One-of-one 2005 Ferrari 612 shooting brake by Vanderbrink to be auctioned in Monte Carlo; unlike other Ferrari estates, it’s not from the ownership of Brunei royalty
One wouldn’t normally associate Ferrari with shooting brakes – combinations of coupés and estate cars – but now, one that symbolises the reverse of Enzo Ferrari’s mantra of “I build engines and attach wheels to them” is going to auction.
Whilst little information is supplied on the firm’s website other than to list the 2005 Ferrari 612 shooting brake with an estimate of £130,000 to £220,000 ($161,000 to $273,000, €146,000 to €247,000 or درهم592,000 to درهم1 million), much more has been written about it elsewhere online.
The car, it transpires, is the brainchild of Amsterdam based Vandenbrink Design. The firm took a 2005 Ferrari 612 and reconfigured it to include what is described by Take to the Road as the “low roof and sleek lines of a coupé.” The magazine argue that it “thus [retains] sporting appeal, whilst adding the practicality of a wagon.”
They enthusiastically continue: “The extended roof line isn’t exaggerated and preserves the distinctive sporting look of the 612 Scaglietti. Plus the addition of the wonderfully sculpted twin roof glass provides rear passengers with enough light to ensure they are not completely cocooned in darkness. The real talking point however is the boot which is cavernous, when compared to traditional Ferrari standards. It is a true all-round practical Ferrari with enough luggage room for extended trips well beyond just ‘weekend bags.’”
Previously listed for sale on Classic Driver, the grey with beige leather interior, left-hand-drive car has covered about 18,000 miles and seats 2+2. In spite of having a “cavernous” boot lined with vast expanses of hide, one won’t likely see this shooting brake on a pheasant shoot or grouse moor any day soon. Instead, it’ll more likely be found in the future parked outside the smartest spots on the Côte d’Azur.
Quirky 1970 Subaru 360 police car to be sold at auction; unlike anything Colin McRae drove it’s as slow as a snail
Advertised quite accurately in the United States as “cheap and ugly” by its importer Malcolm Bricklin, the Subaru 360 was the first car produced by the Japanese transport conglomerate Fuji Heavy Industries.
Exempt from normal safety standards because it weighed less than 1,000 pounds, the car was branded “not acceptable” because of safety concerns and lack of power, but now one of the few left – many were “tossed overboard” off boats or “shredded to pieces” due to their unpopularity – is now headed to auction via RM Sotheby’s in May.
The car to be offered by RM Sotheby’s is nothing like the vehicles that Subaru later created in terms of their abilities to drive at speed; in the 1990s the company became renowned for its wins at the World Rally Championships courtesy of the likes of the late Colin McRae MBE – the Subaru 360 would not have even have got off the starting block in such rallies.
The fibreglass monocque construction car to be sold, an example from 1970, comes in the form of a police car complete with the livery of the New Zealand Ministry of Transport. It has a siren, light bar and included also are bobby hats according to the auctioneers.
They will offer the vehicle as part of their single owner Elkhart Collection sale on 1st and 2nd of May in Elkhart, Indiana and remark: “[It’s] unlikely to catch any speeders.” Like most of the 230 cars to be auctioned, no reserve set.
Nine seat, thirty year old Land Rover for sale for staggering sum; a cheaper alternative at RM Sotheby’s auction (forced online because of coronavirus) is a Volkswagen ‘Thing’
With coronavirus grinding everything from the Olympics to consuming a sandwich in Pret to a halt, everyone is having to change the way they do things and the automobilia sector is no exception.
Now, with so many concours and sales cancelled, the likes of RM Sotheby’s have been forced to take their auctions online and consequently they are now providing not only more photographs of each and every vehicle they try and sell, but they’re also bombarding their clients with ever more emails. Here is a new way of marketing, but whether it’ll work is yet to be seen.
An annual auction planned to be held in Palm Beach by the firm is a case in point. It has now been moved to an online affair that is being held between the 20th and 28th March and amongst the highlights (aside from the usual multi-million dollar offerings) is a thirty year old Land Rover Defender 110. The 3.5-litre vehicle, 4×4 is finished in what is described as a “striking shade of blue” and comes with upgraded coil springs, fold down steps and an external roll cage. It has nine seats and though not in the best of condition is listed with an ambitious estimate of £77,000 to £94,000 ($90,000 to $110,000, €84,000 to €102,000 or درهم331,000 to درهم404,000)
For those looking for a cheaper yet equally noticeable option in the same auction, RM Sotheby’s offer a 1974 Volkswagen 181 (commonly known as a ‘Thing’ in America) with a guide of £21,000 to £26,000 ($25,000 to $30,000, €23,000 to €28,000 or درهم92,000 to درهم110,000). The pumpkin orange with black interior vehicle – which is located in Vero Beach, Florida currently – has been “freshly restored” and was one of around 90,000 built between 1968 and 1983. Described as being “reliable” and “cheap to maintain,” this fun 4-speed military cabriolet would most definitely suit Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Borat’ but would equally be at home cruising London’s Kings Road.
