Matthew Steeples reports on the sale of a £333,333 ‘pimped’ 1996 Hummer H1 that rapper Tupac Shakur bought just a month before he was gunned down and killed in a 1996 BMW 750iL leased by the ironically named Death Row Records just as his alleged killer goes to trial
New York born rapper and actor Tupac Shakur – also known as ‘2Pac’ and ‘Makaveli’; born as Lesane Parish Crooks in 1971 – was well known for his love of flash motors and often featured them in his music videos. Whilst the black 1996 BMW 750iL he was shot in on 7th September 1996 is currently being hawked by Celebrity Cars Las Vegas for an astounding £1.3 million ($1.75 million), another of his vehicles is due to be auctioned later this month at a much lower sum just before a suspect in his slaying is finally due to go on trial also.
Purchased new on 16th August 1996 by the All Eyez on Me star and convicted sex offender just a month before he died in a Las Vegas hospital on 13th September that year, Bonhams will sell what was described in 2016 by Page Six as a “fully loaded” Hummer H1.
Made popular after prominence in TV footage during the Gulf War conflict and Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming the first civilian to purchase one, the AM General Humvee – originally known as the HMMWV – was launched to the public in 1992 and later retroactively renamed the H1. Early versions were basically 7’2” fender to fender in length demilitarised HMMWVs that had been adapted to adhere to federal road use requirements. Later versions were far more luxurious. The most extreme included a double decker, stretch limousine version of a H2, as featured in ‘The Steeple Times’ in October 2012.Accompanying the auction listing for the 23rd January sale, Bonhams include a black and white photograph of Tupac Shakur in the vehicle.Another image of the star shared widely online shows him waving from his blinged up beast.The 1996 BMW 750iL in which the rapper was shot on 7th September 1996 has been repeatedly offered for sale at sums quite frankly ludicrous. It currently is priced at £1.3 million through Celebrity Cars Las Vegas. On the fatal night, Shakur had been in Paradise, Nevada to attend the Bruce Seldon vs. Mike Tyson boxing match at the MGM Grand. He had been accompanied by his manager and Death Row Records founder Suge Knight and after the fight as they headed to the Death Row nightclub, Club 662. Stopped by police first at 11pm on Las Vegas Boulevard, but released without a ticket, the convoy in which the BMW travelled was subject to rapid fire on the passenger side from a white, four-door, late-model Cadillac sedan at 11:15pm. Shakur was struck four times whilst Knight was hit by shards only.The rapper had an extensive and varied car collection that included a ‘daily driver’ Rolls-Royce Corniche IV that the website 2PacLegacy.net declared as being something he was “quite proud of” and was “often seen driving.” After his death, however, his mother Afeni Shakur remarked: “I discovered he had next to zero, next to nothing. I discovered that the home that he had thought that he had just bought, was not his. I discovered that the Rolls-Royce that he was so proud of and that he loved so much, was not his. And since they were not his, I didn’t want any part of them.”
The music video for 2Pac featuring Dr Dre’s ‘California Love’ (1996), part of the ‘All Eyez on Me’ album, featured a number of Hummers including the one to be auctioned by Bonhams.
The 6.5-litre, turbo diesel V8 engine beast of a motor was customised for Shakur and features such things as an external PA system with three sirens, a twelve disc Clarion sound system, Sony GPS, a central tyre inflation system, air conditioning, rear sliding glass doors, privacy glass, Dick Cepek off-road lights, diamond plated bumpers and a 12,000 pound winch. Rather brazenly, ’Eliminator’ is proclaimed in large white lettering in the space above the rear driver’s side fender.
After the star’s untimely demise, the vehicle was was appraised at £55,500 ($75,000) in his estate’s inventory, kept in storage for several years, offered in a ‘Picture Me Rollin’ sweepstake in 2003 and then sold in 2007 to Havenotz Entertainment owners Sardar ‘Candyman 187’ Khan and Yaasmyn Fula.
Fula’s connection to the vehicle is relevant in that she was the mother of Shakur’s godbrother Yafeu ‘Yaki’ Akiyele Fula; an Outlawz hip-hop group member nicknamed ‘Kadafi’ in honour of the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. ‘Kadafi’ had also been in Las Vegas on the night of Tupac’s murder, was questioned about the crime by investigators and then was himself shot and killed in New Jersey just two months later in November 1996. He also was seen ‘cruising’ in the Hummer with his godbrother in in Los Angeles during the short period that Shakur owned it.
Subsequently owned by a Canadian collector, the H1 “complete with a very aggressive front guard” was put up for auction in April 2016 for £74,300 ($100,000). The very last car purchased and pimped up by Shakur achieved a punchy £250,446 ($337,114), but that sale subsequently collapsed. It was reoffered at the same reserve in August that year and came with a California plate ‘YAKNPAK’ honouring both Tupac Shakur and Yafeu Fula.
Classic.com report that recent prices achieved for 1996 Hummer H1s have ranged from £30,400 to £81,700 ($41,000 to $110,000); Bonhams will sell this mammoth military-esque motor on 23rd January 2026 at their Scottsdale sale at The Westin Kierland Resort and Spa and have set a very ambitious estimate of £277,800 to £333,333 ($375,000 to $450,000).
Duane ‘Keefe D’ Davis finally goes on trial for his alleged role in the first-degree murder of Tupac Shakur on 9th February 2026. He has pleaded not guilty and has been held in prison without bail since his arrest on 29th September 2023. In an interview with ‘Rolling Stone’ in March 2025, Davis declared: “I’m innocent. I ain’t killed nobody, never did ever kill nobody… I’m supposed to be out there enjoying my twilight at one of my f**king grandson’s football games, and basketball games. Enjoying life with my kids… God got my back, and God will see me through this. He had my back with cancer, I survived the streets, and the FBI. That’s a big accomplishment for a man from Compton.” He previously told ABC: “I shouldn’t have said nothing. I’m innocent, man.” For context, ‘Rolling Stone’ added: “Prosecutors have argued that Davis was a longtime member and leader of group within the Compton, California Crips street gang. According to his indictment, prosecutors argued that Davis orchestrated Tupac Shakur’s murder and provided the .40-caliber Glock. Authorities claim the murder was retaliation after Shakur got into a physical altercation with Crip gang member Orlando Anderson inside a casino after a Mike Tyson fight on Sept. 6, 1996, hours before the deadly shooting.”
Meanwhile, on 9th February, an actor Duane Davis – also known as ‘Keefe D’ – is due to finally face jury trial for the murder of Tupac Shakur after having been charged in September 2023. Davis, who has played minor roles in Diggstown, M.A.N.T.I.S., Psych, S.W.A.T. and Team Knight Rider, is an uncle of the alleged shooter Orlando Anderson. He is also the author of Compton Street Legend, a book about the crime which his defence now claims “is based on self-serving statements made for financial gain” rather than an admission of guilt.
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Further pictures of the 1996 Hummer H1 to be offered at auction by Bonhams:
Matthew Steeples reports on the sale of a rare 1992 Range Rover convertible created for the alleged sex pest playboy Prince Jefri of Brunei and comments on this shamed royal’s similarities to the Range Rover driving alleged sex pest formerly known as Prince Andrew
Both alleged sex pest Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and alleged sex pest Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei have owned rather large and rather gaudy houses that curiously shared the same name, Sunninghill.
The first, Sunninghill Park, situated on the edge Windsor Great Park in Berkshire, England was sold by Queen Elizabeth II’s now disgraced second son in 2007 for a totally overinflated price to a Kazakh billionaire. It was mockingly nicknamed ‘South York’ and ‘Tesco Towers’ and ended up flattened. The second, plainer-without-the-‘Park’ Sunninghill, in Glen Head, Long Island, New York, escaped the wrecking ball, but sold most recently for just £5.5 million ($7.5 million) in 2024 against the £8.7 million ($11.8 million) the renegade Brunei royal had most definitely overpaid for it back in 2006. The 28-acre estate has thankfully been long stripped of the sickening ‘sex statues’ that Prince Jefri ended up in an expensive court case in regard to.
