PRIVATE TREATYSPRING/SUMMER 2015
Among the services which we offer clients is the ability to help them efficiently find or sell important motor cars; inside you will find a selection of those from collections around the world whose owners have asked us to represent them on their behalf. We hope you will find something to suit your discerning taste and remain at your disposal to discuss your requirements or simply to offer professional, up-to-date advice on any aspect of our shared passion. Front cover: A young Sub-Lieut. HRA Kidston trundles his well-used Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Le Mans past local spectators after his run at a wet pre-War British speed trial: you can almost hear the supercharged straight-eight booming and smell the Castrol R…2 | Kidston SA | Welcome
IntroductionThese are interesting times. We’ve becomeaccustomed to the inevitable “record this, recordthat” with every passing auction sale, but fresh,exciting motor cars have become as scarce as oldschool owners with no interest in the market.We’ve tried to strike a careful balance with this year’soffering, choosing cars which combine character,history, integrity and value. Each promises enjoymentbehind the wheel, the opportunity to be part ofgatherings attracting other, like-minded people and, ifexperience serves us well, some upside when the daycomes to move on. On that front our new insidersguide for collectors, www.k500.com, should help youmake informed decisions.If you’re holding this catalogue in your hands itmeans you’re probably already a friend and shareour philosophy.“The right crowd and no crowding”was the famous saying at pre-war Brooklands racemeetings but it could equally sum up our business approach.We devote our attentions to motor cars wewould aspire to own ourselves, regardless of value, and clients who, like us, focus on ‘best in breed’ aboveall else. Ours is not a ‘one size fits all’ business, and we believe in fewer clients, and fewer motor cars,both looked after properly.My colleagues and I hope to meet you during the coming motoring season. Do get in touch. Welcome | Kidston SA | 3
On Tour... The Hills Are Alive…with the sound of Jaguar’s unsilenced, triple-Le Mans-What’s the point in owning a car if you don’t enjoy it properly? winning straight-six, echoing acrossObsession with ‘delivery mileage’ is rather like saving your wife the Cotswolds during the Salon Privéfor her next husband. We live and breathe what we do to the full. tour for which Emanuele employed his best English accent4 | Kidston SA | On Tour...
Paddy Power: Friends were reunited as the legendary Paddy Hopkirk got behind the wheel of his Works Austin-Healey for our camera crew, exactly 50 years after driving it to victory in the Austrian Alpine RallyThe Forgotten Supercar: Remember the Bugatti EB110? More enthusiasts willafter we took a matching pair – GT and SS – to the abandoned factory for ahigh-speed pilgrimage and invited the motoring press to ride with usEastern Promise: Hong Konggentleman driver Alain Li suggestedwe join him and fellow Asiancollectors for a seven-day road tripfrom Monaco to Prague. The onlyquestion was which classic woulddo the job best… Indian Adventure: When ‘jeweller Angels with Dirty Faces: Rome, 1am. Simon and co-driver Martin ‘Jenks’ of Kings’ Cartier invites you to Emmison looking travel-stained but happy (and hungry) as they enter the judge at their biennial Travel with Eternal City on the Mille Miglia. Simon also commentated the start for the Style concours d’elegance in Delhi, seventh year running you remind yourself how to address a Maharajah and postpone the diet On Tour... | Kidston SA | 5 until another day…
’Girl Power’: A familiar master of ceremonies congratulates Nigel and Sarah Allen on their class win at Ville d’Este in her long-wheelbase 1959 Ferrari 250GT California Spyder. Take note, gentlemen…6 | Kidston SA | On Tour...
Travelling off-piste: ‘’It’s amazing what 6000rpm with no ABS or traction Vendue!: Winning the biddingcontrol feels like.” Simon and a fellow F1 driver take a detour in Tuscany war on behalf of a Kidstonduring the McLaren F1 Tour, one of our most memorable drives ever client for the Baillon collection Ferrari 250GT SWB Cal’ Spyder ‘barn find’ at Paris Rétromobile 2015 Braving Parisian traffic for the first time in decades, ‘60s screen star Alain Delon’s old Ferrari starts the long journey to its new ownerGentlemen PreferRedheads: Before judgingduties for the tenthconsecutive year at PebbleBeach, there’s just time tohitch a lift in a friend’s250 Testa Rossa on theTour d’Elegance On Tour... | Kidston SA | 7
Another discovery: Tucked away in a suburban U.S. home for half a century – the proverbial ‘shed at the bottom of the garden’ – was this ex-Works, 1953 Mille Miglia Lancia Aurelia B20 GT Competition Coupé. Candles in hand, we played Indiana Jones to return this archaeological gem to Europe8 | Kidston SA | On Tour...