As of 9.30pm on 24th March, the bid on the Land Rover Defender stands at £41,000 ($48,000, €45,000 or درهم176,000) and closes on 26th March, whilst the current bid on the Volkswagen ‘Thing’ is £11,000 ($13,000, €12,000 or درهم48,000) and closes on 28th March.
Victorian country cottage in picturesque rural setting in East Sussex for sale for less than a new BMW 3 series saloon
A brand new BMW 3 series saloon will set you back approximately £35,000 ($45,000, €41,000 or درهم167,000), but for the same sum you could buy a Victorian cottage in 0.103 acres in a “pleasant rural location” in Uckfield, East Sussex.
Set to be offered at auction by Savills, what sounds at first like an utter bargain had to come with a catch: 1 Jubilee Cottages has been unoccupied for over twenty years and now it has collapsed. Offered thus as having “potential for [the] reinstatement of a semi-detached house or a detached house subject to requisite consents,” this may not be quite what it seems.
In August 2019, the cottage made the news after an attempt to gain planning permission to demolish it and its neighbour by Miss Astral De La Mare of the High Cross Estate was rejected by Wealden Council. The rejected plans had proposed for “an estate manor house [with] brick quoins, [the] estate crest in the gable and a reconstituted stone portico.” The submitted plans included relocating the property further away from the “fast and dangerous road where there have been recent fatalities” and turning the existing Jubilee Cottages site “to a native flower rich wild meadow.”
The site of what remains of one half of the cottages will be sold on 12th February at The Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square in Mayfair, London.
Pictured top: The cottage and its neighbour prior to one half collapsing.
Described by Historics Auctioneers as “unique” with styling that is a “little unorthodox, as with most things designed by Nubar Gulbenkian” the partly restored car has a new ash fame and has been subject to comprehensive fabrication work. Its current owner is mentioned as being “sadly not in the position to complete the work,” but much of what is required to complete the vehicle is thankfully included.
Of the Roller, speaking to the Mail Online, auctioneer Stewart Banks commented:
“Serene and stately are words that are rightly used to describe a Rolls-Royce motorcar of yesteryear.”
“The eccentric Nubar Gulbenkian, however, brought a whole new vocabulary and perspective when he penned this sensational one-off for Hoopers to create for him.”
“We are honoured to be offering this hugely important car for sale so the restoration can be completed and it can be seen and driven in all its original glory.”
Historics Auctioneers will sell the late Mr Gulbenkian’s creation on 7th March 2020 at Ascot Racecourse.
Some quotes from and about 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.”
A view of the car from the rear.The driver’s compartment.The passenger compartment (complete with much of what is required to finish the vehicle).Another interior shot.The car in better days (side).And from the front.A scale model of the vehicle.
Grade II* listed Cumbrian mansion built by opium dealer and once marketed for £1.5 million for sale for just £460,000; it was also the scene of the UK’s biggest ever cannabis raid in 2012
A 23,000 square foot, 52 room, mid-19th century Palladian mansion in the Westmorland Dales National Park is to be sold at auction – by order of the mortgagees not in possession – for £1 million less than it was marketed for in 2014. It is sadly now described as being in an utterly wrecked, vandalised condition.
The entrance elevation of the mansion then and now
The strikingly grand interiors of Flass (prior to visits from the ‘Urban Explorers’)
The completely trashed interiors of the mansion (after visits from the ‘Urban Explorers’)
Built in 1851 for wealthy merchant brothers and tea and opium magnets Lancelot and Wilkinson Dent, 8-bedroomed Flass at Maulds Meaburn, near Penrith in Cumbria was designed by architects Grey and Mair and includes furnishings by the renowned firm Gillows of Lancaster and London.
Opulent to its core and said to have featured marble fireplaces, ivory door handles and friezes with pearls, Flass remained in the Dent family until 1973. Just prior to being sold for £17,000 (the equivalent of £202,000 today) that year to a historian named Frank Walsh, the then owner Sir Robert Dent opened up an attic of the house and discovered items from the Mughal Empire that he then auctioned for the astounding sum of £220,000 (the equivalent of £2.6 million today).
