As Carrie Johnson continues to be nicknamed ‘Carrie Antoinette,’ she could buy a Napoleonic bone model of a guillotine and shout out “Off with his head!” about her enemies instead of gyrating to Abba with her groupies in her Downing Street flat
Whilst the command “Off with his head!” or “Off with her head!” is most commonly associated with The Queen of Hearts in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Queen Margaret in Henry VI Part III, guillotines used to execute such a gruesome order were most commonly brought before the public for beheadings during the French Revolution after their introduction by Dr Joseph-Ignace Guillotin.
This deadly piece of capital punishment apparatus undoubtedly counts Marie Antoinette – currently trending online with Carrie Johnson getting constantly compared to her – as its most famous ‘sitter’ and remarkably it remained as the official method of execution in France until the death penalty was abolished in 1981.
Reflecting the ‘Carrie Antoinette’ nickname she’s gone and got herself stuck with, now, perhaps, the beleaguered Prime Minister’s wife could purchase a 19th century Napoleonic prisoner-of-war working model of a guillotine in an auction in London this week. She could even use it as a device to play a game of “off with his head!” whilst imagining the fate of those in Westminster who’ve caused her woes and maybe, indeed, it’d provide her, Josh Grimstone and Henry Newman with alternative entertainment to gyrating to Abba and chucking wine over those very expensive Lulu Lytle sofas.
Measuring 41 centimetres by 25.5 centimetres by 20 centimetres, the carved bone five tier platform connected by steps with a working guillotine to be offered was most likely made by a French prisoner-of-war during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars of 1793 to 1815. It truly is amazing to think that someone under such adversity was able to get this creative and that it has survived in such good condition is equally remarkable also.
Bonhams will sell the model on Tuesday 15th February at their Knightsbridge, London auction house’s ‘The Connoisseur’s Library Sale’ and have set an estimate of £6,000 to £9,000 ($8,100 to $12,200, €7,200 to €10,800 or درهم29,800, to درهم44,700). We’ll be sure to send a spy to the auction room to look out for the current Mrs Johnson.
Elsewhere previously at Christie’s in June 2013, a larger and more detailed Napoleonic prisoner-of-war bone model of a ‘Man-O-War’ ship measuring 89 centimetres by 69 centimetres sold for £40,000 ($54,200, €47,900 or درهم198,900) against an estimate of just £20,000 to £30,000 ($27,100 to $40,600, €23,900 to €35,900 or درهم99,400 to درهم149,200).
During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1793 – 1815), large numbers of French prisoners were housed in open prisons throughout Britain. Their daily food ration included half a pound of beef or mutton on the bone. Subsequently, the bone became a readily available source of raw material from which a variety of objects were crafted. Other materials were also used, including wood, horn, brass, silk, straw and glass. Typically, the models were not made to scale as accurate scale plans were not available and tools were limited.The item offered comes with a model prisoner with two detachable heads, complete with polychromed and articulated figures including an officer, a drummer, four soldiers and an executioner.The ‘Man-O-War’ bone model that sold at Christie’s featured ninety-two guns, a well-carved classical soldier figurehead, planking, deck features and a galleried transom carved with mermaids and figures. It had six long boats, was fully rigged and was enclosed within a Perspex case.Marie Antoinette’s execution by guillotine on 16th October 1793 at 12.15pm is most certainly the most infamous example of death by that device. Her last recorded words were: “Pardonnez-moi, monsieur. Je ne l’ai pas fait exprès” or “Pardon me, sir, I did not do it on purpose.”
Pair of limited edition Omega James Bond Seamaster diver watches featuring ‘We Have All the Time in the World’ and the Bond coat of arms to be auctioned
In November 2020, we featured the sale of a genuine Cold War espionage watch by Protona that was offered for just £140 to £200 ($190 to $272, €167 to €239 or درهم699 to درهم998) and now, the same auction house, Fellows of Birmingham, are to sell a far more expensive pair of watches inspired by the world’s most fictitious spy, James Bond.
Offered for £18,000 to £26,000 ($24,400 to $35,300, €21,500 to €31,100 or درهم89,800 to درهم129,800) – the auctioneers claim the RRP to be £36,970 ($50,240, €44,220 or درهم184,510) – on Monday 17th January at 10am, the set of two Seamaster Professional 300M diver wristwatches are listed as number 11 of 257 sets produced.
