The sale of a 1975 Bentley Corniche twice owned by Sir Elton John
On the 16th June Bonhams will auction a 1975 Bentley Corniche Series 1 convertible formerly owned by Sir Elton John CBE.
The 1975 Bentley Corniche Series 1 convertible formerly owned by Sir Elton John
Originally supplied in Silver Mink with a beige interior and matching hood, this Bentley was one of the musician’s most extensively used vehicles. In 1998, Sir Elton sold the car to his personal assistant, Robert Halley, but bought it back from him in 1999. During Mr Halley’s ownership the car was resprayed and updated with later alloy wheels.
In 2001, the car was again sold and in 2008 it’s interior was refurbished by P & A Wood at a cost of some £10,000. In “generally good” condition, the car features Connolly hide and burr walnut veneers and has a guide price of £50,000 to £60,000.
The Connolly hide lined interior of the car
Here, as Sir Elton himself points out, this is a car that has transported a lot of famous people:
“I’ve had a lot of people in it, Princess Margaret’s been in it, everyone’s been in it.”
For more information on the sale of the 1975 Bentley Corniche convertible formerly owned by Sir Elton John, contact Julian Roup of Bonhams on +44 (0) 20 7468 5804 or email [email protected]. View details of the sale at:http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/19767
Pimlico Road’s Gauntlett Gallery currently has the perfect present for any aspiring Eloise on display in their showroom.
The ½ scale replica of Lady Penelope’s FAB1 – all one needs is one’s own Aloysious “Nosey” Parker
A ½ scale model of Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward’s FAB1 amphibious Rolls-Royce is currently being marketed by the company and represents quite possibly the finest example of any replica of this car made famous by the Thunderbirds science fiction television series.
The car’s leather clad interior
Priced at £15,000, this brilliant creation of a British mechanic took some 7 years to build and features an electrically adjustable electric leather seat, functioning wipers and a walnut dashboard. Complete with a Spirit of Ecstasy replica model, this 108 inch long by 43 inch vehicle is just waiting to find it’s very own “Nosey” Parker.
For more information contact Richard Gauntlett of The Gauntlett Gallery, 90 – 92 Pimlico Road, London, SW1W 8PL. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7824 8000. Website: http://www.gauntlettgallery.com
In recent days, Gary Barlow’s albumn Sing has topped the UK album charts with sales of 40,000 copies.
Two hundred and ten musicians, including the African Children’s Choir and the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force Band, helped record this special tribute to The Queen. Produced by Barlow with the assistance of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Gareth Malone, Sing also features Prince Harry on the tambourine, Hayley Westenra, Alfie Boe and the Military Wives choir. Sing will be performed this evening at a special concert at Buckingham Palace in the presence of Her Majesty.
Another tribute I was alerted to came from a singer named Anton Lorien who contacted me via Twitter. He was approached in 2011 by the British Monarchist League who asked him to produce a song for a lady he describes as having: “Given her life selflessly to the people of Britain and the Commonwealth.”
Mr Lorien’s song, Like A Diamond, is available to download on iTunes but I wholeheartedly recommend that you watch the video clip available above. It contains some wonderful footage of The Queen and the clip at 3:33 where our Monarch runs to watch her racehorse is especially worth seeing.
Gary Barlow pictured with Prince Harry on the tambourine working on Sing
Both Sing and Like A Diamond capture the feelings of our nation brilliantly. Be sure to sing along tonight.
I was introduced to Chelsea AutoLegends some three years ago when my good friend the racing driver James Wood became involved in the organisation of it.
Jodie Kidd pictured at the launch of Chelsea AutoLegends 2012 alongside Chelsea Pensioners and invited guests
Held at The Royal Hospital first in 2010, this extravaganza of all things motoring has grown immensely and will include over 500 collectors’ cars, motorcycles and racing vehicles. It is expected that some 15,000 will attend the one-day event and with supporters numbering Derek Bell MBE, Phil Packer MBE, Sir Stirling Moss MBE and Jodie Kidd, it’ll be as much about socialising and enjoying a good day out as it will be about cars.
A Ferrari suitable for Batman
Yesterday’s press launch featured an impressive line up of vehicles. Amongst them were Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Porsches. A particular highlight was an innovative GT2 Aston Martin racecar that had been specifically designed to run on second generation bio-ethanol fuel. Owned by Lord Drayson’s Drayson Racing Technologies LLP, this car has raced in the American Le Mans Series and the 2009 Le Mans 24 hours’ race.
Drayson, the former Minister of State for Science and Innovation, was present and spoke to invited guests about the importance of innovation in motoring. He told of a 200mph electric car that can be wirelessly charged and praised AutoLegends for: “Bringing old and new together.” It truly does just such.
Lord Drayson’s Aston Martin GT2 racecar
Also present were representatives from Walking with the Wounded. This worthy charity, whose supporters number Prince Harry and Brian Blessed, has been chosen as the Chelsea AutoLegends 2012 charity partner and hopes to benefit from the occasion through raising both awareness and funds to aid the rehabilitation of wounded veterans.
It’s a wrap!
Chelsea AutoLegends 2012 looks set to be a great day out. Be sure to put the 2nd September in your diary.