If a job’s worth doing... Left: Valentino Balboni, the driver who helped develop the Countach, fresh from testing this very early LP400 Periscopica, another car unseen for decades, before assessing what it needs Right: The answer? Everything, if you want to enjoy it for another 40 years Below: It’s 1974 all over again, although prices have gone up a bit…The sixth- ever Countach produced reveals its secrets: stay tuned to see how we believe a full restoration should be conducted ...it’s worth doing properly On Tour... | Kidston SA | 9
Motor Cars offered for sale by Kidston SA10 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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‘The Chimney Sweep’s Car’1932 Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Cabriolet LungoCoachwork by Pinin FarinaChassis no. 2211075 Engine no. 2211075A ‘matching numbers’ example of Alfa Romeo’s definitiveLe Mans-winning sports modelContinuous one-family ownership from 1956-1999Sympathetically restored by Italy’s top craftsmen, 1999-2005European registered,‘on the button’ and ready to be enjoyedin world class eventsThe Alfa Romeo 8C lessons he had learned from racing into high-performance road-going cars thatFew experiences in motoring can were designed for sustained full-throttlematch that of driving an 8C2300 Alfa use on the high-speed roads that wereRomeo. Back in 1936 Motor Sport being constructed across Italy. magazine summed up the Alfa’s “charmand attraction to the connoisseur of The series began with the 6C1500 offast motor-cars” by saying that “the car 1925, followed in 1929 by the 6C1750.is made in the racing tradition, and the In the spring of 1931, after muchchassis, the steering, and everything speculation that Alfa was developing aelse connected with the car is light in new sporting eight-cylinder model, Janoweight and responds to the slightest unveiled his capolavoro, the 8C2300.action of the driver.” Its 2336cc twin overhead camshaft power unit was of unorthodox unusualThe 8C2300 was the culmination of construction; the cylinders were cast inan outstanding series of sports cars two blocks of four, with the housingcreated by Alfa Romeo’s chief engineer for the timing gears that drove theVittorio Jano, who translated the camshafts, supercharger, water pump12 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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and the double oil pump for the dry- threatening Italian businesses; state sump lubrication mounted between control followed. them. Not only was the crankshaft made in two halves, bolted together However, financial constraints could through the central gear wheels, but not diminish the glorious sporting the twin overhead camshafts were also record of the 8C2300, whose highlights made in two halves. were victory in the Le Mans 24-hour race in 1931-32-33-34 for the long- Production 8C2300 Alfas had wheelbase Le Mans four-seater tourer alloy blocks with dry liners; their and three successive wins in the Mille alloy cylinder heads incorporated Miglia (1932-33-34) for the short- hemispherical combustion chambers. wheelbase competition 2300MM two- In standard form, this power unit seater… developed 130bhp. Sadly, the desire to emulate those Even in its day the 8C2300 Alfa Romeo Mille Miglia victories led in the 1960s, was a rare car. Total production ‘70s and ‘80s to many long-wheelbase between 1931-34 was barely 189 8C2300 Alfas being stripped of their cars in three series. Marque historian original coachwork and cut-and-shut Angela Cherrett’s history of the to enable the shortened chassis to 8C2300 records that just 42 Second be fitted with replica roadster bodies, Series examples of the 8C2300 were making the survival of cars like this built in short (Corto) and long (Lungo) unique long-wheelbase “cabriolet due wheelbase variants during 1932, with posti” all the more precious. chassis numbers ranging from 2211051 to 221092; a further 26 First Series This Car cars had been built that year, making a total of just 68 cars. With prices It must have been the “charm and ranging from 80,000 lire to 98,000 lire attraction” mentioned in that 1936 for complete cars, few could afford Motor Sport magazine report that to buy a new 8C2300 in those in June 1956 tempted 21-year-old depression years, and by 1933 freelance photographer (Kenneth) financial problems forced a takeover Brian Eckersley – already a keen of Alfa Romeo by the newly formed member of theVintage Sports Car Club Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale, – to trade in his Delage plus an extra an organisation intended to mitigate £250 in exchange for an Alfa Romeo the effects of the financial difficulties 8C2300 Lungo (chassis ‘2211075’) from14 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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A well-stamped log-book the stock of dealer and jazz pianist Brian Finglass, who ran a company specialising in16 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale exotic sports cars named ‘Speed Models’ out of No. 54 Warren Street, a back street just off the Euston Road that was the centre of London’s second-hand car trade. Over the years, many interesting cars had passed through the hands of Brian Finglass – formerly of Pembridge Mews, London W11 – including the ex-Malcolm Campbell 38/250 Mercedes ‘GP10’, numerous Bugattis, an ex-Mille Miglia OM and a Nazzaro belonging to the Conan Doyle brothers. His small advertisement in the ‘Used Car’ section of The Autocar for 25th May had been beguiling: “£495 – Alfa Romeo 2.3 supercharged twin camshaft 8 cylinder, fitted magnificent drop head foursome coupe by Farina, Alfa red with white hood; engine just overhauled by Alfa specialists.” This was no ordinary 8C2300 Alfa Romeo, for it was a 1932 Second Series long chassis car whose rakish “cabriolet due posti” body had been updated in the late 1930s, probably by Turin’s master carrozziere Pinin Farina, in the very latest style; such practice was fashionable with wealthy enthusiasts wishing to give a favourite chassis a new lease of life. Finglass told Brian Eckersley that the Alfa, which had reportedly been overhauled recently by top Alfa Romeo mechanic Giulio Ramponi at his Ramponi Rockell garage in Lancaster Mews, had spent the war years in Switzerland, and it is known to have been registered in Geneva as ‘GE 22627’ between 1949-52. It is believed that the car had spent the first years of its life in the Turin area.
