The Steeple Times

Tag: V8

  • Pimp My Hummer – Rapper Tupac’s 1996 Hummer ‘Eliminator’ For Sale For £333,333

    Pimp My Hummer – Rapper Tupac’s 1996 Hummer ‘Eliminator’ For Sale For £333,333

    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.

     

    1996 Tupac 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.
    Tupac in Hummer H1
    Accompanying the auction listing for the 23rd January sale, Bonhams include a black and white photograph of Tupac Shakur in the vehicle.
    Tupac in Hummer H1 waving
    Another image of the star shared widely online shows him waving from his blinged up beast.
    Tupac 1996 BMW 7 series murder car Death Row Records
    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.
    Tupac Rolls-Royce Corniche IV
    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 Davis Tupac Shakur murder trial
    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.

     

    Follow Matthew Steeples on X at @M_Steeples and The Steeple Times at @SteepleTimes.

     

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel at @mjs2781.

     

    If you haven’t done so already, please consider supporting keeping The Steeple Times in the business of telling the stories that the mainstream media don’t dare touch by helping fund our work via Patreon.

     

    Further pictures of the 1996 Hummer H1 to be offered at auction by Bonhams:

  • A Blizzard Busting Bombardier

    A Blizzard Busting Bombardier

    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 – B-7 snowmobile to be auctioned – 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 – Circa 1940 Bombardier B-7 snowmobile to be sold by Bonhams at their Amelia Island Auction on 20th May 2021 at Fernandina Beach Golf Club, Florida 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).
    A Blizzard Busting Bombardier – Joseph-Armand Bombardier pictured with an early B-7 Bombardier snowmobile.
    A Blizzard Busting Bombardier – B-7 snowmobile to be auctioned – 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 – Circa 1940 Bombardier B-7 snowmobile to be sold by Bonhams at their Amelia Island Auction on 20th May 2021 at Fernandina Beach Golf Club, Florida 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).
    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.

     

    A Blizzard Busting Bombardier – B-7 snowmobile to be auctioned – 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 – Circa 1940 Bombardier B-7 snowmobile to be sold by Bonhams at their Amelia Island Auction on 20th May 2021 at Fernandina Beach Golf Club, Florida 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).
    A Blizzard Busting Bombardier – B-7 snowmobile to be auctioned – 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 – Circa 1940 Bombardier B-7 snowmobile to be sold by Bonhams at their Amelia Island Auction on 20th May 2021 at Fernandina Beach Golf Club, Florida 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).
    A Blizzard Busting Bombardier – B-7 snowmobile to be auctioned – 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 – Circa 1940 Bombardier B-7 snowmobile to be sold by Bonhams at their Amelia Island Auction on 20th May 2021 at Fernandina Beach Golf Club, Florida 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).
    A Blizzard Busting Bombardier – B-7 snowmobile to be auctioned – 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 – Circa 1940 Bombardier B-7 snowmobile to be sold by Bonhams at their Amelia Island Auction on 20th May 2021 at Fernandina Beach Golf Club, Florida 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).
  • Firing Up A 20th Century Limo

    Firing Up A 20th Century Limo

    ‘Stretched’ 1994 Toyota Century for sale for less than the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta; the rammed full of gadgets limousine comes with a food heating compartment and privacy curtains favoured by notoriously shy Japanese people even

    Whilst a 1967 Mercedes-Benz ‘Dictator Car we featured in April eventually sold for £237,000 ($298,000, €264,000 or درهم1.1 million), a lover of limousines with far shallower pockets might care to bid on a Japanese example that is headed to auction this month.

     

    Though the word “limousine” originally derived from the “type of carriage hood that physically resembled the cloak worn by shepherds in the Limousin region of France,” this automotive category is now sadly more generally associated with that especially ghastly, much over-used adjective “luxury.”

     

    Limousines are not only considered the preserve of the aforementioned despots, but they’re also the favoured modes of conveyance of business titans, young Arabic and Russian showoffs and rappers now even. A well-known reader of ours even once stated she’d like to have several herself. This friend of royalty added that a collection of security guards running alongside with torches also would complete her ideal spectacle.