One of the pair is in stainless steel and the other is in 18 carat gold and aside from featuring James Bond Easter eggs, a laser engraved gun barrel design on the dial, the Bond family coat of arms at the 12 o’clock marker and a hidden number 50 – to mark the 50th anniversary of the release of On Her Majesty’s Service – the watches also bare the words ‘We Have All the Time in the World.’
Presented in a special edition Globetrotter suitcase marked ‘Omega OO7 Limited Edition’ with two travel pouches, the lot is completed with the script: “ORBIS. NON. SUFFICIT” making it the perfect gift for someone who believes “the world is not enough.”
The soundtrack for ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’ – composed, arranged and conducted by John Barry – has been described as “perhaps the best score of the series. ‘We Have All the Time in World’ itself was composed by Barry with lyrics by Hal David and takes its titles from Bond’s final words in both the novel and the film, spoken after the death of his wife, Tracy. In 2005, a BBC survey found that it was the third most popular love song played at weddings.
‘We Have All the Time in the World’
Released in 1969 as the secondary musical theme to the film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the song was released as a single in both the US and UK, but did not become a hit until 1994 as a result of it being used in a Guinness beer commercial.
Composer John Barry later commented that it was “one of his favourite Bond compositions” and stated it was a special pleasure to have worked with Louis Armstrong on it. The instrumental version of the theme reappeared twice in the 2021 film No Time To Die and in addition the lyrical variation was used at the beginning of the closing credits.
We have all the time in the world
Time enough for life
To unfold all the precious things
Love has in store
We have all the love in the world
If that’s all we have you will find
We need nothing more
Every step of the way
Will find us
With the cares of the world
Far behind us
We have all the time in the world
Just for love
Nothing more
Nothing less
Only love
Every step of the way
Will find us
With the cares of the world
Far behind us, yes
We have all the time in the world
Just for love
Nothing more
Nothing less
Only love
Only love
Automobiles and other items with connections to Bond can sell for extraordinary sums. An Aston Martin DB10 (featured top) used in ‘Spectre’ in 2015 offered at Christie’s in February 2016 sold for £2.8 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم14 million) in spite of actually being effectively undriveable. A promotional 1964 Aston Martin DB5 (lower image, left), featured in ‘The Steeple Times’ in February 2014), complete with revolving licence plates, hubcap blades, hidden guns, a bulletproof screen, radar and a smoke machine was marketed by Richard Stuart Williams for £3 million ($4.1 million, €3.6 million or درهم15 million) whilst a 007 Lotus Esprit submarine car used in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (lower, right) had an estimate of £650,000 to £950,000 ($883,000 to $1.3 million, €777,000 to €1.1 million or درهم3.2 million to درهم4.7 million) when offered by RM Auctions at their Battersea, London sale in September 2013. It later sold to Elon Musk.A 2014 Land Rover Defender SVX used in the 2015 film ‘Spectre’ that had been adapted by Belper, Derbyshire based Bowler Motorsport was offered by RM Sotheby’s at their September 2017 sale. It sold for the staggering sum of £230,000 ($313,000, €275,000 or درهم1.1 million) and now is often spotted in Egerton Gardens, Knightsbridge. The vehicle has been offered repeatedly at much higher sums at a number of auctions, but has failed to sell.
After an e-scooter explodes at Parsons Green underground station, it is time for these dangerous deathtrap devices to be banned in Britain
Yet more proof of the dangers of e-scooters was provided last week when one exploded on the District Line at Parsons Green underground station.
First reported on in the Evening Standard, the incident occurred last Monday at around 8pm and follows another similar incident at Stanmore on 26th October.
Of what occurred, the paper stated:
“In shocking footage, sent to The Standard, clouds of smoke billow down the District Line tube as the flaming scooter is dragged on to the platform at 8pm on Monday night.”
“Passengers flee and can be heard coughing and spluttering from smoke inhalation after the lithium battery of the device exploded at the front of the carriage.”
“A frantic train driver barks an instruction for the passengers to evacuate the train immediately.”
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Lorraine Ward, organising director of Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), remarked:
“Without doubt the incident at Parsons Green raises very serious concerns. It’s becoming all too clear that e-scooters pose a significant threat to the travelling public, our members and all workers at TfL.”
“There should be an immediate halt to transporting them on all TfL services until more research into these batteries has been carried out.”
