engineers John Ambler & Son, with a new block and appropriate internals enhanced by a four-star diff gear and Payne electric overdrive. It has since been enjoyed on numerous rallies in England, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, France, Spain, Portugal and beyond, completing tours of New Zealand, America and Canada in 2013 with no mechanical issues.

Dismayed to hear that there was another Bentley claiming the same chassis number, the vendor's late husband was relieved to receive confirmation of its identity from the Bentley Drivers Club. Philip Strickland has also recently tested the car and a copy of his written findings is available on request to potential buyers. It is estimated to fetch £300,000-350,000 at the auction on June 21.

Among the less prestigious but equally fascinating cars on sale at Rockingham is a very rare right-hand drive 1937 DKW F5 700 De Luxe Drophead Coupe with Bauer coachwork. The F5 was an advanced machine in its day, with front-wheel-drive, all independent suspension and a 685cc twin-cylinder two-stroke engine, and was advertised with images of Auto Union racing ace Berndt Rosemeyer. It is expected to sell for £15,000-20,000.

Other notable lots include a 1922 Renault 10CV Tourer (£12,000-14,000), a 1970 Maserati Indy 4.2 (£35,000-45,000), a 1969 Citroen ID21 Safari Estate (£6,500-8,500), a 1965 Mini Marcos (£5,500-7,000) and a remarkably original, barn-find 1966 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2 Roadster that spent several years in Japan and displays an unwarranted 47,699km (29,638 miles) on its odometer (£50,000-60,000).


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