     

    Coming in the form of a four-seat, stretched saloon car, the 1994 Toyota Century to be offered was imported to the UK by Mohamad Issa in 2019. It is longer than a Rolls-Royce Phantom, but slightly shorter than a Maybach at 19-feet in length, is presented in black with a black leather interior and was fully serviced in Japan prior to being shipped. The odometer reads 34,500 miles.

     

    Historics Auctioneers will sell the 1994 Toyota Century limousine at their Windsorview Lakes sale on 18th July. They have set an estimate of just £13,000 to £17,000 ($16,300 to $21,300, €14,500 to €18,900 or درهم59,900 to درهم78,300) and describe the car as being: “A stunning example of a rare car even in Japan, this is a real collector’s car that is a sign of wealth and power for the price of a new Ford Fiesta!”

     

    Featured earlier this year in a 19-minute video by two vloggers named Ben and Alfie of a YouTube channel named The Department of Motoring Affairs, of this particular Century they surmised: “People are surprised that this is a Toyota… If you don’t get it by now you don’t belong in the club anyway… If you know, you know” and indeed they’re right: Here is a quirky limousine that you could only originally have had if the Japanese ‘powers that be’ allowed you.

     

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    A 20th Century Limo – £13,000 to £17,000 ($16,300 to $21,300, €14,500 to €18,900 or درهم59,900 to درهم78,300) for 1994 Toyota Century limousine at Historics Auctioneers Windsorview Lakes sale on 18th July 2020 – ‘Stretched’ 1994 Toyota Century for sale for less than the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta; the limousine comes with a food heating compartment and privacy curtains favoured by notoriously shy Japanese people even.
    The passenger “compartment” is described as “richly appointed” and includes not only “soft and supple” heated power, leather seats with variable speed massage functions, but also gadgets galore. Most importantly for the notoriously shy Japanese market, the compartment has all-round curtains as well as an electric privacy partition to separate it from the driver’s compartment (with an intercom communications system).
    A 20th Century Limo – £13,000 to £17,000 ($16,300 to $21,300, €14,500 to €18,900 or درهم59,900 to درهم78,300) for 1994 Toyota Century limousine at Historics Auctioneers Windsorview Lakes sale on 18th July 2020 – ‘Stretched’ 1994 Toyota Century for sale for less than the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta; the limousine comes with a food heating compartment and privacy curtains favoured by notoriously shy Japanese people even.
    There is a cordless 1990s mobile telephone, a television (described as “working but TV to Japanese specification”) with a VHS player, as well as a tape deck built into the rear centre armrest that even has an in-built recording device. A mini fridge also has a heating function for hot food and there is a cabinet containing crystal glasses and a decanter even.
    A 20th Century Limo – £13,000 to £17,000 ($16,300 to $21,300, €14,500 to €18,900 or درهم59,900 to درهم78,300) for 1994 Toyota Century limousine at Historics Auctioneers Windsorview Lakes sale on 18th July 2020 – ‘Stretched’ 1994 Toyota Century for sale for less than the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta; the limousine comes with a food heating compartment and privacy curtains favoured by notoriously shy Japanese people even.
    A desk can fold out for a mogul who wishes to work whilst on-the-road inside their Toyota Century limousine. It is made of mahogany and for those that wish to ‘drink-and-ride’ there are mahogany glass holders as well.
    A 20th Century Limo – £13,000 to £17,000 ($16,300 to $21,300, €14,500 to €18,900 or درهم59,900 to درهم78,300) for 1994 Toyota Century limousine at Historics Auctioneers Windsorview Lakes sale on 18th July 2020 – ‘Stretched’ 1994 Toyota Century for sale for less than the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta; the limousine comes with a food heating compartment and privacy curtains favoured by notoriously shy Japanese people even.
    The chauffeur also gets to sit in luxury (unlike in many other limousines). Whilst in original limousines, the chauffeur’s compartment was open, here they get not only a roof, but a leather seat also.