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An unsubstantiated story links the able to achieve”) by a contemporary first made his mark at Brooklands in T35 for 45 years and it is still in familyAlfa with a “minor European Royal”, reporter. In more modern times, the late 1920s. He subsequently drove ownership – through an OM to a pairwho is said to have acquired the car leading Alfa Romeo authority Simon a Lea-Francis, and after the war was of Formula One Lotuses, all boughtshortly before the outbreak of World Moore remarks in his definitive book a keen participant in Vintage Sports at a time when they could be had forWar Two, after it had been updated on the 8C2300: “The lines are similar Car Club racing, entering a brace of modest prices.by Pinin Farina in a style with much in to those on Terry Cohn’s 2.9… which 3.0-litre Maseratis, one of them thecommon with the “cabriolet speciale dates from 1938/39. There are also ex-Whitney Straight/ Prince Bira 8CM Despite the loss of one eye in childhooddue posti” that he created to the close similarities to the modified body Grand Prix car; he later owned a (which must anyway have inhibiteddesign of Mario Revelli di Beaumont on 2311210, another Pinin Farina car.” Maserati 250F. his initial job as a photographer), heon a Lancia Aprilia chassis in 1938 obviously enjoyed the performance ofthat was hailed as “un capolavoro, nel The Alfa had been first registered in The next owner, Brian Eckersley, his Alfa, as his widow Pauline recalled:disegno e nell’esecuzione, che nessun Britain on 15th March 1955 as ‘PXY was a true motoring enthusiast “It was a very fast car which frightenedaltro all’infuori della Carrozzeria 63’ with the Greater London Council, who changed careers – he took me a bit at first. But it certainly turnedPinin Farina sarebbe stato in grado di its logbook annotated “imported up chimney sweeping – to devote heads.We always called it the ‘ooh-aahrealizzare” (“a masterpiece of design from Switzerland”; its first British more time to his growing collection car’ because whenever anyone sawand execution that nobody other than owner was well-known racing driver of thoroughbred cars. These ranged it they would say, ‘Ooh-aah, what athe Carrozzeria Pinin Farina would be Harold C. ‘Nobby’ Spero, who had from vintage Bugattis – he owned a lovely car!’18 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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The Alfa 8C as honeymoon express, parked outside a Cornish guest house in the 1950s“We had a fabulous, slightly crazy, late honeymoon in Cornwall. We just took off body in a period correct livery of grey with blue wings which it is believed was theand carried on until we ran out of petrol money – I think we made it as far as car’s first colour scheme.The rejuvenated Alfa Romeo was shown in the ‘Open Sky’Tintagel, which wasn’t as far as we had thought!” class at the May 2011 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, and invited to take part in the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.Mr Eckersley’s love affair with his Alfa Romeo lasted until his untimely death at theage of 64 in November 1998, though it had not run seriously for several years. Chassis ‘2211075’, which retains its original ‘matching numbers’ engine and otherIt was sold to the present owner by Simon Kidston, then running Brooks Europe, major mechanical elements, is accompanied by a fascinating history file detailing itsin April 1999. many decades of ownership by the Eckersley family; research by Italian historian Dr Adolfo Orsi into its early life; comprehensive photographic documentation ofOver the next six years the Alfa – whose condition was described as ‘barn-find’ its painstaking rebuild in Italy; and a wealth of ownership documents including theat the time of the sale – was sympathetically restored by world-class experts in old English buff log book. the country of its birth.Veteran Gianni Torelli, famed for restoring the VW-ownedBugatti Royale, rebuilt all the mechanical elements down to the last detail whilst Genuine Alfa Romeo 8Cs are very seldom offered for sale, and invariably onlycarefully preserving factory finishes and 70 years of patina. Master painter Pietro pass from one world-class collection to another. Kidston is proud to have beenCremonini, whose work has won class awards at Pebble Beach and Villa d’Este, entrusted with this unique example that will forever be fondly remembered asstripped the bodywork and repaired and repainted the rakish “cabriolet due posti” ‘The Chimney Sweep’s Car’.20 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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The ex-Vittorio Giol1949 Maserati A6 1500 BerlinettaCoachwork by Pinin FarinaChassis no. 078 Engine no. 078“If you worked on the north side of the Via Emilia you were a Maserati man, and if you A handbuilt Maserati, one of 61 produced – the company’s firstworked on the south side, you were a Ferrari man” – First Maserati, then Ferrari man post-War production car, the last designed and engineered byRomolo Tavoni. the Maserati brothers The rivalry that existed between the two great Modenese manufacturers in the ‘On the button’, a highly desirable and eligibleshowroom and on the race track lasted throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, but entry for the Mille Migliacommenced with head-to-head sports car battles on Italian street circuits in thelate-1940s. Ferrari had its new 1497cc 125 S, Maserati the A6, a classic berlinetta Delivered new to winemaker and landowner Vittorio Giol,and sports racer powered by a 1488cc straight-six. San Polo Piave, ItalyIn 1947, Guido Barbieri, aided by contemporary aces Giovanni Bracco and Felice Restored to its original specification of blue coachworkBonetto, raced his modified A6 1500 to beat arch rival Ferrari driver Franco with leather/corduroy red interior Cortese to the Italian championship. As a model, regular A6 1500 berlinettas wereto feature in the Mille Miglia up to the early 1950s. The Maserati A6 1500 Although the Orsis had bought Maserati in 1937, the remaining three Maseratibrothers were bound by a clause in their contract to work for the company fora further 10 years. In 1947 Bindo, Ettore and Ernesto left to start O.S.C.A.,but before that they designed and built the 300bhp 4CLT Grand Prix car andMaserati’s first post-War production car, the A6 1500. The new A6 1500 was a classic example of expensive Italian sports cars of theera: a small, multi-cylinder engine, timeless yet modern styling by Pinin Farina,and suitable for competition in time trials and road races such as the immortalMille Miglia. 