The former Sunninghill, Long Island, USA residence of Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei and the since demolished Sunninghill Park, Berkshire, UK residence of the now former Duke of York and the now former Duchess of York, the money motivated proven liar Sarah Ferguson. Both homes became tainted by their associations with ostentation and grubby excess.Sunninghill, Glenhead, NY – which is just 26 miles from Manhattan – came to public attention in a 2010 court case Prince Jefri brought against former advisers when he unsuccessfully asked a judge to bar a jury from seeing photographs of pornographic statutes of himself and his former personal assistant and former fiancée, Micha Raines. Prince Jefri ultimately lost the case and had to pay out £16.5 million ($21 million) in damages.The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanl Bolkiah, with his since estranged spendaholic brother Prince Jefri.Whilst driving a green Range Rover, the then still Prince Andrew nearly ran over a dog on the Long Walk in Windsor in April 2024. ‘The Sun’ observed: “Andrew took the kerfuffle in good humour and laughed as the dog’s mortified owner sprinted to retrieve it.”On another occasion in December 2021, a woman “of no fixed abode… sprinted up to the [then still] Duke of York’s Range Rover” and “thumped on the window.”The ex-Prince Jefri of Brunei 1992 Land Rover Range Rover Chamois by Vantagefield to be offered for sale by auction by RM Sotheby’s on 23rd January 2026.
Equally, also connecting this pair of dastardly degenerates is that both have owned multiple Land Rover Range Rovers over many decades. Whilst the rotten royal formerly known as Prince Andrew’s Range Rovers have only been adapted with discrete security features such as covert police lighting, Prince Jefri and also his brother the Sultan of Brunei’s examples are on another level in terms of opulence.
Going to auction on 23rd January at the RM Sotheby’s Arizona 206 sale is a 1992 Range Rover described as a “Chamois convertible.” It was coachbuilt by Vantagefield of London – a firm that subsequently went out of business due to non-paying Kuwaitis during the Gulf War not coughing up for similarly ostentatious conversions – and is presented in black with “sumptuous” white leather. It comes with a fully lined, power-operated soft-top and a black removable hardtop also.
Of this fancy 4×4 that was supposedly delivered new to the Brunei royal family at their residence in Beverly Hills, California, RM Sotheby’s remark:
“Designed with hunting in mind, they could be fitted with hydraulic mechanisms to lift the seats above the roofline for unparalleled views of the quarry… An excellent choice for Range Rover enthusiasts seeking a unique variation of a timeless classic, this fascinating, rare convertible will surely stand out wherever it goes, be it cruising beaches or chasing quarry.”
It has 41,406-miles on the clock, but comes without any imagery of Prince Jefri ‘in-action’ in pursuit of “quarry” on the streets of Los Angeles. Offered this coming January without reserve and a guide of £74,000 to £111,000 ($100,000 to $150,000), the vehicle was last sold alongside a second similar example, a 1995 P38-A Range Rover 4.0 SE convertible coupé by German firm Styling Garage in September 1999 to a Southern Californian owner. The latter example was auctioned by RM Sotheby’s in the summer of 2025 and achieved a hammer price of £85,500 ($115,500).
The 1995 Land Rover Range Rover 4.0 SE Convertible coupé by Styling GarageThe “sexually charged” 1994 Range Rover LSE limousine by Townley Cross Country Vehicles. It was sold with a ‘Brucie bonus’ in the form of an invitation to the Cartier ‘Style at Lux’ Concours D’Elegance at the 2020 Goodwood Festival of Speed and innocently described as being perfect for simply “taking your extended family out to lunch” in.
On a flashier scale and also used by Mike Tyson in its later existence, The Steeple Times featured another of Prince Jefri’s Range Rovers in November 2019 when it was auctioned by H&H Classics in the UK. The 1994 Range Rover Classic LSE had been stretched by 40” and had its roof raised by 8” by Townley Cross Country Vehicles; it featured a lavish interior in oxblood Connolly hide, full electric centre division with glass panel; three rear seats (two electrically operated); full air conditioning; stereo/CD player and two remote control 8″ television monitors with a VHS recorder. The lavish limousine reportedly had cost £165,000 ($223,000) new or the equivalent of £351,000 ($474,000) today; it sold for just £33,200 ($45,000).
Unlike with the late Queen Elizabeth II’s former Range Rovers, those owned by alleged sex pest princes most definitely are not in the top league of car porn. A 2006 Land Rover Range Rover 4.2 Supercharged Vogue SE owned by the late monarch hammered down at the Iconic Auctioneers sale at Silverstone in August 2025 for an astonishing £175,500 ($237,000); an example without royal heritage is currently worth around £10,000 ($13,500).
‘Star car’ Rolls-Royce used in classic film ‘Withnail and I’ and that was built for “Santa Claus lookalike” playboy Nubar Gulbenkian for sale for just £135,000 in spite of having had a £190,000 renovation
In a memorable moment in the 1987 classic black comedy Withnail and I, the constantly off-their-skulls protagonists – played by Richard E. Griffiths and Paul McGann – cause a bit of a consternation in a country café in Penrith, Cumbria and have to be spirited away by ‘Uncle Monty’ (played by the larger-than-life and now late, great Richard Griffiths) in his rather regal Rolls-Royce.
The scene went as follows:
Withnail [entering the tearoom, which has an ‘open’ sign displayed, and pointing to a table]: Alright here? Alright here?
Waitress, Miss Blennerhassett: What do you want?
Withnail: Cake.
Waitress: No, we’re closing.
Withnail: We’re leaving in a moment… We want cake and tea.
Teashop proprietor: Didn’t you hear? She said she’d closed. What do you want in here?
Withnail: Cake. What’s it got to do with you?
Teashop proprietor: I have to be the proprietor. Now, would you leave?
Withnail: Ah I’m glad you’re the proprietor. I was gonna have to have a word with you anyway. We’re working on a film up here. Locations, see. We might wanna do a film in here.
Teashop proprietor: You’re drunk.
Marwood: Just bring out the cakes.
Withnail: Cake and fine wine.
Waitress: If you don’t leave, we’ll call the police.
Withnail: Balls! We want the finest wines available to humanity. And we want them here. And we want them now!
Teashop proprietor: Miss Blennerhassett, telephone the police.
Marwood [with his mouth full]: All right, Miss Blennerhassett, I’m warning you, if you do, you’re fired. We are multi-millionaires. We shall buy this place and fire you immediately.
Withnail: Yes, we’ll buy this place and we’ll install a fucking jukebox in here and liven all you stiffs up a bit!”
Teashop proprietor: The police, Miss Blennerhassett. Just say there are a couple of drinks in the Penrith Tearooms and we want them removed.
Marwood: We are not drunks. We are multi-millionaires.
Teashop proprietor: Hurry up, Mabs. We’ll keep them here ‘till they arrive.
Withnail: You won’t keep us anywhere. We’ll buy this place and have it knocked down! [Uncle Monty’s Rolls-Royce pulls up outside the window]
Marwood [pulling back the net curtains of the tearoom]: It’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright… We’re going. Our car has arrived!
Withnail: We’ll be back. We’re coming back in here.
The ‘rescue car’ concerned, a 1953 Silver Wraith Hooper & Company Sedanca de Ville, was originally built for and owned by the extravagant Armenian born socialite business magnate Nubar Gulbenkian. This noted bon vivant – famed for eccentric remarks (a fine selection of which follow below) such as “I’ve had good wives, as wives go, and as wives go, two of them went” and for having brought an £4.7 million lawsuit against his father, Calouste, over the cost of a £1.80 lunch of chicken in tarragon jelly with asparagus tips – specified a speedometer be installed in the rear division “so he could keep an eye on his employee’s progress.”