    A 20th Century Limo – £13,000 to £17,000 ($16,300 to $21,300, €14,500 to €18,900 or درهم59,900 to درهم78,300) for 1994 Toyota Century limousine at Historics Auctioneers Windsorview Lakes sale on 18th July 2020 – ‘Stretched’ 1994 Toyota Century for sale for less than the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta; the limousine comes with a food heating compartment and privacy curtains favoured by notoriously shy Japanese people even.
    Technology is the order of the day given this Toyota Century limousine was manufactured in Japan. The car has automatic transmission, cruise control and a fully functional digital dash.
    A 20th Century Limo – £13,000 to £17,000 ($16,300 to $21,300, €14,500 to €18,900 or درهم59,900 to درهم78,300) for 1994 Toyota Century limousine at Historics Auctioneers Windsorview Lakes sale on 18th July 2020 – ‘Stretched’ 1994 Toyota Century for sale for less than the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta; the limousine comes with a food heating compartment and privacy curtains favoured by notoriously shy Japanese people even.
    The soft-closing boot contains the original tyre and jacking equipment.
    A 20th Century Limo – £13,000 to £17,000 ($16,300 to $21,300, €14,500 to €18,900 or درهم59,900 to درهم78,300) for 1994 Toyota Century limousine at Historics Auctioneers Windsorview Lakes sale on 18th July 2020 – ‘Stretched’ 1994 Toyota Century for sale for less than the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta; the limousine comes with a food heating compartment and privacy curtains favoured by notoriously shy Japanese people even.
    The engine is a Lexus 4-litre 5V-EU V8. Of it, Historics Auctioneers remark: “We are informed by the vendor that [it] starts well and pulls strong with the temperature gauge reading a little below half and the automatic transmission shifts are firm and smooth.”
    A 20th Century Limo – £13,000 to £17,000 ($16,300 to $21,300, €14,500 to €18,900 or درهم59,900 to درهم78,300) for 1994 Toyota Century limousine at Historics Auctioneers Windsorview Lakes sale on 18th July 2020 – ‘Stretched’ 1994 Toyota Century for sale for less than the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta; the limousine comes with a food heating compartment and privacy curtains favoured by notoriously shy Japanese people even.
    From the front; this Toyota Century stretched saloon is described as “clean and straight, the chrome trim and bumpers are all intact and gleaming.”
    A 20th Century Limo – £13,000 to £17,000 ($16,300 to $21,300, €14,500 to €18,900 or درهم59,900 to درهم78,300) for 1994 Toyota Century limousine at Historics Auctioneers Windsorview Lakes sale on 18th July 2020 – ‘Stretched’ 1994 Toyota Century for sale for less than the price of a brand new Ford Fiesta; the limousine comes with a food heating compartment and privacy curtains favoured by notoriously shy Japanese people even.
    And from the rear; here is a car that Historics Auctioneers laud as having a look “denoting conservative success.”
    Historics Auctioneers have produced a video tour of the vehicle to market it to potential purchasers during the coronavirus lockdown.
    The 1994 Toyota Century limousine to be auctioned featured in an amusing 19-minute long YouTube video in March this year by vlogger Alfred Munkenbeck and his co-host Ben (surname unknown). They plainly loved the vehicle.
  • Boris Bashed!

    Boris Bashed!

    Steve ‘Stop Brexit’ Bray captures Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Jaguar limousine getting rear-ended by his security Range Rover in Parliament Square

    In footage captured on Wednesday afternoon, someone filming Steve Bray – better known as ‘Mr Stop Brexit’ – captured Boris Johnson’s very own security team smashing their Range Rover into the back of his armoured Jaguar XJ Portfolio V8 LWB in Parliament Square.

     

    Caused supposedly after a Kurdish protestor ran out, the Jaguar subsequently was able to drive away but clearly displays a bash in the boot. No injuries were thankfully reported.

     

    ‘Bosie The Clown’ will no doubt forward the repair bill to the same people who are dealing with his ever-growing Brexit balls-up. If asked otherwise, just as with Marcus Rashford, he’ll just claim he didn’t know it had even happened.