22 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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It was a bespoke car for aristocrats, businessmen and those of independent This Carmeans, built to order in a fashion that would not shame the work of master tailorNazareno Fonticoli and his business partner Gaetano Savini, who opened their first Brioni shop in Rome’s Via Barberini in 1945. Commissioned in 1948 and sent to Pinin Farina for coachwork in September that year, this A6 1500 was delivered new to Italian landowner and winemakerThe new A6 1500 (the ‘A’ for deceased Maserati brother Alfieri) saw the light Vittorio Giol, of San Polo Piave, in the Veneto region of Italy in May 1949. Afterof day in 1947 at the Geneva Motor Show. Pinin Farina bodied most, either as nearly seven decades, it can be but conjecture that his brother Americo, whoseductive berlinettas or elegant convertibles. owned a similar car, chassis ‘059’, influenced his choice. All were different in some detail or another, and Pinin Farina’s styling echoed its The Giol family winemaking business is in existence today, and is famous for itsseminal work for Fiat, Cisitalia and Alfa Romeo. Underneath the elegant lightweight sparkling and still white wines. aluminium coachwork sat a single-carburettor, 1488cc straight-six mated to a four- speed gearbox with tunnel change. The separate tubular chassis had independent Like so many other exotic cars of the day, an American serviceman and keen amateurfront suspension and a live axle at the rear. The fitment of Houdaille hydraulic racing driver, Lemual D. Ladd, purchased the car in the early 1950s and shipped itdampers and coil springs all round was typical of the brothers’ intention to keep the back to the U.S. The car’s third owner, David Chopourian of Billerica, MA boughtcar closely related to the company’s effective single-seater racing cars. the car from Ladd’s estate in 1963, as he confirmed in the following email correspondence after offering the car for sale as a ‘garage find’ in Hemmings, June 2003:24 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
The Old World meeting the New – David Chopourian’s newly acquired Maserati A6 1500 sits alongside his early Corvette Motor Cars For Sale | Kidston SA | 25
“I believe I am the third owner. The second owner was Lemual Ladd. I purchased a passionate collector and enthusiast who has enjoyed showing the car at Thethe car from his estate in 1963. I drove the car for about 4 months. The timing chain Quail as well competing with it on the Mille Miglia Storica. failed. It has been garaged ever since. The engine was removed and disassembled.The engine was not fitted with the original carburettor, or electric fuel pump. The The level of detailing and finish is quite extraordinary, as can be seen from thedistributor appears to have been retrofit with Mallory components.The serial number photographs. The car is presented in beautiful condition and not only mechanicallyis 078. I believe the paint is the original blue, the upholstery is maroon corduroy and capable and fully ‘on the button’ to tackle the Mille Miglia: it is also highly eligible,leather. Interior, including headliner, is in good condition, considering the age. Pictures being amongst the organisers’ top tier of cars most likely to gain an entry.currently not available, since I have already received considerable interest in the car,that may not be necessary. I do have a few pictures of the car taken while it was still In one family ownership for four decades, ‘078’ also boasts confirmed ‘matchingregistered in 1963, but I don’t have a digital camera to take pictures of the car today.” numbers’, its original colours inside and out and a history file that includes the engine’s original dyno test sheet.The colour photos from 1963 accompanying the car show discerning enthusiast Chopourian’s newly acquired Maserati posing alongside his very early white As production of its road cars grew, Maserati rapidly gained a reputation for beingCorvette – truly the Old World meeting the New. the marque of choice for ‘old money’, those prizing discretion and more than enough performance over brash, showy styling. The new owner treated ‘078’ to the most fastidious restoration over the next couple of years. For five years it enjoyed a life back in Europe, before returning to The post-War Maserati road car legend started with the A6 1500, and this exampleWest Coast America in 2012 and the custodianship of its current surgeon owner, is the noble ancestor of all subsequent Maseratis. 26 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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The ex-Gianni Agnelli1952 Bentley R-Type Continental FastbackCoachwork by H.J. MullinerChassis no. BC12A Engine no. BCA 12 Body no. 5478“My first encounter with a Mulliner Fastback Continental took place at Le Mans in A main attraction.1953… We glided around the famous course doing 120mph down the Hunaudières The R-Type andstraight… I was so mesmerised by the speedometer that I hardly noticed the admiring its followers atcrowds who had obviously never seen a touring car perform in this way before.” – Prince Villa d’EsteSadruggin Aga Khan, later an R-Type Continental owner First delivered via Franco-Britannic Automobiles of Paris toThe Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback principal Fiat shareholder, industrialist and playboy Gianni Agnelli A rare and desirable ‘A’ Series car, the 12th built and second lightestSummarised as “a Modern Magic Carpet” by The Autocar, the R-Type Continental ‘Matching numbers’, manual, right-hand drive,Fastback in its time was the ultimate in transcontinental land travel for the super- lightweight bucket seats and spatsrich owner-driver. Original colour of Fiat Traffic Blue with tan hide Concours-winner and recent Villa d’Este