“I’m therefore urging TfL to fully enforce the already existing ban on the use of e-scooters. Indeed, a further ban across the wider travel network should be considered by the Secretary of State for Transport.”
“What happened at Parsons Green and recently at Stanmore must be properly investigated as soon as possible. Safety on our transport network will always be our union’s number one priority, there can be no compromises on that.”
This is the death trap device that Sadiq Khan, Heidi Alexander, Will Norman and TfL are promoting.
This is what happens when the battery becomes faulty (apparently a common problem)
In July, ‘The Steeple Times’ reported on the London cabbie feed @TaxiLeaks sharing a video of an e-scooter exploding in a park. They accompanied it with the caption: “This is the death trap device that Sadiq Khan, Heidi Alexander, Will Norman and TfL are promoting. This is what happens when the battery becomes faulty (apparently a common problem). I’m sure Heidi can explain being deputy Mayor for transport.”Vlogger Emily Hartridge died after being hit by a truck whilst using an e-scooter on a roundabout in Battersea in July 2019. Of the tragic accident, YouTuber, Noel Forrest, remarked: “Emily [Hartridge] was one of my best friends, we grew up together. She was a very expressive, kind and caring person. It’s just so very sad. This is a tragedy but some good should come from it. Clearly e-scooters are not safe. Why allow the sale of something that is not safe? The existing ban should be enforced and extended to cover their sale.” Rightly, at the time, Colin Wingrave of the Metropolitan Police concluded: “Electric scooters should not be on the pavement or the road.”
Going further, a first responder stated: “How dangerous is that? The chemicals? It’s a f***ing scooter man the battery [caught on fire]” whilst a Transport for London spokesperson added:
“We completely understand how worrying it was for our” customers and staff when an e-scooter caught alight on a train.
“Emergency services attended Parsons Green station and the e-scooter was removed at the first opportunity.”
“While incidents like this are very rare, we take safety on the network extremely seriously and are undertaking a full review, which includes liaising with the London Fire Brigade.”
“It is forbidden to ride e-scooters at stations or on trains, and failure to comply with this by-law is a criminal offence. E-scooters may currently be carried but must be folded for the entirety of the journey.”
As reported previously in The Steeple Times on multiple occasions, e-Scooters are a danger in many other senses to both those using them and those that get in their way on both pavements and roads. It is time to finally ban these blessed, dangerous nuisances. E-scooters belong nowhere except in scrapyards.
Pictured top: The aftermath of the e-scooter explosion at Parsons Green on 1st November 2021.
As a 16-year-old dies after being hit on an e-scooter at 1.20am, inept Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council shamefully big up the arrival of a rental scheme for them in the borough
Whilst we illustrated the dangers of them when we shared a video clip of an e-scooter exploding earlier this month, this morning the MailOnline reported that a teenager was killed on one at 1.20am on Sunday morning.
Whilst the 16-year-old boy’s family deserve condolences from us all after the 20-year-old drunk driver – who has since been arrested – disgracefully fled the scene of the hit-and-run in Southborough Lane, Bromley, one has to ask: “What was a child doing roaming the roads on one of these dangerous devices in the dark at 1.20am in the first place?”
Elsewhere this weekend, the inept council that is the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea delivered a no doubt very costly, full-colour 8-page leaflet to residents. In it, they banged on about how “Kensington and Chelsea has become of the first boroughs in London where you can rent, ride and park e-scooters.”
Shamelessly saluting operators Lime, Dott and TIER, the unnamed author of the article about these mobile deathtraps claimed “safety will be at the core of the trial with scooters only allowed on roads and cycleways, not pavements.”
When The Steeple Times contacted RBKC’s environmental health team for their thoughts on Sunday’s death and whether this would affect their trial of such devices this morning, a hapless worker pathetically replied: “It’s above my pay grade to comment. I don’t know who I could put you through to I’m afraid.”
Last week in Twickenham, a 53-year-old man was left “shaking on the ground” in a “life-threatening” condition after falling off an e-scooter. ‘My London’ reported: “[He] was treated at the scene and taken to a major trauma centre as a priority.” Of the incident, a shop owner, Ibrahim Bozkurt, told the ‘Evening Standard’: “I have never seen anything like it… He was lying on the floor in shock, shaking, with his head covered in blood… Electric scooters are so dangerous. I don’t know how but there was zero damage to the car.”The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea council are well-known for wasting money on glossy ‘Our Borough’ magazines at the expense of actually helping residents. In the latest edition of their frankly tedious ‘rag’ they reported on e-scooter rental schemes coming to the area and previously in a 16-page edition, they banged on about a survey that had just a 0.32% response rate. Laughably, when contacted by ‘The Steeple Times’ at the time in July 2020, a representative from their media department laughably remarked: “The magazine goes to 92,000 households, but I’ve no idea what it costs to produce and I don’t know who I could ask who would know.”