     

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    https://twitter.com/snb19692/status/1273244222385160192
    Boris Bashed! Boris Johnson’s limo gets rear ended – Steve ‘Stop Brexit’ Bray captures Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Jaguar limousine getting rear-ended by his own security Range Rover in Parliament Square on Wednesday 17th June 2020.
    From left – Steve Bray at the scene, the Range Rover hits the Jaguar, the protestors in the aftermath.
  • A Costly Coupé

    A Costly Coupé

    Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover ‘Adventum Coupé’ for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior

    Niels van Roij is a Dutchman who has set about reviving the craft of the coachbuilders of the early 20th century. Aside from having the work of his award-winning eponymous automative studio exhibited at the London Transport Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum, this autodidact car adapter has developed shooting brakes based on the Tesla Model S and the Range Rover.

     

    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
    Niels van Roij.
    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
    An electric Tesla S shooting brake coachbuilt by Niels van Roij.

    Now, the very first example of this talented designer’s Land Rover adaptations – named the Adventum Coupé – has become available for sale. The vehicle in question, converted from a 2018 5.0-litre supercharged V8 Range Rover to a “two door model based on the world’s best SUV,” is priced at £256,300 ($318,000, €290,400 or درهم1.2 million) including VAT and available through the Classic Youngtimers Consultancy based in Uden in Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. It has covered about 8,000 miles.

     

    Presented with its hand-beaten aluminum body panels in Arctic white with a Nappa red leather interior and black piano lacquer dashboard, the car features flooring of handmade teak from the front seats to the trunk. Two hand-stitched black and red umbrellas can be found in the boot complete with handles made of the same leather as the interior.

     

    Speaking generally of the Adventum Coupé range he intends to craft – the build run of which will be limited to 100 vehicles only – van Roji commented:

     

    “The bespoke Adventum Coupé is a real design statement with a distinctive, custom-made aluminum bodywork, built by coachbuilder Bas van Roomen. Unique personal ideas can also be added to the hand-produced exterior, such as subtle ventilation openings in the fender and the bonnet. The interior can be equipped with the finest materials. In a co-design process with the future owner, we shape exterior and interior. We process the finest materials, such as tweed, teak and lambswool. We make it so personal that even the favourite pinstripe from the owner’s suit can be incorporated into the interior.”

     

    “If desired, each Adventum Coupé can have striking materials and colour schemes for both interior and exterior: Everything is possible: from unique fuel filler caps, duotone exterior paints, highly polished wood on the dashboard, personalised tread plates to colour-matched leather in chic patterns. Even refined embroidery is a possibility.”

     

    “Because: form follows function. This new look visually extends the car. The shutlines of the door actively contribute to a more elegant side view. The interior has also been largely redesigned due to the major changes to the exterior.”

     

    Whilst we’d never urge anyone to buy a Range Rover in white (unless you were planning to use it in a country such as Kuwait), here is a future classic and a car that’ll most certainly stand out from the many other Rangies parked outside the pubs of the Cotswolds on a Sunday afternoon.

     

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    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
    A Costly Coupé – Range Rover Adventum Coupé for sale for £256k through Classic Youngtimers – Coachbuilt 2018 Range Rover Adventum Coupé by Dutch designer Niels van Roij for sale for an eye-watering sum; it comes with two umbrellas with handles made of the same leather as the interior.
  • A Dictator Rides

    A Dictator Rides

    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’s Peterson 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.

     

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    A Dictator Rides – 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Four-Door Pullman – To be auctioned with an estimate of of £157,000 to £196,000 ($200,000 to $250,000, €176,000 to €220,000 or درهم735,000 to درهم918,000) and will be sold at RM Sotheby’s Peterson Automotive Museum auction on 8th December. A Dictator Rides – 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Four-Door Pullman – To be auctioned with an estimate of of £157,000 to £196,000 ($200,000 to $250,000, €176,000 to €220,000 or درهم735,000 to درهم918,000) and will be sold at RM Sotheby’s Peterson Automotive Museum auction on 8th December. A Dictator Rides – 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Four-Door Pullman – To be auctioned with an estimate of of £157,000 to £196,000 ($200,000 to $250,000, €176,000 to €220,000 or درهم735,000 to درهم918,000) and will be sold at RM Sotheby’s Peterson Automotive Museum auction on 8th December. A Dictator Rides – 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Four-Door Pullman – To be auctioned with an estimate of of £157,000 to £196,000 ($200,000 to $250,000, €176,000 to €220,000 or درهم735,000 to درهم918,000) and will be sold at RM Sotheby’s Peterson Automotive Museum auction on 8th December.A Dictator Rides – 1969 Mercedes-Benz 600 Four-Door Pullman – To be auctioned with an estimate of of £157,000 to £196,000 ($200,000 to $250,000, €176,000 to €220,000 or درهم735,000 to درهم918,000) and will be sold at RM Sotheby’s Peterson Automotive Museum auction on 8th December.