entry,In drab post-War Britain, it was extraordinary that Bentley found 207 buyers for 51,797km believed genuinea car with such a colossal price tag - £4,890 plus £2,083 purchase tax. But whenthe prototype was shown at the Paris Salon and the London Motor Show in theautumn of 1951, production was sold-out for many months ahead. The car came about from Bentley’s post-War interest in producing a lightweight,high-performance, two-door four-seater. In 1949, H.J. Mulliner had produced three‘Mulliner Lightweights’, streamlined coupés based on Mk VI running gear. In parallel,Franco-Britannic Automobiles of Paris commissioned Pinin Farina to design a sportingBentley Mk VI coupé. The ‘Cresta’ was another aerodynamic design – but heavy. Ivan Evernden, Bentley’s head of chassis design, combined the principle of thealuminium bodywork/frame of Mulliner’s Lightweights with many of the chassisdevelopments of the Cresta. A tuned version of the new R-type’s 4566cc engine,coupled to a close-ratio gearbox and final drive ratio of 3.077:1 gave 28mph per1000rpm in the overdriven fourth gear and a 120mph maximum.28 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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The new Bentley was introduced to the public as the ‘Continental Sports Saloon’, The specification was typical of an early Continental fastback: H.J. Mulliner steela title that encapsulated its role as a long-distance express. bumpers, lightweight seats, rear wheel spats and a plain radiator. The only listed extra was an armrest on the passenger door. As the model’s low weight was greatlyA total of 207 (plus the prototype) were built in five series:‘A’ to ‘E’, from May 1952 prized, it’s worth noting that ‘BC12A’ was recorded as the second lightest built.to April 1955, and no two were the same. Typical of Agnelli’s patriotism and style, not to mention a nod to the wealth thatSuch was the demand for the new Continental that the first 30 were reserved resulted from the family car company, he chose a Fiat shade ‘Traffic Blue’, withfor export and all but four A series were RHD. Among the first owners was Tan interior.Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat, Gianni Agnelli who purchased ‘BC12A’, the 12th Continental built, the car you see here. Agnelli, the unofficial ‘King of Italy’ and most influential man in modern Italian history, set standards for high living, exquisite taste and effortless style and it was entirelyThis Car appropriate that he should be one of the first owners of an R-Type Continental. Forever the playboy, one paramour was Pamela Churchill, then separated from herAs recorded in the definitive work on the subject, Bentley Continental Sports Saloon first husband and living in an apartment in Paris in the early 1950s. The matchby the late Christian Hueber and David A. Sulzberger, ‘BC12A’ was completed wasn’t to be when Agnelli left her for a new Italian love whom he was to marry, buton 31st October 1952, invoiced on 19th November 1952 and sold via Franco- the separation had some consolation for the English-born socialite, as contemporaryBritannic Automobiles, Paris to ‘A. Agnelli, Italy’ on 9th February 1953.30 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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reports record her being left his Paris Australia in early 1960. As attested by In the current owner’s hands, ‘BC12A’ to world-class concours standard.apartment, the Bentley and a generous the car’s Carte d’Identité FIVA,‘BC12A’ has shared a garage with a McLaren F1, Totalling some AU$250k, the engine-financial settlement. has stayed in Australia ever since, with Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959, and the out work included repainting and just seven owners after Agnelli, each 51,797km showing on its odometer is detailing all chassis parts, engine,Presumably not interested in enjoying the car for healthy periods – believed to be the mileage covered gearbox, rear-axle and engine bayownership of such a car, ‘BC12A’ was one for over two decades. In 1995 it from new. interior, plus re-chroming wheresold via Franco-Britannic to French was subject to a restoration by R.A. appropriate, and re-hanging andresident Robert Schasseur on 19th July McDermott & Co Rolls-Royce and From June 2012 to March 2013 the rebuilding the doors. The bills1954. It enjoyed six further years in Bentley specialists. car was subject to the most particular accompanying the car run to manySchasseur’s hands before export to refreshing and detailing to bring it pages of gaskets, bolts, screws and washers – if it could be disassembled and made like new, it was. The result of this stunning work was ‘Best in Show’ at Motorclassica Melbourne in 2012, and the car’s Traffic Blue paintwork was perfectly at home at the 2013 Villa d’Este Concours d’Elegance. The R-Type Bentley Continental deserves to be considered in the same company as the Ferrari 250 GT, Aston DB5 and London-Edinburgh Rolls- Royce Ghost: marque- and epoch- defining cars, all. This early example, to the definitive specification and ordered new by one of the 20th Century’s most charismatic characters, a key player in the post-War automotive and social worlds, is probably the finest available today.32 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
Right: Agnelli, stick in hand from a Photo Edward Quinn, © edwardquinn.comrecent accident in a Fiat, stands by hisnewly acquired Bentley on the harbourat Beaulieu-sur-Mer Motor Cars For Sale | Kidston SA | 33