Now offered for just £135,000 in spite of being subject to a full-scale renovation between 2015 and 2019 that cost £188,680, the car last featured in The Steeple Times when for sale at a price of £195,000 in October 2014. It was offered at auction subsequently but failed to sell in May 2023 and has most recently been owned by a “private collector” in the Isle of Man and the late James Crickmay – a “motoring expert” who rose from a humble salesman to being the chairman of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley “heritage” dealership Frank Dale & Stepsons.
Rather appropriately given it began life with the always nattily attired Gulbenkian, this “unique… piece of motoring history” is now being marketed by the always nattily attired Richard Biddulph of Vintage & Prestige Classic Cars.
The Nubar Gulbenkian ‘Withnail and I’ 1953 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Hooper & Company Sedanca de Ville currently for sale through Vintage & Prestige Classic Cars of Northampton for £135,000; it has previously been offered for sums as high as £195,000 and failed to sell at auction when offered with an estimate of £140,000 to £180,000.The ex-Nubar Gulbenkian Rolls-Royce in a scene in ‘Withnail And I’ being driven by Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths).The first owner of the 1953 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Hooper & Company Sedanca de Ville offered was thrice married London taxi “aficionado” Nubar Gulbenkian – a man famed for a car collection that numbered two Austin FX4 cabs merged with the rear part of former horse drawn Hackney carriages as passenger compartments. Harrow and Cambridge educated Gulbenkian lived between a flat in Arlington House, next to The Ritz Hotel, in London, a former rectory in Hoggeston, near Bletchley in Buckinghamshire and a “sumptuous estate,” the Domaine de Colles, in Valbonne in the South of France.James Crickmay, proprietor and chairman of Frank Dale & Stepsons, owned and enjoyed the car for a considerable number of years.
The Names & Numbers – The Nubar Gulbenkian Withnail and I 1953 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Hooper & Company Sedanca de Ville, chassis number ALW47, registration number XYJ 402
May 2024 – Offered for sale for £135,000 ($169,000, €157,000 or درهم621,000) by the eccentric giant of the Rolls-Royce world Richard Biddulph of Vintage & Prestige Classic Cars of Northampton.
27th May 2023 – Offered for auction with an estimate of £140,000 to £180,000 ($175,000 to $226,000, €163,000 to €209,000 or درهم644,000 to درهم828,000) by Historics Auctioneers at their Ascot Racecourse sale. Listed as having had “a staggering” £188,000 ($235,000, €218,000 or درهم864,000) spent on a “a full mechanical re-build together with some bodywork restoration” by M. J. Pickles Limited of Macclesfield, Derbyshire between May 2015 and May 2019. The car had an odometer reading of 24,036 miles at this time, but did not sell in this sale.
October 2014 – Offered for sale for £195,000 ($244,000, €227,000 or درهم897,000) by Frank Dale & Stepsons Limited and featured in The Steeple Times.
Subsequently (date unknown) – Owned by James Crickmay (16th March 1949 – 24th February 2015) and formed part of his “private collection.” “Motoring expert at heart… and true expert in his field” Mr Crickmay went from being salesman at to the chairman of Rolls-Royce and Bentley specialists Frank Dale & Stepsons Limited after beginning his career in the Merchant Navy.”
Historics Auctioneers remarked: “[Crickmay] used the Silver Wraith regularly for social occasions, family events and the Rolls-Royce annual rally on many occasions, and it was also loaned by James to Lord March for several Goodwood Revival meetings, to chauffeur Lord March’s guests between the circuit and Goodwood House. In more recent times the car has been owned by a private collector on the Isle of Man.”
1953 – The long wheelbase car was built to the specifications of the legendarily eccentric Nubar Gulbenkian (1896 – 1972) – a man who “preferred everything” and one who counted at least four Rolls-Royce Silver Wraiths by Hooper & Company amongst his collection of motor cars.
Of it, in their 2023 auction listing, Historics observed: “This example is delightfully handsome, being built on a long wheelbase chassis and in the style of a Hooper Empress Line coachwork. However, this example is in the ‘Sedanca de Ville’ style and has reptile skin on the dashboard and some of the rear division section. Gulbenkian was known to have liked his chauffeurs to drive in a brisk manner and had a speedometer fitted to the rear division so he could keep an eye on his employee’s progress.”
The witty words of the gregarious gargantuan Nubar Gulbenkian
Of his fortune:
“I’ve been retired all my life, but I’ve also been working hard all my life. A fortune does not look after itself, after all.”
Of his schooling:
“At Harrow, I played no games and had an unpronounceable name and quite soon I was recognised as something of an oddity, but I was accepted on my own terms.”
Of his religious beliefs (and his somewhat whacky eyebrows):
“During Lent I brush my eyebrows down. It’s an oriental religious custom that you must show outward signs of your sorrow.”
Of taking England as his home:
“I get along very well with all honest people. England’s a very fine country, but it takes a long time to learn to take the English. I tell all my foreign friends the first forty years are the hardest.”
When asked to state his “position in life” on a market research form, his answer was:
“Enviable.”
Of his view of his own lifestyle:
“I believe in comfort. I enjoy myself. I enjoy life. I enjoy everything I do.”
“If something is too much of a bore to do thoroughly and with zest, then don’t bother to do it at all.”
When asked whether he preferred old brandy or young women, horses or Rolls‐Royces and city life over country life, he answered:
“I prefer everything.”
On money:
“I have all of it I could possibly desire.”
On business:
“My father always said oilmen are like cats. You can never tell whether they are fighting or making love.”
Asked about his hobbies, he invented a word (coined from Greek):
“Pan taraxia… Keeping people on their toes.”
The well-known gourmet on dinner parties:
“The best number for a dinner party is two – myself and a damn good head waiter.”
On food in general:
“Gastronomy is an art as difficult to master as music or painting, and, for me, much more rewarding. I certainly get more pleasure from working out a menu, discussing the pros and cons of each dish with a chef who knows his business than I do from listening to the best of Beethoven’s symphonies.”
“I never eat bad food. If you wander into any restaurant and want something quick, quick in ten minutes, you’ll get a bad meal and bloody well deserve it.”
Of his sartorial style:
“In England a man cannot be seen around horses without his gloves and hat. One never wears a gray bowler unless he is with horses. It wouldn’t do. It would shock people’s feelings.”
Of the only occasions he would not wear the trademark dark blue orchid that he sported daily:
“When I am in France, on board a French ship or airplane, or at a French Embassy. It is the French custom, in France, for those who have been granted the Legion of Honor to wear the insignia of the order in their buttonhole. I feel it only courteous, to show the respect for the country which granted me the honor, to wear mine instead of an orchid.”
Of how he made his orchid dark blue:
“I dip a white orchid into a mixture of Stephen’s Ink and water – I have got the mixture virtually right by now – let it dry, then shake it out gently – and I achieve a very adequate dark blue orchid.”
On suing his father in 1938 after the elder Gulbenkian upbraided him for having charged a meal of chicken in tarragon jelly with asparagus tips costing £1.80 to petty cash:
“That was surely the most expensive chicken in history.”
(The case was subsequently settled out of court, but the father had to pay £70,700 or the equivalent of £4.7 million today in court costs and lawyers’ fees).
Of his friendship with John Paul Getty:
“Have I got only one Rolls-Royce? Oh come now. I’m not so rich as Mr. Getty, but I not so poor as all that! Mr. Getty asks my wife and me down for a meal at his house, Sutton Place, from time to time. There is always plenty to eat and drink, it is all of good quality, but he does not take such an interest in gastronomy as I do. But then, few people do.”
On taking up hunting shortly after turning 65:
“I’m a huntin’ man,” he said. “Say ‘huntin’ man,’ not ‘hunter.’ A hunter is a horse, not a gentleman. ‘Fancy Nubar Gulbenkian dressing that way,’ they’d say. ‘He should know better.”