  • Hit the Road Marilyn

    Hit the Road Marilyn

    Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned

     

    A 1956 Ford Thunderbird gifted as a Christmas present to Marilyn Monroe in 1955 by her business partner, the photographer Milton Greene, is to be auctioned in November.

     

    The raven black roadster bodied automatic – dubbed a “personal luxury car” by Ford – comes with numerous documents  and of it, the current owner comments:

     

    “I found the vehicle in lovely show condition. Nevertheless, the car has received a frame-off restoration to its exact original appearance by Prestige Thunderbird, Inc., of Santa Fe Springs, CA. Prestige is the premier west coast firm specializing only in classic 1955, 1956, and 1957 Ford Thunderbirds. In recognition of the car’s important provenance, special heed was given to the retention of original parts, with most driver and passenger touch surfaces left undisturbed.”

     

    “Finding this car, a classic two-seater model, after 56 plus years of its unknown whereabouts, was a singular event. No other car has been located and documented as owned by the incomparable Marilyn Monroe.”

     

    Speaking of the 225 horsepower, V8 engined vehicle, Amy Greene, wife of Milton Greene, remarked:

     

    “Marilyn liked to drive. We’d take the convertible and with the top down, we’d go sailing along the highway. We both liked to feel the wind in our faces and the warmth of the heater on our legs.”

     

    Kept and driven by the icon for six years, Monroe and her playwright husband Arthur Miller drove the Thunderbird to their civil wedding ceremony on 28th June 1956 and likely also to their private wedding on 30th June 1956. The vehicle was subsequently ‘regifted’ t to John Strasberg, the son the director and acting coach Lee Strasberg, as an 18th birthday present in 1962. It comes with a black canvas convertible top, a porthole windowed hardtop and has 30,399 miles on the odometer following an engine rebuild.

     

    Darren Julien, president of Julien’s – the firm conducting the sale – added:

     

    “Once in a while something comes along that has a powerful magic about it, a charisma, because of everything and everyone associated with it. This wonderful Ford Thunderbird is not only part of automotive history but comes with an aura of glamour, romance and tragedy of a true Hollywood legend. It will make the centrepiece of any classic car collection and be an object of fascination to millions.”

     

    Julien’s Auctions will offer the car at their ‘Icons and Idols: Hollywood’ on 17th November in Los Angeles, California. They have set an estimate of £230,000 to £384,000 ($300,000 to $500,000, €262,000 to €436,000 or درهم1.1 million to درهم1.8 million).

     

    2018 photos: Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions.

     

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    Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018. Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018. Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018.Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018. Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018. Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018. Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018.Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018. Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018. Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018.Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018.Hit the Road Marilyn – Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, California on 17th November 2018.

  • A Rolls for an Estate

    A Rolls for an Estate

    Quirky 1995 Rolls-Royce estate car for sale for just shy of £100,000; it’s perfect for picnics and conveying posh pooches

     

    A 1995 special edition Rolls-Royce Flying Spur converted to an estate car in recent years from a Silver Spur III with just 25,000 miles on the clock is currently for sale for £99,000 ($138,000, €112,000 or درهم508,000).

     

    Redesigned by West Coast Customs for an American music company executive circa 2011 for use in California, the vehicle offered features a “raked roof-line” and is finished in British Racing Green with light green over. It has just 25,000 miles on the clock, a tan leather interior and a boot with acres of space for dogs, picnics and goodness knows what else.

     

    The 6.8-litre, turbocharged V8 engine, automatic, right-hand drive car – one of just 134 Silver Spur III’s – is offered by Desmond J. Smail of Olney, Buckinghamshire, England.