E-scooters, unless rented in areas where trials have begun, remain illegal on both pavements and roads. Privately owned examples of these deathtrap devices, at present, can only be used on private land in the United Kingdom.
In January 2020, ‘The Steeple Times’ named and shamed a female e-scooter user who abused a pedestrian in Belgravia after she was asked to not use her dangerous mobile deathtrap on the pavement; in July 2019 we extensively reported on another horror, Ambar Zohra, hitting a pedestrian in Walton Street, SW3 and hurling the telephone of editor Matthew Steeples into the road when he tried to photograph her antics. Potty mouthed Miss Zohra “screamed abuse and profanities” but was called out by Jane Morris of legendary firm Percy Bass who remarked: “Where do you think you are from? The five floors of whores?”
Video of e-scooter turning into fireball illustrates why these dangerous death traps should be completely banned in Britain
Shared by London cabbie feed @TaxiLeaks on Twitter with their 11,000 followers on Saturday, a video of an e-scooter’s battery smoking and then exploding provides proof yet again that these unregulated nuisance machines must not be allowed on Britain’s roads and pavements.
This is the death trap device that Sadiq Khan, Heidi Alexander, Will Norman and TfL are promoting.
This is what happens when the battery becomes faulty (apparently a common problem)
In their 0:45-second video – accompanied by the caption: “This is the death trap device that Sadiq Khan, Heidi Alexander, Will Norman and TfL are promoting. This is what happens when the battery becomes faulty (apparently a common problem). I’m sure Heidi can explain being deputy Mayor for transport” – illustration was clearly provided of the dangers of these uninsured ‘mobile weapons.’
Elsewhere on our pages previously, The Steeple Times have highlighted other examples of death and destruction caused by these still for the moment mostly illegally used devices. In July 2019, we reported on the case of Ambar Zohra, a foul-mouthed cretin who hit a pedestrian in London’s Walton Street on a pavement on her scooter, just days after another user was killed on such a device on a roundabout in Battersea.
Whilst later, in July 2020, we commented on the government’s decision to trial rentable e-scooters after no doubt being bunged by operations such as the £1.6 billion valued American provider Bird, @TaxiLeaks’ video today again shows whilst it time the UK did to the contrary: It is time to make e-scooters illegal and to banish them from Britain.
Only last month, a man and woman suffered “serious injuries” after riding an e-scooter they were both on hit a VW Golf in Wolverhampton. At the time, the ‘Daily Mail’ remarked: “Evidence is mounting over their safety record, with critics suggesting they make it easier for criminals to whip people’s phones from their hands on the street and make a fast getaway. And in July 2019, TV presenter and YouTube influencer Emily Hartridge was killed while riding her e-scooter in Battersea, London. Hartridge, who was thrown from the scooter on a roundabout, is believed to be the first person to die in the UK in an accident involving an e-scooter. She was later ruled to have been riding too fast with an under-inflated tyre when she was tragically killed in a crash with a lorry. In the UK, two other people are now known to have died using them, while in the United States the number of e-scooter accidents that leave people needing hospital treatment has risen by more than 222 per cent in four years.”Yesterday, in the ‘Daily Mail,’ Peter Hitchens wrote of his “near-miss with an idiot on an e-scooter.” He observed: “The point being that if e-scooters become legal, you can expect to see a lot of them careering along a pavement near you. There’s a strong chance that they will crash into you from behind, breaking one or more of your bones. This happened to a three-year-old child in Feltham a few weeks ago, and as far as I know the culprit has not been found. And, while that will itself still be against the law, nobody will do anything about it. For the same reason, they are the perfect tool for those drug couriers who are already swapping their pushbikes for them. Legal businesses such as fast-food delivery, which seem to employ some of the most ruthless people in the world, will also no doubt take advantage. We don’t actually need to find all this out. Cities all over Europe are licking their wounds after legalising e-scooters, especially Paris. Singapore last year more or less banned them after several injuries and fatal accidents, as well as fires in public housing blocks caused by faulty batteries… But Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, and the House of Commons Transport Select Committee both seem to have been beguiled by the e-scooter lobby, which appears to mesmerise its victims in much the way that a cobra is said to do.”