1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spyder Americawith Fontana ‘low roof’ hard topCoachwork by Pinin FarinaChassis no. S-1044 Engine no. B24-1052The dust had barely settled after WW2 when Lancia began planning itsrevolutionary next sports car. Francesco de Virgilio and the dean of Italian enginecreators Vittorio Jano drew up a new power unit, the world’s first production V6.It was so good that it remained in use until 1970.The Lancia AureliaNamed Aurelia after the Roman highway, it continued Lancia’s preference for asheet metal platform frame, integrated with the body for even greater stiffness.The independent rear suspension was state-of-the-art and to improve weightdistribution the clutch, four-speed gearbox, differential and rear brakes were alllocated in a single unit at the rear.It was a brilliant concept, thoughtfully executed in the finest Lancia tradition. A sister car sporting Fontana’s rakish hard top in periodThe short-wheelbase B20 GT coupé version with coachwork by Pinin Farinaboasted a 120mph+ top speed and became favoured daily transport for racing The ultimate specification for Lancia’s mostdrivers of the period including Juan Manuel Fangio. sought-after road car An iconic Pinin Farina design that precedesCompany boss Gianni Lancia recognised the value of competition. Initial success in their Ferrari California Spyderthe Tour of Sicily led to a factory team in the 1951 Mille Miglia. After 13 hours, 10 Stunning and ultra rare Fontana ‘low roof ’ hard topminutes, the 2-Litre Lancia Aurelia B20 GT of Bracco and Maglioli finished second ‘Matching numbers’, eligible for world class eventsoverall, just 20 minutes behind the 230bhp, 4.1-litre Ferrari coupé of Villoresi and and eminently useableCassani. Two more Aurelias finished fifth and seventh overall, monopolising the2-Litre GT class.Further successes followed: an overall win in the Pescara 6 hours, class wins at theTour ofTuscany andTour of Sicily and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.The B20GT returnedto the Mille Miglia in 1952, finishing third overall then winning the Targa Florio.34 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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The Lancia Aurelia’s engine continued to grow in output and displacement, reaching latches (American hotrodders would call it ‘shaved’) – confined onlookers’ eyes toserious performance levels in 1953 with the 2.5-litre Series 3, a pair of Weber the body’s perfect proportions.The front wings, passenger compartment and reardual-choke carburettors helping to create the ultimate Aurelia. Lancia concurrently wings are pleasing, nearly equal thirds, visually communicating the Aurelia B24S’sreplaced its independent rear suspension with a new de Dion live axle and a chassis balance. It can be mistaken for nothing else.winning formula became even better. Only one thing was missing, an open Aurelia.Lancia and Pinin Farina resolved that in 1954 with the Aurelia B24. Produced for barely a year before it was succeeded by a less sporting Pinin Farina convertible, the Lancia Aurelia B24 Spyder America was built in limited quantity,The Lancia B24S Spyder America about 240 in all, with 181 clients requesting left-hand drive.Built on an even shorter wheelbase of 2450mm, the open two-seat Aurelia was This Carintroduced as a U.S.-focused model called, appropriately, the Spyder America.Left-hand drive was offered for the first time with cars thus equipped designated This example, chassis ‘1044’, was probably delivered through Max Hoffman’sthe B24S (sinistra). famed Hoffman Motor Car Company on Park Avenue in NewYork City. Its original livery was Grigio (a very pale grey) with red leather. At one stage it was ownedAmong many milestone designs by Pinin Farina, the Lancia Aurelia B24 Spyder by Victor M Ricci of Brooklyn. By the summer of 1963 it was in Illinois, registeredAmerica stands apart. Myriad details – Lancia’s distinctive shield-shaped grille, to Eunice Griffith who we believe owned it until 1995 when it was sold via ‘Lewraparound windscreen, delicate quarter bumpers, absence of exterior trim and Patron’, connoisseur, bon vivant and dealer extraordinaire the late Raymond Milo.36 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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His client was another veteran of the classic car world, jeweller, dealer and collector clutch etc. over the years, in 2009, I had Tony go through the entire brake andLuciano Bertolero of Turin, Italy – the car’s birthplace. transmission systems. $23,000 later he was done. I have detailed billing from him. Over the years I had many other items attended to. Restored the Borranis andBertolero had the Lancia restored in his own specialist workshop over a three- bumpers, grill work, electrical tidy up etc. Everything I have done is supportedyear period, including a complete mechanical and cosmetic overhaul as detailed with detailed invoices etc. No major engine work done. Various small things overby a 90-photograph album chronicling progress. He chose the model’s archetypal the years. Tony said the engine did not require any work. Obviously, he test droveAzzurro livery for the coachwork, with dark blue upholstery and soft top, selling the car when he worked on it.” Bills on file dating from this period total $108,000it after five years to Milan industrialist Terenzio Longoni. The latter was then and the car is U.S. titled: it is eligible for importation to Europe via Great Britainapproached by an intermediary for a well-known U.S. West Coast collector and at just 5%.the rest, as they say, is history. Fitted with an ultra-rare, original Fontana ‘low roof ’ hard top, this Italian beautyPrior to shipping to California, Borrani wire wheels and a Nardi twin-carburettor rivals anything created in Maranello or Modena for aesthetic appeal and romance.set-up were fitted at the request of the buyer, and the Lancia spent the next 15 Liveried in Fifties’ Lancia colours and maintained by experts, chassis ‘1044’ wouldyears in his collection of rare European sports cars. It was shown at Pebble Beach be a welcome addition to the Mille Miglia retrospective, the lawn at any exclusivein 2005 (display only) and has barely been driven, although model expert Tony concours d’elegance or outside your favourite café in Portofino or St TropezNicosia was entrusted to go through it slowly over a period of years correcting (where film director RogerVadim once swanned around in his with Brigitte Bardot).and improving minor details as found: “Although we had ‘fiddled’ with the brakes, Perhaps no automotive design better sums up La Dolce Vita…38 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
Motor Cars For Sale | Kidston SA | 39