     

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    A Rolls for an Estate – Unusual 1995 Rolls-Royce Flying Spur estate car for sale for just shy of £99,000 ($138,000, €112,000 or درهم508,000) through Desmond J. Smail of Olney, Buckinghamshire.A Rolls for an Estate – Unusual 1995 Rolls-Royce Flying Spur estate car for sale for just shy of £99,000 ($138,000, €112,000 or درهم508,000) through Desmond J. Smail of Olney, Buckinghamshire.A Rolls for an Estate – Unusual 1995 Rolls-Royce Flying Spur estate car for sale for just shy of £99,000 ($138,000, €112,000 or درهم508,000) through Desmond J. Smail of Olney, Buckinghamshire.A Rolls for an Estate – Unusual 1995 Rolls-Royce Flying Spur estate car for sale for just shy of £99,000 ($138,000, €112,000 or درهم508,000) through Desmond J. Smail of Olney, Buckinghamshire.A Rolls for an Estate – Unusual 1995 Rolls-Royce Flying Spur estate car for sale for just shy of £99,000 ($138,000, €112,000 or درهم508,000) through Desmond J. Smail of Olney, Buckinghamshire.

  • Farrell Rolls

    Farrell Rolls

    1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III drophead coupé used by Colin Farrell in 2010 crime noir film ‘London Boulevard’ to be auctioned

     

    A 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III drophead coupé first owned by the Malaysian royal family and more recently used in the 2010 crime noir motion picture London Boulevard – starring Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone – is to be auctioned in London in December.

     

    Professionally restored and featuring ‘Chinese Eye’ slanting headlamp nacelles, the car offered was the last off the production line to be registered and delivered new to Malaysia in June 1966. It remained there until the 2000s and was then registered in the UK by the managing director of the official Bentley dealership in Exeter in June 2009.

     

    The 6.2-litre V8 car – chassis number CSC81C – will be sold by Bonhams at their Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale on 6th December at London Olympia. It will be offered with an estimate of £300,000 to £350,000 ($397,000 to $463,000, €338,000 to €395,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم1.7 million).

     

    Follow The Steeple Times on Twitter at @SteepleTimes.

     

    Farrell Rolls – 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III drophead coupé – To be sold by Bonhams at their Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale on 6th December 2017 with an estimate of £300,000 to £350,000 ($397,000 to $463,000, €338,000 to €395,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم1.7 million) – Used by Colin Farrell in 2010 film ‘London Boulevard’ also starring Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone.Farrell Rolls – 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III drophead coupé – To be sold by Bonhams at their Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale on 6th December 2017 with an estimate of £300,000 to £350,000 ($397,000 to $463,000, €338,000 to €395,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم1.7 million) – Used by Colin Farrell in 2010 film ‘London Boulevard’ also starring Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone. Farrell Rolls – 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III drophead coupé – To be sold by Bonhams at their Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale on 6th December 2017 with an estimate of £300,000 to £350,000 ($397,000 to $463,000, €338,000 to €395,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم1.7 million) – Used by Colin Farrell in 2010 film ‘London Boulevard’ also starring Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone.Farrell Rolls – 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III drophead coupé – To be sold by Bonhams at their Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale on 6th December 2017 with an estimate of £300,000 to £350,000 ($397,000 to $463,000, €338,000 to €395,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم1.7 million) – Used by Colin Farrell in 2010 film ‘London Boulevard’ also starring Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone. Farrell Rolls – 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III drophead coupé – To be sold by Bonhams at their Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale on 6th December 2017 with an estimate of £300,000 to £350,000 ($397,000 to $463,000, €338,000 to €395,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم1.7 million) – Used by Colin Farrell in 2010 film ‘London Boulevard’ also starring Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone.Farrell Rolls – 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III drophead coupé – To be sold by Bonhams at their Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale on 6th December 2017 with an estimate of £300,000 to £350,000 ($397,000 to $463,000, €338,000 to €395,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم1.7 million) – Used by Colin Farrell in 2010 film ‘London Boulevard’ also starring Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone. Farrell Rolls – 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III drophead coupé – To be sold by Bonhams at their Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale on 6th December 2017 with an estimate of £300,000 to £350,000 ($397,000 to $463,000, €338,000 to €395,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم1.7 million) – Used by Colin Farrell in 2010 film ‘London Boulevard’ also starring Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone. Farrell Rolls – 1966 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III drophead coupé – To be sold by Bonhams at their Collector’s Motor Cars and Automobilia sale on 6th December 2017 with an estimate of £300,000 to £350,000 ($397,000 to $463,000, €338,000 to €395,000 or درهم1.5 million to درهم1.7 million) – Used by Colin Farrell in 2010 film ‘London Boulevard’ also starring Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone.