Subsequently this vast stucco finished, limestone built house – complete with a Doric porte-cochère and a three-storey tower – became a care home and was then after sold in 2000 to a singer-songwriter best known for co-writing the creepy Christian crooner Sir Cliff Richard’s Devil Woman named Christine Holmes (also known as Kristine Sparkle) and her husband Paul Davies. The pair turned the property into a performing arts school.
After the couple divorced, Davies took control of the mansion but due to spiraling maintenance costs, he eventually got himself involved with a gang of drug dealers in 2011. Due to what rental agents at the time described as the house being “totally private and hidden away, with an unmatched seclusion and charm,” Davies and his five cohorts were able to grow cannabis with a street value of £5.26 million undetected until a neighbour became suspicious. He was jailed for his role in the crime for three years and eight months in September 2015.
Singer-songwriter Christine Holmes outside Flass in September 2017 (after visits from the ‘Urban Explorers’ and their having trashed her home)
Paul Davies turned Flass into Britain’s biggest cannabis farm (and got himself three years and eight months in jail for his efforts; on his conviction his representative said: “He blames nobody but himself for getting involved in this criminal business”)
The “massive scale” £5 million cannabis farm operated at Flass was described in court as “a professional setup” and having the “real hallmarks of organised crime”
Christine Holmes subsequently took back control of Flass and after trying and failing to sell the house for £1.5 million spent £200,000 on renovations to put right the damage done by the drug operation. Her bad luck, however, was not to end there. In September 2017, the Cumberland & Westmorland Herald reported that a gang of ‘Urban Explorers’ had raided the somewhat derelict building and filmed their exploits. In the weeks that followed, trespassers returned at least twelve further times and “ransacked and trashed” the once glorious residence. She told the paper:
“I was absolutely horrified when I saw [videos of the house] online. I couldn’t believe how anyone could come into my home and believe it was an abandoned building.”
“I think since then people have been staying in the building and have even been there hiding while I’ve been there. I’m petrified. These are evil people who are breaking into my home. I think it’s becoming a game to them. They are breaking in every day.”
Auctioneers Harman Healy will now offer Grade II* listed Flass along with 17.5 acres of overgrown grounds with a guide price of just £460,000+ on 30th January. Christine Holmes no doubt will be glad if she finally gets shot of what she likely ended up considering to be the worst kind of white elephant.
Flass – The Numbers
January 2019 – To be offered at auction with a guide price of just £460,000 ($596,000, €525,000 or درهم2.2 million).
July 2014 – Offered for sale for £1.5 million ($1.9 million, €1.7 million or درهم7.1 million).
2000 – Sold for £490,000 ($635,000, €559,000 or درهم2.3 million) to the currently jailed drug dealer Paul Davies and his then wife songwriter Christine Holmes.
1998 – Reduced to £650,000 ($842,000, €741,000 or درهم3.1 million).
1997 – For sale for £750,000 ($972,000, €855,000 or درهم3.6 million).
1982 – Sold for £115,000 ($149,000, €131,000 or درهم547,000) to a retired solicitor named Malcolm Whiteside. He turned Flass into a care home which he ran with his wife Mary.
1973 – Sold by Sir Robert Dent, a descendant of the family who built the house, for £17,000 ($22,000, €19,000 or درهم81,000) to a historian named Frank Welsh.
1967 Rolls-Royce state landaulet originally built for the Communist dictatorNicolae Ceaușescu – but considered too extravagant even by him – and later used by Her Majesty The Queen to be auctioned
Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu was a dictator whose extravagance was a bit like that of Barbara Amiel: It knew no bounds. In 1966, ignoring the wishes of his Russian handlers, Ceaușescu decided to order what became the most costly Rolls-Royce Phantom V state landaulet by Mulliner Park Ward ever produced and spent £20,000 in 1966 (the equivalent of £652,000, $824,000, €726,000 or درهم3 million today) creating a truly luxurious vehicle.
Featuring nearly every available option possible, including a rear seat that could be raised or lowered to suit the height of passengers, this luxurious limousine also came with a combination cocktail bar and entertainment cabinet with a television. It had dual air conditioners for both the front and rear compartments, fluorescent lighting for parades at night and a refrigerated wine cooler. So over-the-top was it that, though Ceaușescu allegedly “probably could not have cared less” himself, Leonid Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Communist Party, complained about the lavishness of the vehicle, had it stored for one year and then shipped back to England.
Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena
Replaced with a “more suitable Silver Shadow,” Ceaușescu’s Phantom V state landaulet was sold on to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based Dr. Erle M. Heath and his wife Bonnie. They used it on a daily basis for three decades and racked up 117,000 miles in it but also loaned it to dignitaries and personalities on occasions. Used to chauffeur Her Majesty The Queen on her state visit to Bermuda in 1975, the car was also her transportation during her visit to the Grand Cayman Islands in 1983.