The ex-Geneva Motor Show1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I SWB Coupé AerodinamicoCoachwork by PininfarinaChassis no. 3361/SA Engine no. 3361/SAWith annual production in the mid-Fifties of well under a hundred chassis a year,each Ferrari was of necessity a rare, bespoke, essentially unique statement of theirowners’ success and the performance and aesthetic refinement of Ferrari and hischosen coachbuilders.Then Ferrari’s production quadrupled from 1955 to 1959 and doubled again by1962, reaching 493 chassis of all types that year. The bulk was the series-produced250 GT coupé by Pinin Farina introduced in 1958, and its successor the 250 GTE.They brought Ferrari within the reach of a wider market of successful businessmenand professionals but, with only a few exceptions of modified coachwork for selectclients, were neither sufficiently powerful nor visually distinctive enough to satisfyFerrari’s most demanding clientele.The Ferrari 400 SuperamericaWilling to pay extravagantly for exclusivity, speed and refined design, industrialists, One of circa 13 short-wheelbase 400 Superamericas builtfinanciers, royalty and star performers were a lucrative if small market that Seven known private owners from new, the current for 28 yearsenhanced Ferrari’s visibility and reputation. For them the 400 Superamerica was Elegant original colour scheme including preserved leatherconceived by Ferrari and bodied by Pininfarina with coachwork of unusual concept Ferrari Classiche certified and Italian registeredand sophistication, the Coupé Aerodinamico.In addition to its concept and intended clients, the 400 Superamerica was asignificant departure for Ferrari. Unlike its predecessor the 410 Super America,which was powered by the fixed head, Aurelio Lampredi-designed ‘long block’ V12,the 400 Superamerica employed a revised casting of Gioacchino Colombo’s originalremovable head, ‘short block’ V12, now with spark plugs outside the engine’s vee.The Tipo 163 engine and its successors would power every V12 Ferrari for the nextdecade and beyond. Even the model designation ‘400’ was a departure for Ferrari,40 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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designating the engine’s 4-litre total displacement rather than the prior practice of 2420mm wheelbase chassis that took advantage of the Colombo engine’s compactnaming series for their single cylinder displacement. dimensions, ‘Superfast II’ and its Series I Coupé Aerodinamico successors expressed the very best of Italian coachwork design: clean, sleek, light and purposeful.The new engine, with 340bhp or more, took advantage of an electrically operatedoverdrive on the 4-speed, fully synchronised gearbox. Koni telescopic shock Pininfarina continued to refine the Coupé Aerodinamico for the next three years ofabsorbers replaced the earlier lever shocks for better suspension control and the limited series production, exploring several variations of the concept but continuingengine’s greater performance was balanced by four-wheel disc brakes. The Tipo 163 faithfully to express its aerodynamic functionality in a plethora of fresh ideas. In all,engine used in the 400 Superamerica was modified and installed in the Ferrari 330 only some 32 or 33 examples of the 400 Superamerica Coupé Aerodinamico wereTRI/LM which Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien drove to overall victory in the 1962 built from 1960’s 2420mm short-wheelbase ‘Superfast II’ to the last 2600mm-long24 Hours of Le Mans. wheelbase Series II.Pininfarina introduced the Coupé Aerodinamico at the Turin show in November This Car1960, a radical departure from the angular, conventional, three-box concept ofthe 250 GT coupé. Called ‘Superfast II’, it represented fresh thinking that applied Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series I Coupé Aerodinamico chassis no. ‘3361/SA’ isaerodynamics throughout its design with a low, oval air intake, hidden electrically one of the last of the short-wheelbase examples. According to veteran Ferrarioperated concealed headlights, cold-air bonnet scoop, raked windshield, inward- historian Antoine Prunet, Pininfarina’s records show that the chassis entered theirsloping side windows and roof pillars, and a long rear window and tail that tapered coachworks on 18th December 1961 and the completed car left on 10th Marchin both elevation and plan view to a nearly teardrop tail. Fitted on an unusually short 1962 with internal reference number 99537. It was displayed, along with Pininfarina’s42 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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design exercise ‘Superfast III’ and a 400 Superamerica Pininfarina Cabriolet, at the ‘3361/SA’ is a refinement of the original ‘Superfast’ Coupé Aerodinamico with open1962 Geneva Salon, as noted in its extensive documentation file. Finished in Blu headlights above a wide air intake with egg-crate grille and a pair of fog lights.Notte (midnight blue, Italver paint code 18943M) with natural Connolly leather A wide, chrome-trimmed carburettor air intake scoop dominates the bonnetupholstery (code 3309), it was bought at the show by Mr. Giuseppe Brainovich and subtly mimics the shape of the radiator air intake. Eleven louvres punctuateresiding at Via San Simpliciano 6, Milano, a loyal client who owned several special the side of the front wings between a curved ridge arising from the top of theFerraris. In the next four years ‘3361SA’ returned at least four times for servicing at front wheel arch and the Coupé Aerodinamico’s characteristic mid-body ridge.the factory’s Assistenza Clienti in Modena. The greenhouse has door vent windows and trapezoidal rear quarter windows flanking the long, sloping rear window that flows without interruption into theOn 16th October 1968 the car was sold at a bankruptcy auction in Zurich to a smooth boot lid culminating in a styled rear bumper containing the rear marker,Brescia Lancia dealer improbably named Dino Ferrari, who registered it in Italy on signal and brake lights.6th November that year with the licence plate it still bears today.The following 17thJuly it was bought by 25-year-old Mrs Ernesta Comendulli, although for decades The integration of design and style is representative of Pininfarina’s best work whenit was common practice in Italy to title cars in the names of wives or female the company and its designers were at the peak of their creativity and success.relatives for tax reasons. Eight years later, on 1st January 1977, its third private The design, particularly in profile, is beautifully balanced on the short, 2420mmowner became Salvatore Borrelli in Naples. In 1985 he sold it to its current Italian wheelbase chassis: crisp, succinct and purposeful in a way few of Ferrari’s prestigeowner and it joined a superb sports and racing car collection including significant models have been.Ferraris ranging from 250 GT SWB California Spyder to, later on, the 333SP.44 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
