LONDON – MAY 24
After the April Buxton sale, H&H heads south once more for a return to the splendour of Syon Park – the scene of its record breaking sale last year.
German grandeurEarly entries include a stunning 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K Kombination Roadster, entered from a distinguished private collection. One of only 40 or so special-bodied 500Ks ever made, it was ordered by Eton-educated William Rhodes-Moorhouse, who commissioned Windovers to create the unique and wonderfully extravagant cabriolet coachwork it wears to this day.
The son of a VC-winning war hero of the same name, ‘Willy’ himself became a distinguished fighter pilot and is credited with shooting down a number of enemy aircraft, for which he was honoured with the DFC, before being sadly killed in action during the Battle of Britain.
The car then spent many years in Austria in the ownership of glass magnate Herr Lutzki, before returning to the UK and finding home in what is, without doubt, one of this country’s finest private collections.
Restored in the 1980s, it is street legal, on the button and a joy to behold with its lustrous black paintwork and tan upholstery. It is in the process of being UK registered once more and it is hoped it will once again sport its original number – CLB 828. This beautiful car is estimated to fetch £275,000-375,000.
English eleganceThree years its junior is the incredibly elegant 1938 Alvis Speed 25 Charlesworth Saloon. Resplendent in maroon coachwork with grey trim, this most desirable of Alvises has recently been restored to concours condition by the world’s foremost restorer of the marque, Red Triangle.
With its all-synchromesh gearbox, independent front suspension and lusty 3.5-litre engine, the car was way ahead of its time and remains a force to be reckoned with even today offering, as it does, the option of genuine 100mph performance. This fine motorcar carries an estimate of £48,000 – 55,000.
Competition CooperApparently a Type 51, the ‘barn find’ Cooper Climax belonged to the late Kenneth Mackie of Largs, Scotland for the last 39 years who, in turn, is believed to have acquired it from somebody in Weston-super-Mare.