1964 Aston Martin DB5 convertible – complete with very first car phone in Britain – owned originally by Peter Sellers and subsequently by Princess Margaret’s husband to be auctioned
A “regal runaround” – a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 convertible owned first by the actor, comedian and avid car collectorPeter Sellers CBE and then by both the 1st and 2nd Earls of Snowdon – is to be sold at auction next month.
Ordered new complete with the very first wireless Motorola car phone in Britain – which the then Viscount Linley later described as working “a bit like a walkie-talkie; you clicked a button twice and got through to the exchange” – the Caribbean pearl blue, Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera designed car was one of only 123 soft-top variants produced.
Featuring a 282 bhp 4-litre straight-six engine, “mated to a state-of-the-art five-speed ZF manual gearbox,” according to auctioneers Bonhams, the vehicle is “capable of a 145 mph top speed.” It came with extras numbering fog lamps, a cigar lighter, a dark blue hood and cover and non-standard chrome roadwheels also.
In the possession of Sellers, it is believed, for just a year, the vehicle passed to his friend, the then husband of Princess Margaret, the former Anthony Armstrong-Jones, circa 1965 and was used for “family journeys” in Chelsea, Mayfair and Soho and even also for roadtrips to places as far away as Prague.
Tellingly, the 1st Earl supposedly “smuggled Lady Jacqueline Rufus Isaacs, daughter of the Marquis and Marchioness of Reading, away from his country house when the Princess returned home unexpectedly one evening” in the boot of the car, whilst Bonhams add, the 2nd Earl recalled: “We always had the windows down so my mother could smoke her cigarettes.”
Kept subsequently at the National Motoring Museum at Beaulieu, the 1st Earl gave his son the car to mark his 25th birthday in 1986 and during the next period, it was altered, rebuilt and maintained by Aston Martin Service Works.
Speaking of the convertible to Aston Martin magazine and driving it to Italy even, the 2nd Earl of Snowdon – known professionally as ‘David Linley’ – mused:
“[When my father gave me the car], it had already spent a few years at the motoring museum at Beaulieu and my father advised me that it might be quite a good idea to leave it there… But I was 25, for God’s sake, and living in London – the car didn’t stay in the museum!”
“I loved that it had this patina that reminded me of my father. Everywhere I went in Italy it was: ‘Che bella macchina!’ [what a beautiful machine].”
The Aston Martin has most recently been offered for sale by Joe Macari – whom declared of it on their website: “[It] was given to Lord Snowden’s son, Viscount Linley, who sold it in an auction in order to raise money to pay the Death Duty on his inheritance. While only £3 million was required to pay the duty, over £13 million was raised leading to Lord Snowden accusing his son of selling anything that wasn’t laid down… The chance to own such a stunning car with such interesting provenance is a rare one!”
The vehicle will be now be auctioned on Friday 9th July at the Bonhams Festival of Speed Sale at Goodwood, near Chichester. The firm have set an estimate of £1.4 million to £1.7 million and commenting, director of Bonhams Motoring Cars UK, Sholto Gilbertson, commented:
“If ever a car defined an era, this DB5 is surely on the shortlist. Not only was it one of the most desirable and thoroughbred sportscars of its day but it has an extraordinary provenance being owned by the crème de la crème of the 1960s.”
Going further and speaking about letting it go, the now 2nd Earl of Snowdon added:
“I sold it and everybody said it was a great price. Obviously, I had no idea that the market was about to go completely crazy.”
“The thing is, if you are always going back on what you did and regretting things, you just start beating yourself up. You do what you think is right at the time, right?”
“Should I have sold it? No. Do I regret it? Yes. Can I put back the clock? No. Could I pay five million pounds to buy it back? Definitely not! But it [the sale] helped get Serena [his then wife] and I on a steady keel. I got the Linley business working. Got a job here at Christie’s. Got myself in a better place.”
Anthony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon in the car seat with his then wife, Princess Margaret, and children David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones (later Lady Sarah Chatto).Peter Sellers driving another of his cars, a Mercedes-Benz, with Liza Minnelli and another friend.Chris Evans in the Aston Martin in 2015.