     

  • A Marmite Aston

    A Marmite Aston

    One-of-one left-hand drive 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage convertible in ‘Fury Yellow’ to be sold; it is a prime example of 1980s excess and a car you will either love or loathe

     

    A 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Zagato that was the only left-hand drive example produced is to be sold by auction in May. It is a car that you’ll either love or loathe and given it is presented in ‘Fury Yellow’, it certainly reflects the era when “greed was good” in terms of its brashness and noticeability.

     

    Capable of speeds of upto 183 miles per hour, the car offered was upgraded from a standard V585 V8 fuel-injected engine to a V580X Vantage engine by its original owner and also features a five-speed ZF manual gearbox. It has a specially styled black leather interior and a black mohair hood and is described as being “the essence of 1980s machismo”.

     

    A total of thirty-six right hand drive examples of this especially angular convertible were built. Two sold in 2013 and 2014 at Bonhams at their Aston Martin Works Sales at Newport Pagnell in England. Though each achieved just £135,900 ($176,000, €161,000 or درهم646,000), RM Sotheby’s estimate the ‘Fury Yellow’ version they are to sell at a much more ambitious £379,000 to £464,000 ($491,000 to $600,000, €450,000 to €550,000 or درهم1.8 million to درهم2.2 million). They will sell it at their Villa Erba sale on the shores of Lake Como in Italy on Saturday 27th May.

     

    A Marmite Aston – Fury Yellow 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Zagato to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at their Villa Erba sale on Saturday 27th May 2017 – £379,000 to £464,000 ($491,000 to $600,000, €450,000 to €550,000 or درهم1.8 million to درهم2.2 million)A Marmite Aston – Fury Yellow 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Zagato to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at their Villa Erba sale on Saturday 27th May 2017 – £379,000 to £464,000 ($491,000 to $600,000, €450,000 to €550,000 or درهم1.8 million to درهم2.2 million)A Marmite Aston – Fury Yellow 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Zagato to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at their Villa Erba sale on Saturday 27th May 2017 – £379,000 to £464,000 ($491,000 to $600,000, €450,000 to €550,000 or درهم1.8 million to درهم2.2 million)A Marmite Aston – Fury Yellow 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Zagato to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at their Villa Erba sale on Saturday 27th May 2017 – £379,000 to £464,000 ($491,000 to $600,000, €450,000 to €550,000 or درهم1.8 million to درهم2.2 million)A Marmite Aston – Fury Yellow 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Zagato to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at their Villa Erba sale on Saturday 27th May 2017 – £379,000 to £464,000 ($491,000 to $600,000, €450,000 to €550,000 or درهم1.8 million to درهم2.2 million)A Marmite Aston – Fury Yellow 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Zagato to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at their Villa Erba sale on Saturday 27th May 2017 – £379,000 to £464,000 ($491,000 to $600,000, €450,000 to €550,000 or درهم1.8 million to درهم2.2 million)A Marmite Aston – Fury Yellow 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Zagato to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at their Villa Erba sale on Saturday 27th May 2017 – £379,000 to £464,000 ($491,000 to $600,000, €450,000 to €550,000 or درهم1.8 million to درهم2.2 million)A Marmite Aston – Fury Yellow 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Zagato to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at their Villa Erba sale on Saturday 27th May 2017 – £379,000 to £464,000 ($491,000 to $600,000, €450,000 to €550,000 or درهم1.8 million to درهم2.2 million)A Marmite Aston – Fury Yellow 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante Zagato to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s at their Villa Erba sale on Saturday 27th May 2017 – £379,000 to £464,000 ($491,000 to $600,000, €450,000 to €550,000 or درهم1.8 million to درهم2.2 million)