On golf:
“It is more satisfying to be a bad player at golf. The worse you play, the better you remember the occasional good shot.”
On owning two remodeled Austin FX4 taxi cabs merged with the rear parts of horse-drawn Hackney carriages:
“I like to travel in a gold‐plated taxi that can turn on a sixpence – whatever that is!”
“I wanted my taxi dolled-up, more comfortable inside and more distinguished outside, without losing its mobility. People recognise it. After a party or an opening they come and tell me where it is and I don’t have to wait.”
On marriage in general:
“I’ve had good wives, as wives go, and as wives go, two of them went.”
Of his second wife, Dora Freeland (married 1928), he stated:
“I certainly cannot blame Doré for our marriage breaking down. It was entirely my fault that it failed. Being younger and more virile than I am now, I succumbed to other charms.”
His third wife, Marie Berthe Edmée de Ayala (married 1948), on their union:
“Of course, he’s a very difficult man to live with, but it’s worthwhile. Don’t you think that all the most amusing, intelligent men would be difficult to live with? Heaven forbid that I should have married a mollusk.”
When a friend from his Cambridge University days, George Ansley, was asked about Gulbenkian, he answered:
“Nubar is so tough that every day he tires out three stockbrokers, three horses and three women.”
Vintage dealer David Lennox on ‘famous faces’ who’ve made significant profits in the world of classic cars; he also gives some advice about a key feature in a classic car – its alternator
Whilst actor Rowan Atkinson’s most expensive car – www.slashgear.com was a 1997 McLaren F1 that he managed to crash twice still sold for a staggering £8.9 million ($11.1 million) sum higher than the £697,000 ($880,000) he originally bought it for new, other big and small screen stars and musicians have also profited from the motors they’ve bought.
In a world where your standard punter’s automotive purchase loses value as soon as it is driven off the forecourt and declines on average by 40% in value during its first year, many are dubious about ‘investing’ in cars. Those that dare to take a punt on a ‘classic car’ – interestingly defined in the UK by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) as one aged over 15 years old – can, however, actually make significant returns.
Amongst five other examples of other classic cars connected to the world of film and television that have made megabucks are:
1 – The 1968 Ford Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in the cop thriller Bullitt was discarded after filming and sold for just £2,800 ($3,500) to Bob Kierman in the 1970s. It sold on for £2.7 million ($3.4 million) at a car show in Detroit – a sum 40 times as much as a ‘normal’ example. In 2020, what was termed a “respectful Bullitt homage,” a 1968 Ford Mustang in Highland green, sold at a Silverstone Auctions sale for £73,000 ($93,000); of it they added: “It should be mandatory to drive this car only in a pair of Persol 714 sunglasses.”
2 – John Lennon’s ‘psychedelic gypsy caravan’ styled 1964 Rolls-Royce Phantom V limousine cost him £6,600 ($8,300) new. He and it were attacked by a woman with an umbrella who yelled: “You swine! How can you do that to a Rolls-Royce?” but was later to sold to a Canadian billionaire named Jim Pattison for £2.4 million ($3 million) in 1985. A more ‘ordinary’ example lacking a ‘famous face’ connection sold for just £90,000 ($114,000) in 2018.
3 – A 1966 Lotus Elan S2 originally owned by actor and comedian Peter Sellers CBE sold at auction for just over £50,000 in 2015 at the NEC Classic Motor Show sale after being featured in The Steeple Times. A similar 1966 example with no connections to a ‘famous face’ is currently on offer for just £17,800 ($22,500).
4 – Another racy run-about, not only also owned by Peter Sellers, but also by Princess Margaret’s husband, Anthony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon and more recently by TV presenter Chris Evans is another example of a ‘star priced car.’
Featured in The Steeple Times in June 2021 prior to being auctioned the following month by Bonhams at their Festival of Speed Sale at Goodwood, the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 was offered with an estimate of £1.3 million to £1.7 million ($1.8 million to $2.4 million). It had cost Peter Sellers just £4,490 new ($3,550); the actor and comedian sold it “at a loss” to the then Viscount Linley in 1965 – whose own son sold it in 2002 to pay towards the death duties incurred by his late mother’s estate.
5 – Though a 1953 Lagonda DB drophead coupé originally owned by Sir Peter Ustinov, CBE FRSA failed to sell with an estimate of £90,000 ($114,000) in July 2017, auctioneers H&H Classics hammered down another ‘grander’ example, one owned by Prince Philip, for £340,000 ($432,000) the previous year. At the time, they remarked: “We sold Prince Philip’s Lagonda for a world record price… so the bar was set high.”
Advice on alternators
When it comes to classic cars, the alternator is a critical component that keeps the battery charged and the electrical system running smoothly.
Unlike modern vehicles, which might have more sophisticated diagnostic tools and electrical systems, classic cars require a more hands-on and attentive approach to identify and resolve issues with their alternators.
This section will guide you through the process of identifying and resolving problems with alternators in classic cars, ensuring that your vintage beauty runs as smoothly as it did in its heyday.
Understanding the alternator
The alternator is the heart of a car’s electrical system, responsible for charging the battery and powering the electrical system when the engine is running. It converts mechanical energy into electrical energy as alternating current (AC), which is then rectified to direct current (DC) suitable for the car’s electrical system and to charge the battery.
A malfunctioning alternator can lead to a dead battery, dimming lights, and ultimately, the car failing to start.
Symptoms of a faulty alternator
Identifying alternator problems early can save you from unexpected breakdowns. Here are common signs of a failing alternator:
– Dimming or overly bright lights: This can indicate that the alternator is not providing a consistent voltage.
– Dead battery: While batteries can fail on their own, a dead battery might also suggest that the alternator is not charging it properly.
– Warning lights on the dashboard: Many cars have a battery or alternator warning light that indicates when there’s an issue.
– Strange noises: A failing alternator can produce odd noises due to worn bearings or belts.
– Electrical issues: Malfunctioning accessories, such as power windows or radio, could point towards alternator problems.
Preventative maintenance
Preventative maintenance can extend the life of your classic car’s alternator and prevent many of the issues mentioned:
– Regular inspections: Routinely check the alternator belt for wear and ensure it is properly tightened.
– Clean terminals: Regularly clean the battery terminals and alternator connections to prevent corrosion.
– Battery maintenance: Keep the battery in good condition, as a failing battery can put extra strain on the alternator.
Conclusion
Maintaining the alternator in a classic car requires a blend of observation, basic electrical knowledge, and sometimes, a bit of detective work. By understanding how to identify and address issues with your alternator, you can ensure that your classic car remains reliable and ready for the road.
Remember, the key to troubleshooting and maintenance is regular inspection and early detection of potential problems. With these tips and a proactive approach, you can keep your classic car’s electrical system in top condition, preserving its legacy and performance for years to come.
The 1968 Ford Mustang GT used by Steve McQueen in the classic film ‘Bullitt’ (top) and an example made as a homage to it (below).John Lennon’s ‘psychedelic gypsy caravan’ styled 1964 Rolls-Royce Phantom V limousine. It certainly set a record price when sold in 1985.The 1966 Lotus Elan S2 originally owned by actor and comedian Peter Sellers CBE (top and centre) and a similar car without any ‘famous face’ connection (below).The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 that was owned by Peter Sellers CBE, the 1st Earl of Snowdon and later Chris Evans.The 1953 Lagonda DB drophead coupé originally owned by Sir Peter Ustinov, CBE FRSA and another example – which sold for a lot more – that was owned by the late Prince Philip.
As Sir Michael Caine turns 90 today, his rather ritzy first car, a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, is set to be auctioned; it was subsequently owned by the rather rambunctious owner of the infamous Gasworks restaurant
Today marks the 90th birthday of Sir Michael Caine CBE. Renowned for such films as The Italian Job, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Zulu, this Academy Awards, BAFTA and Golden Globe award winning actor was born the son of a fish market porter and a char lady in Rotherhithe, East London.