The Names & Numbers
Friday 9th July 2021 – Bonhams will offer the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 convertible with an estimate of £1.3 million to £1.7 million ($1.8 million to $2.4 million, €1.5 million to €2 million or درهم6.8 million to درهم8.9 million) at their Bonhams Festival of Speed Sale on Friday 9th July 2021.
2015 – Chris Evans is pictured in the car just as he is announced as the replacement presenter of the hit show Top Gear in a multi-million pound deal that made him the BBC’s highest paid presenter at that time.
Circa 2011 – Believed to have been sold to television and radio presenter Chris Evans around this time.
2002 – Sold by the subsequent 2nd Earl of Snowdon, the now former Viscount Linley, in order to pay towards the death duties incurred by his late mother’s estate.
1986 – Valued at £30,000 or the equivalent of £90,000 today ($128,000, €104,000 or درهم469,000 today), according to Aston Martin Magazine and given by the 1st Earl of Snowdon to his son, then Viscount Linley, to mark the latter’s 25th birthday.
Dates unknown in this period – Kept at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire.
Circa 1965 – Sold “at a loss” to Lord Snowdon, the former Anthony Armstrong-Jones, according to GQ magazine.
July 1964 – First registered in the name of Peter Sellars. The cost of the convertible new at the time was £4,490 or the equivalent of £93,000 today ($132,000, €108,000 or درهم484,000 today). This was “well above the average house price of the time, assuring that only a privileged few were able to afford one. The epitome of British elegance and class, celebrities snapped them up – Peter Sellers, Beryl Reid, and even HRH Princess Margaret could be spotted in a DB5 convertible,” according to RM Sotheby’s whom sold a 1965 left-hand drive example for £1.9 million ($2.7 million, €2.2 million or درهم9.9 million) in December 2017.
Bonhams to auction an early B-7 snowmobile created by Joseph-Armand Bombardier after he lost his son in a blizzard for just under £30,000 reports Nikolay Kalinin
With a design reminiscent of a Citroën 2CV, but with wheels replaced by tracks and skis, a 1940s snowmobile made by Bombardier is headed to auction later this month in America. It represents an interesting piece of motoring history and though it may look amusing, it was actually tragically born out of loss.
The B-7 snowmobile was the personal project of Joseph-Armand Bombardier (1907 – 1964) – the man credited with having brought snowmobiles into the mainstream after he lost his 2-year old son to complications of an appendicitis, having been unable to get him to hospital due to blizzard conditions. Quebec born Bombardier developed the snowmobile as a vehicle that could “float over the snow,” and it brought him great fame and recognition within the motoring industry.
A Blizzard Busting Bombardier – Joseph-Armand Bombardier pictured with an early B-7 Bombardier snowmobile.A Blizzard Busting Bombardier – In February 2017, ‘The Steeple Times’ featured another example of a car designed for transporting large numbers of people in snowy locations that Bonhams auctioned at their Amelia Island auction. This 1959 Cadillac BROADMOOR Skyview was used to transport guests at The Broadmoor Hotel of Colorado Springs, Colorado, “one of America’s finest historic establishments” and a place that supposedly turned President George W. Bush teetotal in the summer of 1986 after he woke up with a hangover. It failed to sell, but had been guided at £140,000 to £200,000 ($175,000 to $250,000 or €165,000 to €235,000 or درهم640,000 to درهم915,000).
The Bombardier B-7 offered has seven seats and is powered by a Ford Flathead V8 engine that has approximately 90 bhp. This model is from 1940, three years after Bombardier had begun building snowmobiles, and a year after orders for his vehicles reached 100.
The example to be sold has been immaculately restored to the point that it looks just like it came out of the factory, with a perfectly functional engine, restored wood and refurbished seats. Of it, auctioneers Bonhams comment: “The vehicle is an exceptionally pleasing and fascinating static exhibit, and an example of a model which is perhaps unknown to most.”
The snowmobile – which until recently formed part of the collection of the late Glenn C. Gould Jr. – will be auctioned at Bonhams’ Amelia Island Auction in Florida on 20th May 2021 with an estimate of £21,700 to £29,000 ($30,000 to $40,000, €25,000 to €33,300 or درهم110,200 to درهم146,900). This price seems relatively cheap in comparison to other lots in that auction – some of which are likely to be hammered down ultimately for millions of pounds.