Having had seven known private owners from new, so local VAT will be payable by private European chassis. Certified by Ferrari Classiche and well‘3361/SA’ has survived remarkably unscathed since buyers; this can be minimised by export from Italy documented, this is a Ferrari that will be a welcomeits appearance at Geneva in 1962. Its exterior livery and re-import to the EU via Great Britain at just participant in the most prestigious shows, tours andis patinated and decades old. The upholstery is the 5% (already granted). Outside the EU, or for VAT events, a Ferrari to be admired by connoisseursoriginal pelle naturale Connolly installed by Pininfarina’s registered buyers, no VAT applies. for its aesthetics and enjoyed by its next owner fortrimmers, now delightfully and characterfully worn its gratifying, peerless ‘60s ‘King of the Autostrada’from a half-century’s use. Its originality has been Sparingly used, consistently maintained, long- performance.recognised by Ferrari Classiche’s most prestigious ownership automobiles are increasingly sought byaccolade, the Red Book certification, and it comes collectors. Their popularity has meant that the very It is one of only some thirteen short-wheelbasewith many original and copy documents fully best models, like ‘3361/SA’, are hard to find, especially Series I 400 Superamerica Coupé Aerodinamicos,describing its history as well as a partially complete when combined with the brilliance of Pininfarina’s among the most exotic and rare roadgoing Ferraritool roll and correct Borrani spare wheel and tyre. limited production Coupé Aerodinamico coachwork GTs built. Its future is bright.The car is owned by a VAT-registered company, and the performance of Ferrari’s 400 Superamerica Motor Cars For Sale | Kidston SA | 45
The ex-Neil Corner/ Noel Edmonds1965 Ford GT40 Mk I Production Racing CoupeChassis no. GT40P/1014There can be few classics with the potential to win at the highest level, offer modernsupercar performance on the road, yet be equally capable of 186mph on theMulsanne straight or the A41 Tring bypass – in the nude.This is one. The Ford GT40Henry Ford II’s intention to make a car with which to beat Ferrari at Le Mans Fresh out of the box fromproduced one of the most enthralling battles motor racing had yet witnessed. Ford Advanced Vehicles,From 1964, the struggle raged between the two companies’ mid-engined prototypes, the car goes for its first road testfinishing with the eventual scoreline at the 24-hour race of 4:2 in Ford’s favour. The publicity generated by the wins forever associated the Ford Motor Companywith success at Le Mans.Two of those overall victories were by 7-litre, American-built cars, the Mk II and A definitive early series, small-block GT40 raced in periodMk IV, but the small-block (289ci/4727cc) GT40s proved highly competitive in the by British gentleman drivershands of Ford AdvancedVehicles-supported and privateer teams. Indeed, John Wyer, Unbroken history documented by marque expert Ronnie Spainthe legendary team manager in charge of the project in Europe, long believed that Road registered, eligible for the Tour Auto, Le Mans Classica properly prepared 289 could win in France – a theory he proved with his own and Goodwood RevivalGulf-sponsored cars, which triumphed against powerful opposition from Ferrari and Recent restoration to original specification of special-orderPorsche in 1968 and 1969. Courage Blue with correct GT40 289ci motor, ‘parachute silk’ seats and Borrani wire wheelsIts intentions to purchase Ferrari having been rebuffed by Il Commendatore in 1963, Notorious for ‘186mph in the nude’ stuntFord engaged Lola’s Eric Broadley to design a mid-engined prototype with which to by British TV celebrity Noel Edmondswin the 1964 Le Mans 24 Hours. The new ‘Ford GT’ had a steel monocoque andhigh-tech glassfibre bodywork – both early examples of computer-aided design –and, after experimenting with an alloy ‘Indianapolis’ engine, the production ‘GT40’was powered by the racing Shelby Cobra’s iron-block 289 V8.46 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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The characteristic crossover exhaust manifold, radical cam-timing and quadruple Top left: Sharing the pits with a David Top right: Rounding a tight curveWeber carbs not only gave a reliable 350-385bhp, they also produced the GT40’s Piper Ferrari 250 LM at the 1967 Paris on the demanding Mont Ventoux hillcharismatic howl at high revs – quite different from the low rumble usually associated 1000km, Montlhéry climb in 1967with American V8s. Above: At high speed at the 1967The GT40 was a thoroughbred, and Ford Advanced Vehicles’ job was to supply Oulton Park Gold Cupleading race teams with competitive cars with which to take on Ferrari (250 LM)and Porsche (906/910). The 1965 Le Mans 24 Hours was flooded with semi-works GT40s (even including an entry from Ferrari stalwarts Scuderia Filipinetti).The pattern was repeated in 1966 and 1967, with customer GT40s finishing in thetop three at many international races, as well as scoring countless wins at local level.Although it was Ford’s intention to produce the model as what we would now call aroadgoing ‘supercar’, 48 of the 79 original Mk I GT40s were delivered ‘ready to race’and, in those more liberated times, most were road-registered. It was the perfectmount for a wealthy gentleman racer who might wish to drive it to a local event,his faithful back-up team following in a Ford Transit packed with wheels, tyres, toolsand spares. Alternatively, a trailer could be hitched to the trusty ‘Trannie’ and the48 | Kidston SA | Motor Cars For Sale
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