Twice married Sir Michael – whose birth name was Maurice Micklewhite – began acting in the 1950s after completing national service in 1954 and with success came fortune and with fortune came the ability to buy, amongst other things, fancy motors.
Quoted as having once said: “I’m every bourgeois nightmare; a Cockney with intelligence and a million dollars,” self-declared “the audience’s representative on earth” Sir Michael naturally didn’t opt for a Lada or a Mini for his first car. Instead, in 1968, if you believe the marketing guff of H&H Classics – who are about to auction the very car he purchased, a 1968 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow Corniche two-door drophead coupé – the actor:
“Wandered into the renowned Jack Barclay showroom on Berkeley Square, with a handwritten shopping list which read, ‘milk, bread, newspaper, cigarettes, Rolls-Royce.’ Unkempt and unshaven, Caine was ushered off the premises, so he journeyed to Mayfair’s other Rolls-Royce dealership, H.A. Fox on Dover Street, where he found the Silver Shadow which had been taken into stock after the playwright and screenwriter, Terence Rattigan, cancelled his order for it.”
“Having bought the car, despite not having his own driving licence, the actor found it was much cheaper to employ a chauffeur than pay the premium his insurers quoted should he decide to go down the ‘L-plate’ route. The 35-year-old actor subsequently took great pleasure in being driven past the offending Jack Barclay salesman in his new car and flicking him a V-sign!”
Grosvenor Square dwelling ‘Man about Mayfair’ Sir Michael subsequently sold the car to one of his “less salubrious acquaintances,” the restaurateur John Leonard Ernest Leach (AKA ‘Jack Leach’) in 1970. Mr Leach was best-known for having run the haunt of everone from gangsters to royalty that was the “infamous” The Gasworks restaurant on Waterford Road in Fulham, SW6.
Mr Leach kept the black with magnolia leather interior car until his death in 2013 and was “a familiar sight on the Fulham and Kings Road” as “its erstwhile driver puffing away on a cigar.” It was subsequently placed in storage and acquired by the current owner in 2018.
Of its subsequent renovation, H&H share that their client spent “the best part of £100,000 ($122,000, €113,000 or درهم446,000)” on its renovation and that this process “apparently revealed the presence of various escort girl calling cards secreted about the interior.”
H&H Classics will auction the four-seater car – which has 59,000 miles on the clock – tomorrow, Wednesday 15th March 2023, at their Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridgeshire sale with an estimate of £100,000 to £150,000 ($122,000 to $182,000, €113,000 to €170,000 or درهم446,000 to درهم670,000).
Of the vehicle – which is registered now as ‘ALO 182H’ (formerly ‘UGN 842F’) but comes with dummy original plates for display purposes – Damian Jones, senior motorcar specialist at H&H Classics, remarked:
“Appearing in more than 160 films across seven decades, Sir Michael Caine is a true British icon, so it’s a pleasure to be able to offer his very first car for sale, which in itself is another great British classic.
“From its original purchase by Sir Michael, and its subsequent 43-year ownership by infamous Gasworks restaurateur, Jack Leach, the car’s history is truly captivating and one which I’m sure will delight and fascinate the new owner.”
“Personifying cool since the swinging sixties, Caine and the Silver Shadow remain instantly recognisable and widely admired. So, to combine both of these in one fantastic motor car is incredibly rare indeed and we expect significant interest from fans around the world.”
Bizarrely for a man with Rolls-Royce tastes, in April 2017, pro-Brexiteer Sir Michael declared himself a “socialist” and went as far to say: “I wouldn’t live in a country that didn’t pay income tax.” He had been previously named in 2014 as an investor in a tax avoidance scheme named Liberty. In an interview at that time, he added: “In order to do something good, I don’t just do work which is no good. I don’t do commercials” whilst conveniently forgetting that he was paid a six-figure sum to film a commercial for Sky television in 2013.
Editor’s Note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party.
Marina O’Loughlin reviews The Gasworks for ‘Noble Rot’ (July 2020):
The Gasworks – complete with its British racing green frontage – has sadly like so many London institutions long since faded into legend. Situated in a “no man’s land between Chelsea and Fulham,” it closed after the death of Jack Leach and was placed up for sale for £2.5 million ($3 million, €2.8 million or درهم11.2 million) before being converted into flats.
Though the food was “absolutely horrific,” The Gasworks was a firm favourite of many and of it one blogger, Luke Honey, remarked in February 2012: “That fast changing corner of SW6 won’t be the same without [it].”
People often ask me what my favourite restaurant ever was. How the hell should I know? I barely remember the day before yesterday. Out of perversity, I answer The Gasworks, which, of course, nobody has ever heard of. But it’s not just an affectation: this strange and wonderful and spectacularly awful place impressed me like no other. There’s never been anywhere like it – and it’s unlikely there ever will be again.
Young and impressionable I might have been when this den of peculiarity was open, but ringing the doorbell was like blundering into a cheese frenzy-induced dream. The main space consisted of two linked rooms, one lined with perfunctory booths, one with an imposing, huge central dining table, every surface covered with, well, stuff. Dusty brown stuff, lurking in the dim light; all, apparently, for sale. (As an aside, a pal of mine was once offered a Lucian Freud charcoal by Jack, The Gasworks’ owner, for £50, because Jack wanted to put a bet on. The pal refused.)
Squint closely, and a pair of malevolent eyes would stare back out at you from a treacly oil painting, possibly priceless, possibly worth less than the – generally execrable – food on your plate. Or the ornate chess-set on one table would reveal itself to be wildly pornographic. There was a lot of rather unprepossessing taxidermy, not to forget the ‘art’ in the lavs, reached via a penumbral corridor stacked with avocados – who knew a goat could actually do that to a woman? Staff were equally outré. One night, our server, Pearl, was a study in languid camp, feeding us double measures of spirits all night long instead of our requested red wine. “Avocado vinaigrette or vegetable soup?” he asked. To the sap who asked for soup, he drawled, “Oh, I wouldn’t sweetie, it’s only Heinz.”
The choices, from ‘chef’ Shirl, a foul-mouthed and generally pissed-up harridan, were duck – shrivelled, grey, utterly tooth-resistant; or lamb – vaguely edible, swamped with supermarket mint sauce. We didn’t care. We got drunker and drunker, goggling at the clientele, a mesmerising assortment of toffs and lowlifes. The bill arrived. Thanks to all those double shots, far more money than any of us had. One chum, braver (or more plastered) than the rest of us, remonstrated: why didn’t they simply accept the cash we’d managed to scrabble together? After all, what we’d eaten wasn’t worth much. “Right enough,” said Pearl sanguinely before releasing us into an arse-end of Fulham night that looked suspiciously like dawn. It was love.
I went back time and time again. Shirley started to recognise me, spouting incomprehensible obscenities on my arrival: I was as thrilled as if Le Caprice’s Jesus Adorno had said, “your regular table, Madame?” On a birthday, I was presented with a cake, a Sainsbury’s chocolate gateau, several slices missing, the gaps filled in with squirty cream. Commit a solecism – ask for a cappuccino, say – and you’d be ejected through the heavy carved door with a brisk “fark off”.
The Gasworks’ history is shrouded in mystery and obfuscation. What is known is that the mullioned-windowed building was owned by Jack Leach and wife Shirley. Jack, a surprisingly dapper chap given to silk socks and cashmere Crombies, was variously described as a fence, a member of the Irish mafia, a friend of the Krays and, by fabric designer Nicole Fabre, who briefly ran the kitchen in the late ’60s, as “a rather naughty man”. His vehicle of choice was a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Once, he decided to show me the upstairs room. Up a narrow, creaking stairway lay a room set up for an abandoned wedding feast, undisturbed since it failed to fulfil its purpose, the china dusty, the blooms papery husks, the candelabra trailing eerie tendrils of cobweb.