Chelsea AutoLegends will be held on Sunday 2nd September 2012 at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, SW3. Advance tickets are on sale for £15 a ticket whilst the entry fee for those bringing a car of note is £35. For more information, go to:http://www.chelseaautolegends.com
Could 100 Park Lane become the property that achieves the accolade of being Britain’s highest priced private residence?
Occupied by property giants Hammerson since 1969 as their corporate headquarters, the 44,000 square foot Grade II* listed Dudley House is one of Park Lane’s finest landmark properties. It is supposedly about to come to the market as a single-family residence and a price of up to £250,000,000 could be achieved.
The Park Lane façade of Dudley House, 100 Park Lane, Mayfair, London, W1Y 4AR
Dudley House, the only remaining example of an early Park Lane mansion, is named after the Dudley Ward family and built on the site of an earlier house with stabling. The site was acquired by John, 6th Baron Ward, in 1742 but it wasn’t until 1759 that the 3rd Viscount Dudley and Ward began “judicious alterations” to the house. Having paid £6,510 at auction for his late half-brother’s interests in Dudley House, he added an entrance portico and stained glass windows whilst his successor, an ”eccentric intellectual and politician,” set about turning the building into “the most pleasing object in the vicinity.”
Works by the architect William Atkinson, carried out between 1827 and 1829, included a screen of Ionic columns, fine ceilings and gilded plasterwork. They remain to this day but it is the 1855 alterations of Samuel Whitfield Daukes that are truly impressive. Carried out on the instructions of the 1st Earl of Dudley, these included a magnificent 80ft picture gallery designed to showcase a collection of Italian and Flemish paintings and a vast 50ft ballroom.
The picture gallery at Dudley House
In 1895, Dudley House, which is situated at 100 Park Lane, briefly passed out of the Dudley Ward family and into the ownership of a “hard-headed South African mining magnate” named Sir Joseph Benjamin Robinson. Sir John Hubert Ward bought the building back in 1912 for £10,000 and remained there until his death in 1938.
Wartime bombing caused significant damage and this was not repaired until Hammerson took over Dudley House. Having hired Sir Robert McAlpine and Sons as contractors, designs by Sir Basil Spence and Anthony Blee were executed to restore the building. Hammerson remained there until 2006 when they jointly sold the leasehold interest on the house with freeholders Grosvenor for £37.4 million to Bristol Isles Ltd., a private investment company controlled by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thana, the emir of Qatar.
His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (1952 – )
The ensuing renovation, directed by the designer Alberto Pinto, has been described as “tasteful” and is said to have cost some £75 million. The resulting air-conditioned home features some 17 bedrooms and 14 reception rooms.
It’ll be fascinating to see who “Doesn’t pass go!” and purchases this mammoth mansion (if indeed His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani decides not to move in himself).
To mark the 50th anniversary of The Rolling Stones, La Gelerie de l’Instant opens an exhibition named “Photographies de Stoned-and-Respectable” this evening in Paris.
Stoddart’s triptych of The Rolling Stones
Photographs featured most notably number works by Terry O’Neill, Patrick Anson, the 5th Earl of Lichfield, Albert Watson, Peter Lindbergh and Philip Townsend. A triptych by Whitstable based John Stoddart is one of the undoubted stars of the show.
La Galerie de l’Instant, 46, rue de Poitou, 75003, Paris, France
Comments Stoddart:
“It’s an honour to be included in this showcase. The Rolling Stones are true legends in their lifetime and I very much enjoyed capturing them.”
Thomas “T.J.” James peruses the works of artist Conor Mccreedy
Conor Mccreedy is an internationally known artist, art collector and entrepreneur who lives between New York City, South Africa and Paris.
Conor Mccreedy wearing his synonymous “Mcreedy Blue”
Originally from Johannesburg, Mccreedy was intrinsically drawn to painting in his youth. He attended St. David’s Marist Inanda where he excelled at soccer and went on to represent South Africa in the Gothia Cup junior world soccer tournament in Sweden.
Next came a stint at Hilton College. Here Mccreedy was awarded the Kennith Beghin memorial prize for art and also a first prize in the annual university arts competition. At the time, Mccreedy’s art professor stated in a letter of recommendation:
“Conor is one of the most outstanding pupils to come through the department of art in the last decade. He is undoubtedly one of the most naturally talented individuals I have ever seen in my lifetime.”
Obtaining an IEB Matric pass with Distinction in Art gave Mccreedy admission to the University of South Africa but instead he attended university in North Carolina on a golf scholarship. Later, he decided to change paths again and transferred to the Pratt Institute in New York.
By happenstance he met the American comedian Chris Rock’s uncle and through him gained an introduction to the president of the National Arts Club. This brought a significant break and Mccreedy became the youngest artist to be invited to hold a solo exhibition entitled, Outliers, at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park, New York in 2010.
“Where to Begin” by Conor Mccreedy“Portrait of Mentor” by Conor Mccreedy, 2009
Mccreedy’s artistic style has developed significantly over the years. His masterful strokes of the brush and lines are now considered unsurpassed. Mccreedy’s paintings are dabbled with ambiguity, which causes one to develop a new understanding and outlook. His paintings truly evoke truth and the sublime. In them also, he uses his figures as a tool to question modern views of sexual, racial and social identity.