Subsequently, in 1978, the vehicle also was used by Princess Grace of Monaco in Pittsburgh in 1978 and then after the death of Dr. Heath in 1992, it eventually became part of the Calumet Collection. Exhibited at various concours d’elegance, the Phantom V state landaulet also transported the American astronaut Buzz Aldrin and now has 161,795 miles on its clock.
RM Sotheby’s will sell this “rich in history” car at their Arizona 2019 auction on Friday 18th January 2019. They offer it with no reserve and an estimate of £791,000 to £1.2 million ($1 million to $1.5 million, €880,000 to €1.3 million or درهم3.7 million to درهم5.5 million).
1985 MG Metro 6R4 to be auctioned; it has an extraordinary estimate of £180,000 to £200,000 and just 175 miles on the clock
With over 1.5 million built during its production run, the Austin (and later Rover) Metro is in the top ten of car models sold by number in the UK ever. Lady Diana Spencer – later the Princess of Wales – drove a W-reg example prior to her marriage and the actor Peter Bowles was also said to have been a fan.
Promoted in jingoistic style by its manufacturer as “A British Car To Beat The World,” the Metro also found fame on the rally circuit. Created for the short-lived ‘Group B’ rally category, the MG Metro 6R4 bore a cosmetic resemblance to its city car parent, but in fact was something completely different and something that packed a bit of a punch.
Developed by Williams Grand Prix Engineering, this turbocharged 3-litre V6 engined car came in the form of a ‘Clubman’ model, a road-going version developing about 250 bhp, and a more powerful 410 bhp International ‘Group B’ specification rally car. Around 200 of the former were built and sold to the public whilst 20 of the latter were made.
In January, a 1985 ‘Group B’ example that has covered just 175 miles from new and was part of Williams Grand Prix Engineering’s collection from 1988 to 2005 will be sold at auction. It is presented in “sparkling condition” and was fully recommissioned and overhauled by BGM Sport in 2016/2017.
Silverstone Auctions will sell the car at their Autosport International Sale 2019 on 12th January at the NEC, Birmingham with an estimate of £180,000 to £200,000 ($227,000 to $253,000, €200,000 to €222,000 or درهم835,000 to درهم928,000).
Superb example of the “world’s ultimate limousine” to be auctioned; the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman was the favourite of dictators across the globe
Produced from 1963 to 1981 with a run of 2,677 units made, the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman – also known as the ‘Grosser’ or ‘Grand Mercedes’ – is undoubtedly a star amongst cars.
With owners having included politicians such as Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos (who had four) and Robert Mugabe and personalities including Coco Chanel and Elvis Presley, these high-end king of sedans has not only presence but also provide a smooth and quiet ride and extreme levels of comfort.
Later this month in California, a fine example of such a car will be sold at auction. Presented in dark blue (which is rare given most ‘Grossers’s’ are in black) with red leather, the 1969 Pullman offered has a 6,332-cc overhead-cam V8 engine and has been subject to a comprehensive renovation since being purchased by its current owner in 2005.
An estimate of £157,000 to £196,000 ($200,000 to $250,000, €176,000 to €220,000 or درهم735,000 to درهم918,000) has been set for the vehicle. It will be sold at RM Sotheby’sPeterson Automotive Museum auction on 8th December and seems like a veritable bargain given that Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito’s ‘Grosser’ sold for £2.5 million ($3.2 million, €2.8 million or درهم11.7 million) in 2017.
Romantic island in Ireland complete with its own castle for sale for just £80,000; there is, of course, a catch
A 0.54 acre island at the southeastern end of Lough Key, near Boyle in County Roscommon is to be sold this December. A castle was built there first in the 12th century and though that was eventually burnt to the ground after being struck by a bolt of lightning, about 200 years ago a “folly house” was constructed in its place by an English family named the Kings.
Once again now a ruin, this Irish National Monument is described as being in a “perilous state” but could potentially be restored to create what could be the most spectacular holiday home imaginable.
Associated with the Legend of Una Bhan – the tragic story of a girl who fell in love with the son of the clan chief owner of the island – McDermott’s Island also featured in the works of W. B. Yeats and was visited by Sir Bob Geldoff when he made a BBC film titled A Fanatic Heart about the Irish poet in 2016. It was previously used for the Sky One sitcom Moone Boy starring Steve Coogan and Johnny Vegas in 2014.
Offered with a guide of £79,000 ($102,000, €90,000 or درهم373,000), bidding opens on 7th December and closes on the 13th December though BidX1. Grand Designs loving sorts will no doubt be queuing up.