In its heyday, in the late ’60s and early ’70s, when Nicole and her partner Thierry Cabanne ran the place for Shirley and Jack (they went on to open the legendary Thierry’s – originally called Gasworks 2 – on the King’s Road), it was a honeypot for the beautiful and the powerful. Neither Thierry nor Nicole had ever cooked before; requests for anything beyond their limited repertoire of egg mayonnaise, ratatouille and coq au vin would result in panicky phone calls to mamans in France. Everyone from royalty to The Stones to the Profumo set loved The Gasworks. Famous transsexual socialite April Ashley put it on the map for a sexually adventurous clientele. “It offered them anonymity,” says Nicole. Here, too, they could enjoy the frisson of rubbing shoulders with a bit of rough. Witness Princess Margaret and her gangland lover, local Fulham slumboy John ‘Biffo’ Bindon. What was it that attracted the princess to the violent hoodlum and occasional actor? Anything to do with his party trick of dangling up to five pint mugs on his, um, manhood? I’m assuming they were those dimpled kind with handles.
Even for commoners, the atmosphere of decadent loucheness was contagious. One regular reminisces about a ’70s lunch party during which he enjoyed a clandestine encounter in the loos with a chum’s ‘straight’ boyfriend. When they emerged, the waiter said, “I hope you boys had a nice time because your pudding’s gone cold. Oh, and there’s spunk on your shoe.”
Nicole and Thierry gave up the gig rather suddenly. One afternoon in 1971 they returned from the market – to which they drove in the Rolls-Royce – to find what Nicole calls “Gunfight at the OK Corral”: a gangland bust-up, complete with firearms. It was time to go. The kitchen reverted to Shirley, under whose tender aegis it was to remain until one day, for no apparent reason, it simply ceased to be. I drove past it recently. No longer the violent, green-painted love child of Hansel and Gretel and Hammer Horror, the building was sold in 2015 and now seems to house typically beige Fulham flats. Jack and Shirley have moved on to the great den of iniquity in the sky. I miss them.
RM Sotheby’s auctioneer Lord Dalmeny hammers down a 2001 Mini Cooper with 6 miles on the clock for the staggering sum of nearly £60,000; it would have cost around £10,500 new
In August 2014, Historics Auctioneers hammered down a 2001 Mini Cooper Sport 500 with 30,270 miles on the clock for £9,632 ($10,959, €10,992 or درهم40,248) whilst an example with just 204 miles on the clock “stunned the motor trade” when it sold for £20,160 ($22,938, €23,006 or درهم84,240) in September 2015.
Now, another of the certified last 500 Cooper Sport 500’s made to celebrate the end of ‘classic’ Mini production – which would have cost around £10,500 ($11,900, €12,000 or درهم43,900) when new – sold on Saturday at the RM Sotheby’s London 2022 sale for the even more staggering sum of £57,500 ($65,400, €65,600 or درهم240,100). It had been offered with an estimate of £30,000 to £40,000 ($34,100 to $45,500, €34,200 to €45,700 or درهم125,400 to درهم167,100).
One of the last of the ‘original’ Minis designed by Sir Alexander Issigonis CBE FRS RDI (1906 – 1988) in conjunction with Dr Alexander Moulton CBE FREng (1920 – 2012) has now become the most expensive example ever sold. It has only 6 miles on the clock and had been displayed at the Cayman Islands Motor Museum until 2021.
Of a tiny car that achieved a very high price, in their listing, RM Sotheby’s remarked:
“It offers a rare chance to acquire a one-private-owner-from-new example with only ‘delivery miles.’”
“All 500s were manufactured with the 1275 Plus four-cylinder A-series engine, rated at 62 horsepower. Customers could choose from one of four body colours: Anthracite, British Racing Green, Solar Red, or Tahiti Blue, with the roof and bonnet stripes finished in Platinum Silver, regardless of body colour choice.”
“Included as special extras were 13-inch alloy wheels, a high-level brake light, four spot lamps, a certificate, and a commemorative plaque mounted inside the glove box. Inside all Cooper Sport 500s, the seats, door cards, steering wheel and dashboard were upholstered in black and silver leather. Rather than the standard plastic interior fittings, this model featured an alloy gear knob, window winders, dashboard, door handles, and pulls.”
“This Cooper Sport 500 is painted in Solar Red over a Platinum Silver roof, and is believed to be one of only 110 produced in this colour combination. It was registered on 3rd May 2001 and purchased new by its sole private owner from Caffyns of East Sussex, England. A copy of the original sales invoice accompanies this Mini. The cabin remains a factory-correct affair, with the seats upholstered in black and silver leather, the carpets trimmed in black, and retaining its original alloy fittings.”
Pictured top – The front of the car sold by RM Sotheby’s (left) and chairman of Sotheby’s since 2017 Harry Primrose, Lord Dalmeny DL on the rostrum auctioning the vehicle on 5th November 2022 (right).
The car sold on the 5th November 2022 at the RM Sotheby’s sale at Marlborough House in London.A similar example – which was also one of the last 500 built, number 465 – in Tahiti Blue with 30,270 miles on the clock sold for £9,632 in August 2014 at the Historics Auctioneers sale at Brooklands Motor Museum in Weybridge, Surrey.A much older Mini, a coachbuilt 1965 Cooper S DeVille by Radford, originally owned by Sir Paul McCartney fetched £182,000 ($207,100, €207,700 or درهم760,500) at auction in Auburn, USA in September 2018. Its hammer price made it the most expensive Mini ever sold.A 1.6-litre petrol 2002 Mini Cooper S owned and driven by Madonna when she lived in London with her then husband Guy Ritchie was placed for sale for £55,000 ($62,600, €62,800 or درهم230,000) in August 2018 by one of her personal drivers – who acquired it in 2006. The singer clearly loved the “nippy” motor as in her 2003 hit ‘American Life’ she included the lyrics: “I drive my Mini Cooper, and I’m feeling super-duper, yo they tell me I’m a trooper, and you know I’m satisfied.” At the time ‘Auto Trader’s’ digital editor Rachael Hogg remarked: “It’s really timely that this car is up for sale just as Madonna turns 60. Previously owned by one of the world’s biggest music sensations and affectionately referenced in songs and TV interviews, this is the most expensive Mini Cooper S on the market, because for many it’s not just a car: it’s a significant piece of Madonna memorabilia. The three-door Mini Cooper S Hatch is a modest choice for a celebrity of Madonna’s wealth, but a sensible one for a star living in central London wanting to go under the radar when on the school run. It appears to be in immaculate condition still, so would make a lovely runaround for a Madonna fan with cash to flash.” At the time the same car without a ‘popstar pedigree’ was valued at £2,315 ($2,634, €2,642 or درهم9,673) – a sum 1,800% lower than what the singer’s car was offered for.
More pictures of the little car sold for a very big price by RM Sotheby’s at their Marlborough House, St James’s, London, SW1 sale on 5th November 2022 prior to the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
Matthew Steeples takes a look at what will be on offer at Salon Privé 2022 at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea from 21st to 23rd April – a showcase that will include the world’s first commercial flying car
Running from Thursday 21st to Saturday 23rd April and featuring both the latest supercars as well as classic cars and motorbikes, amongst the more exotic offerings will be a PAL-V Liberty – lauded as “the world’s first commercial flying car” – and a Prodrive Hunter – which is marketed as “the world’s first all-terrain hypercar.”
A highlight of the show will be the global, European and UK debuts of eight new cars and also the showcasing of Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations’ new Range Rover SV. Said to “provide customers a new level of craftmanship as well as greater functionality,” these opulent creations can be equipped even with electrically deployable tables, fridges and Dartington Crystal glassware even.
Open each day from 11am, what is dubbed as “London’s most exclusive automotive party” remains open until 9pm on Thursday and Friday and until 5pm on Saturday.
Pictured top – The ever-cheerful Chelsea Pensioners, pictured here with a trio of Minis in a promotional shot for the event, will no doubt be on parade during the three-day showcase.