As an example of his style, Mccreedy’s Indigo Blue Series providethe viewer with a lugubrious surface but, as the eye becomes entranced by his work, the somber veil is lifted and an array of expressions and emotions are revealed.
“Her Stride” by Conor Mccreedy, 2010“Five Female Nudes” by Conor Mccreedy, 2011
Mccreedy uses a specific type of blue for his paintings. He named it “Mccreedy Blue” and it now transcends from his art into his unique style. The implementation of this colour in both his dress and art create a unifying theme of distinction and also are representative of the brand that he has become. Resultingly, GQ Magazine listed Conor Mccreedy as South Africa’s best dressed man for 2012 which is surprising given that he detests shopping.
Mccreedy is also heavily involved in social media also and highly influential in this domain. He is the most followed South African on twitter with just under 300,000 followers and tweets to them regularly. He uses his fame for good as well and chooses to support the Faces of Hope Foundation that provides funding to support children and adults with leukemia and lymphoma.
When home in South Africa Mccreedy becomes inspired by the euphoric scents of the African bush. He has a love for animals, especially lions, and is intrinsically connected to the raw nature and beauty of Africa.
Conor Mccreedy
Mccreedy will be spending this summer in The Hamptons and Manhattan this year. Here he’ll continue to create and be inspired by the world around him.
Lennox Lewis’ Aston Martin to be auctioned with a guide of just £15,000 to £20,000
If you have a spare £15,000 – £20,000, you could bid on a piece of sporting history this weekend at the The Aston Martin Works Service Sale at Newport Pagnell organised by Bonhams.
The former Lennox Lewis owned 1994 Aston Martin Virage Limited Edition, Chassis Number: SCFCAM2SXRBR50417, Engine Number: LE/89/50417/A, Registration Plate: M7 AML
Lot 227 is an Aston Martin Virage Limited Edition coupé, one of just nine produced, that was manufactured in 1994 and owned from new by the champion boxer Lennox Lewis.
Finished in dark British Racing Green metallic with a special saddle-brown Connolly hide interior, the car has 33,000 miles on the clock and is said to be presented in: “generally very good condition.” Amongst the differences between the standard car and this special limited edition is that this model has a wider body and a different mesh grille. It also comes complete with a plaque recording the chassis number and owner’s name as well as a satellite navigation system, custom-built stereo and a stainless-steel exhaust.
Lennox Lewis, CM, CBE
Lewis owned the car until 2005 and it was during this period that he became the Lineal Champion after beating Shannon Briggs in 1998 and the undisputed WBC heavyweight champion after defeating Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and Vitali Klitschko. He retired from boxing in 2004 and in due course this Aston Martin passed into a collection that has been displayed in a museum.
Of his sport, Lewis once said: “It’s not rage that drives me, it’s competition.” It’ll be interesting to see just who will be competing to bid on this car on Saturday 19th May as with such a low guide, this certainly looks like a bargain that should be punching above it’s weight.
For more information on the sale of the 1994 Aston Martin Virage Limited Edition coupé formerly owned by Lennox Lewis, contact Tim Schofield of Bonhams on +44 (0) 20 7468 5804 or email [email protected]. View details of the sale at:http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20142
The sale of an Aston Martin Virage Volante used by Prince Charles
A press release pinged into my inbox this morning from Bonhams that immediately caught my attention. It came from Leonora Oldfield of Bonhams, someone I hadn’t heard from since the days when we were both involved in fundraising for Lady Meyer’s PACT.
The 1994 Aston Martin Virage Volante that was used by Prince Charles until 2008
Most of my readers will know of the subsequent stories covered by The Daily Telegraph and The Independent about how that particular organisation operates and I don’t wish or need to dwell on that matter further.
The press release itself contained something that I found far more fascinating. In it, Bonhams announced that they are to auction an Aston Martin Virage Volante that was used by Prince Charles from 1994 until 2008.
Prince Charles pictured getting out of the carPrince Charles driving the car
This spectacular 6.3 litre soft-top vehicle has been on display at Aston Martin’s headquarters at Gaydon since another Aston Martin owned by the environmentally conscious prince was converted to run on bio-ethanol distilled from surplus British wine. That vehicle, an Aston Martin DB6 MKII, was most famously also used by Prince William to drive his new wife from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House after their wedding last year.
The Aston Martin DB6 MKII owned by Prince Charles that was used by Prince William to drive his new wife from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House on 29th April 2011
Bonhams quote a pre-sale estimate of £50,000 to £70,000 for the dark green Aston Martin Virage Volante. It will be auctioned at the Aston Martin Works Service at Newport Pagnell on 19th May 2012.
Prince Charles once said: “I’d rather go by bus.” I feel rather differently: I’d rather take this Aston any day.
For more information on the sale of the 1994 Aston Martin Virage Volante used by Prince Charles, contact Bonhams on +44 (0) 20 7468 5801 or email [email protected]. View details of the sale at:http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/20142