As well as enjoying a spectacular selection of things automotive, the event has dining options as well as a shopping village.Aside from many new cars from manufacturers including Automobili Pininfarina, Bugatti, Genesis, Jensen, Lamborghini, McLaren, Morgan, Overfinch and Porsche, classic cars displayed will also be on offer for sale.The ultimate in 4x4s will be presented by amongst others Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce.Land Rover claim that their Range Rover SV will “provide customers a new level of craftsmanship as well as greater functionality” and of it, show director David Bagley remarks: “It’s fitting that the new Range Rover SV should make its UK event debut alongside us in the capital for Salon Privé London, and we’re delighted it’ll be the first time our guests can receive a guided tour of the personalisation options available when crafting their perfect Range Rover. Its very name has epitomised luxury and capability for half a century and, while it remains true to the marque’s roots, this new car creates a distinct identity for the future.”The car to be presented at the show is a a new Range Rover SV P530 LWB. Of it, the firm remark: “As shown at its world debut in October 2021, it is finished in a special Icy White Gloss paint,contrasted by SV Serenity exterior accents and contrast roof in Corinthian Bronze, its interior featuring SV Serenity Caraway Near-Aniline and Perlino Semi-Aniline leather with Gloss White Ceramic controls and a Natural Light Wenge veneer with Mosaic Marquetry. It also includes the SV Signature Suite – a fixed full-length centre console with electrically deployable table and cup holders, fridge, Dartington Crystal glassware and 8-inch rear seat touchscreen controller.”Dutch firm PAL-V will be showing what they call “the world’s first flying car.” Of it, they remark: “Inspired by nature, engineered by man and evolved over time, the PAL-V Liberty is a groundbreaking product that inaugurates the age of the flying car. The PAL-V Liberty is a marriage between safety and fun, designed to satisfy the most demanding customers.”Oxfordshire based Prodrive, which makes amongst other things racing simulators and folding bikes, will be presenting what they call “the world’s first all-terrain hypercar.” Of this 600 bhp and four-wheel drive vehicle, they share: “It has an unrivalled ability and performance across any landscape. Born out of the Bahrain Raid Xtreme competition car driven by nine-time World Champion, Sebastien Loeb, to compete on the toughest motorsport race in the world the Dakar, it thrives in desert sand, dunes and rough mountain tracks. Indeed, this Hunter is even more extreme than that driven by Loeb, with a 50% increase in power from the 3.5 litre V6 twin turbo engine and more suspension travel to absorb the harshest of terrain. But while the car is even faster and more capable than the race car, it is also more refined. Ian Callum, who styled the exterior of the original competition car, has returned to the project to create a new interior more in keeping with every day use than racing. A digital display gives the driver all the important information they need, while the centre console houses the more traditional controls found on a road car.”Guests will be able to experience the most opulent vehicles on the market in a most convivial setting.
One-of-one 2016 Bentley Continental GT V8 S convertible designed by artist Sir Peter Blake pops up again at auction at a price 60% higher than it achieved when last sold in 2016 (or double the price of a standard car when new)
In April 2016, The Steeple Times featured an anything but discrete Bentley created by the firm in conjunction with the pop artist and national treasure Sir Peter Blake when it headed to auction for charity.
The car – which was described as an “expression of individuality” and featured Sir Peter’s trademark St James red heart motif hand-painted onto a yellow bonnet as well as his signature on each of its headrests – sold for £250,000 at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale but is now headed to auction once again.
Offered with an even more punchy estimate of £300,000 to £400,000 against a cost of just £200,000 for such a car when new, the 2016 Bentley Continental GT V8 S convertible by Sir Peter Blake CBE RDI RA has covered only 834 miles since its purchase by the current owner.
Of it, this time, auctioneers Bonhams remark:
“The Bentley has seen very minimal use… Its minimal mileage notwithstanding, the car has been serviced regularly by Bentley dealer Harwoods of Pulborough, a total of £7,967 being spent between October 2017 and March 2021. The car is UK registered and is offered with a V5C.”
Previously, of his creation, Sir Peter Blake stated:
“I am proud to have been involved with transforming this beautiful car, and have enormous admiration for the people at Bentley who brought my design into being, to produce this one-off lovely car.”
“When Bentley approached me about this project I was excited by the challenge. Care2Save is a wonderful charity and I was glad I could do something to raise money and awareness for them.”
“Bentley is a British icon, so I wanted to incorporate an element of that sense of tradition by using British Racing Green alongside strong blocks of primary colour in the design.”
“I wanted the car to be bright and bold, keeping the design as simple as possible, so that the beautiful lines of the car could speak for themselves, but also create a design that reflected the motifs and patterns that I have used in my work throughout my career. Hopefully the finished result is joyous and unique.”
“It was great fun working with the very skilled people at Bentley, I truly admire the craftsmanship and attention to detail they embody.”
Bonhams will sell the ‘art car creation’ on 3rd March in London at their British.Cool. sale.
Sir Peter Blake’s Bentley Pops Up Again – ‘The Godfather of Pop Art’ and his wife Lady Blake examining the vehicle’s detailing in 2016.The vehicle offered is certainly one of Bentley’s most colourful creations. It has resemblance in terms of its noticeability to the wonderfully wacky Rolls-Royces created by the Malibu, California based tastemaker Nicolas Bijan Pakzad and his late father Bijan Pakzad – whose vehicles and clothes have been purchased by clients including Presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton Barrack Obama, Ronald Reagan and the likes of Tony Blair, Vladimir Putin, Tom Cruise, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Ford and Giorgio Armani.
The Names & Numbers – Pop art 2016 Bentley Continental GT V8 S convertible by Sir Peter Blake CBE RDI RA
3rd March 2022 – To be sold by Bonhams at their new Bond Street, London British.Cool. sale with an estimate of £300,000 to £400,000 ($407,000 to $543,000, €356,000 to €475,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم2 million).
24th June 2016 – Sold by Bonhams at their Goodwood, West Sussex The Goodwood Festival of Speed sale for £250,000 ($340,000, €297,000 or درهم1.2 million) after being offered “without reserve.”
2016 – A standard 2016 Bentley Continental GT V8 S convertible without extras would have you back £200,000 ($272,000, €237,000 or درهم998,000).
Three Rolls-Royces that belonged to the late designer Karl Lagerfeld to be auctioned by Sotheby’s; the eccentric never drove them himself
“When I was four, I asked my mother for a valet for my birthday” reportedly once said Karl Lagerfeld and after having suffered “two terrible accidents” in his youth that “made [him] fearful of going behind the wheel,” the designer spent the majority of his days on the road being driven around in luxurious limousines when not flying around the world on private jets.
Listed alongside a 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom and a 2019 Cullinan is Lagerfeld’s supposed favourite vehicle, his silver metallic 2017 Phantom drophead coupé.
Featuring a cream leather interior with ‘RR’ monograms on the headrests, antagonistic doors and yacht-like woodwork, the vehicle – which the auctioneers described as having cost over £375,000 when new – is offered with an estimate of £297,000 to £339,000, but will likely sell for a far higher sum given its provenance.
Of the drophead coupé, Pierre Mothes of Sotheby’s remarked: “It was his favourite vehicle, especially during spring and summer. He loved it as an open car,” whilst his longtime personal assistant Sébastien Jondeau’s stories about the vehicles were shared in early 2021.
According to a website named happy Lifestyle inc: “More touching encounters also occurred in cars. When Lagerfeld was weakened by cancer treatments, his appetite lagging, Jondeau would ferry him in the Rolls-Royce Phantom 8 to his favorite pizzeria, and once said, ‘Let’s try McDonald’s,’ and the designer downed two cheeseburgers before they arrived back at Lagerfeld’s home. ‘This pleased me so much,’ [Jondeau] writes.”
The now deceased designer being driven in the Phantom to be sold by Sotheby’s by his longstanding bodyguard and personal assistant Sébastien Jondeau.Mr Lagerfeld pictured getting out of the Phantom to be offered.In November 2012, the designer, whom was also a passionate snapper, visited the home of his favoured car brand at Goodwood in West Sussex to unveil a collection of his photographs of his favourite cars. At the time, he commented: “I can no longer view life without juxtaposing its abstraction. I view the world, fashion and automobiles through my camera lens. That allows me to keep a critical distance to my work. This approach serves me more than I ever thought possible in view of reality. Each of my shots of the Rolls-Royce is the abstract representation of a concrete reality. The technical medium of photography is a welcome means for my artistic work, creating my different view.” The event was compered by Peter York, the legendary co-author of ‘The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook.’
For auction through Sotheby’s in Monaco, 3rd to 5th December 2021 – Karl Lagerfeld’s cars
All described as being “in need of technical inspections.”
2017 Phantom drophead coupé, silver metallic
Estimate:£297,000 to £339,000 ($396,000 to $453,000, €350,000 to €400,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم1.7 million).
Mileage: 6,617 miles (10,649 kilometres).
2018 Phantom, black diamond metallic
Estimate:£255,000 to £297,000 ($340,000 to $396,000, €300,000 to €350,000 or درهم1.2 million to درهم1.5 million).
Mileage: 1,414 miles (2,277 kilometres).
2019 Cullinan, tungsten metallic
Estimate:£255,000 to £297,000 ($340,000 to $396,000, €300,000 to €350,000 or درهم1.2 million to درهم1.5 million).
Mileage: 4,631 miles (7,453 kilometres).
In 2010, Lagerfeld “starred” in an advertisement for Volkswagen. Of this ‘Gawker’s’ Brian Moylan mocked: “We’re not quite sure what Karl is saying (probably something along the lines of, ‘I would never be so tacky as to drive a car. That’s what the servants are for. Especially in Paris’).”
Theodora Ong reports from the 2021 London Classic Car Show and suggests other automotive events for classic car enthusiasts in the coming months
This weekend, I wallowed in acres of glistening chrome and gushed over the retro appeal of heritage vehicles with their stylish and eccentric owners at the 2021 London Classic Car Show at Syon Park.
Admiring cars of yesteryear is a pleasurable pursuit of reverie; with sunshine bouncing off windscreens and the reality of raindrops causing owners and guardians to be sprightly and attentive around their cars. You get absorbed into their world of devotion. Here, in possibly the nearest meadow to central London, and next to a trout fishery, there’s no sense of sales urgency – not even on the auction stands.
Celebrating anniversaries is the thing amongst car owners’ clubs. It transports us to a distant era, but arguably it’s the cars you’ve seen on the road in your own lifetime which seduce with the greatest allure. The centenaries of the Bugatti Brescia and the Lancia Lambda and, the 60th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type and the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Jensen owners’ club were all being discreetly honoured. There is much to remind you of their design vision and construction innovation over other marques and models which fade forgettably.
When Enzo Ferrari named the Jaguar E-Type: ‘The most beautiful car in the world’, he made it immortal, and the frenzy continues to this day. When a 1975 Jensen Interceptor III starred in a later series of The Saint in the ’80s, it became synonymous with a more exotic mystery – especially as more overseas locations were used for filming. The Interceptor was upgraded with electric sunroof and phone to capture the ultimate comfort of a modern grand tourer. Regardless that it achieved just 10-14 miles per gallon, it beat Aston Martin and Bristol on the film maker’s shortlist.
Jensen, this maverick of mystery – manufactured in West Bromwich – is what we chose to track down at the show. Congratulations, Jensen owners! So, the 50th landmark celebrates the collective passion of the club, not just the car. Take three…
Jensen 541 R
The 541 was launched in 1954 and was the first time Jensen used a fibreglass shell over a tubular steel chassis, partly due to post-war restrictions over the use of steel. But this liberated the design and enabled more complex styling with curious hollows and linear layering.
The original putty and elastoplast colourway of this 1959 model is in immaculate showroom finish and was chosen by Alan Jensen himself for exhibiting at the Earls Court Motor Show. It reads just 105,000 miles, and owner Len Boulton claims a top speed of 125 mph.
Oh, and if anyone finds his petrol cap at a service station off the M25, please tell him. Remember those days when that was quite a common loss?
Jensen SP
This top of the range SP model was launched in 1971 to replace the loss-making four-wheel drive Jensen FF. This one has been technically upgraded by current owner Richard Fisher. It has a whopping 7212cc engine to deliver 0 to 60mph in 6.9 seconds and fuel consumption which ‘you don’t want to know’. Design pedants will question its apparent wonky alignment of side windows and its five sections of visible glass – but just relax and love it.
Jensen Interceptor Cabriolet
Between 1950 to 1958 only 88 of these early Interceptors were built. This particular 1954 model was the first British car to be produced with metallic paint and a vinyl roof. You thought vinyl came of age in the ’70s TV The Sweeney era? This car was painstakingly rebuilt from the chassis up over 15 years from 2000. It was rescued back from California where it was on the point of being scrapped. It has an aluminium body but the boot lid was the first panel Jensen produced in fibreglass. A 4-litre engine powers this solid-looking drive. A lighter looking version was later sold at the Austin A40 Sports.
Contrasting Characters
It’s all about appreciating diversity after all, so here is my pick of two others at the show that couldn’t be any more different.
Maserati Ghibli
It’s a while since the exclusive 96 Club – with some 150 members and 450 on the waiting list – have held a regular rendezvous for breakfast in Belgrave Square. Member Luca Pisetta brought his 1969 Ghibli here to Syon Park. It is family-owned and he is intent on it remaining so for the next generation too.
Meanwhile, despite the absence of breakfast, his fellow 96-er Paolo Callea poured a blushy pinot grigio natural wine from his family’s estate in northern Italy. When under the influence of drink, any admirer would surely enjoy an enhanced vision of the Ghibli’s bold angles and shark-like nose hiding those pop-up head lamps.
At the time, over its six years of production, it was one of the fastest and most expensive cars in the world. It cost more than and even outsold the Ferrari Daytona. About 700 Ghiblis survive today from the 1,170 produced. This particular one had a complete restoration with full engine rebuild over four years, which took some 2,000 hours.
96-ers Luca Pisetta and Paolo Callea.
Salveson Wagonette
Can a vehicle dating from 1893 really be a car at all, if it’s proud to be powered like a coal-fired steam train? With its ‘60s yellow submarine-style paint over, this is positively agricultural looking. It was designed and built at the Salvesen company’s Grangemouth shipyard in 1893, making it the first car to be manufactured in Scotland. A refusal to be influenced by the new generation of oil essence engines led to its distinctive construction with a vertical tube boiler. And yes, it goes, it drives fine – but any guesses for 0 to 60mph?
Classic Dates For Your Summer Diary
Silverstone Classic, Northamptonshire, 30th July to 1st August 2021, combines historic motor racing with displays from 130 car clubs and an auction. It expects to feature 10,000 classic cars over the weekend.
The annual Jensen meeting at The Ace Café, Wembley, 14th August 2021, should be teeming with Jensens. Rock up for a full English and a cup of Ace Café own tea.
Salon Privé, Blenheim Palace, 1st to 5th September, is the hub for 500 classics rolling in. The event is considered one of the big three internationals alongside Pebble Beach Concours and Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
Concours D’Elegance, Hampton Court Palace, 3rd to 5th September 2021, serenely gathers a core of 60 of the world’s rarest classics, plus some 300 further astonishing cars.
The Goodwood Revival, 17th to 19th September 2021, is the only historic race meeting to be staged entirely in period outfits, on a classic circuit which remains unchanged since its heyday.
The2021 London Classic Car Show took place 25th to 27th June. This year it was at Syon Park, and it is usually an annual event.
The 96 Club Breakfast Rendezvous. We vote to bring them back please.
