3 minute read
Wheels of Fortune
Putting the rev into revenue, these are the classic cars collectors are lining up for at auction. Gentlemen, start your engines.
BENTLEY SPEED SIX COUPE
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W.O. Bentley introduced the high-performance Speed Six models in the late 1920s to ensure the standard 6-litre cars could match the supercharged engines being created by privateer ‘Bentley Boy’ Sir Tim Birkin and rival marque Mercedes-Benz. Buyers acquired their cars as a rolling chassis and commissioned coachbuilders to fit bespoke bodywork. Most chose open-top designs, so original coupés are rare and valuable – starting from €300,000. Buy one because: you want to relive the days of flapper girls and sporting gents.
CADILLAC ELDORADO BIARRITZ
Cadillac’s range-topping Eldorado first appeared in 1953, but many see the third-generation versions made from 1957-1960 as the quintessential Caddy. Perhaps best of all was the drop-top ‘Biarritz’ of 1959, almost 6m of unashamed, convertible decadence with huge rear fins, distinctive ‘bullet’ tail lights, air suspension and electric everything. Expect to pay €100,000-200,000. Buy one because: you want to show the world you sure ain’t shy.
BMW ISETTA
One of the best loved of all microcars – and yours for about €20,000 – the Isetta originated from the Italian firm Iso in 1959. It was built under licence in various countries including Germany, where it was produced by BMW, which largely re-engineered the Isetta and fitted it with a single cylinder motorcycle engine – enabling it to cover 145km on 4.5 litres of fuel. Buy one because: you’re small, hard of hearing and take a masochistic approach to discomfort.
MCLAREN F1
Capable of more than 370km/h, the McLaren F1 remains the fastest normally aspirated road car ever made. Produced in just 106 examples between 1992 and 1999, this mid-engined, centre-steering automotive legend, designed by Gordon Murray and Peter Stevens, is widely regarded as the world’s first hypercar and worth €10-20 million. Buy one because: you want to own one of the most important cars of the 20th century.
LAMBORGHINI MIURA
Made famous in the opening scenes of the 1969 film The Italian Job, the Miura was the first mid-engined, road-going supercar when it was launched in 1966. Allegedly it was designed by Lamborghini engineers in their spare time because Ferruccio Lamborghini was more interested in grand tourers. A 12-cylinder, four-litre engine crammed in behind the two-seater cockpit endowed the Miura with a ride as wild as some of its screaming colour schemes. Expect a price tag of €1 million. Buy one because: Matt Monroe singing the opening lines of ‘Days Like These’ sends a shiver down your spine.
FERRARI F512M
The F512M was the final, limited-edition iteration of the iconic Testarossa, whose flamboyant shape was a marker of the 1980s. For its M (‘Modificata’) version, the car acquired a more powerful, lighter engine, racier suspension, a mild redesign, and a top speed of 315km/h – making it one of the two fastest cars in the world in 1995. Only 501 were made, and, once unloved, it is now rising rapidly in value, with the best examples fetching in excess of €400,000. Buy one because: it’s the last truly crazy Ferrari in existence.
CITROEN TRACTION AVANT
One of the first cars to feature front-wheeldrive, Citroën’s celebrated ‘Traction Avant’ (officially the 7, 11 or 15cv) proved a commercial hit with more than 750,000 being sold. Other groundbreaking features included monocoque construction and all-round independent suspension. The car remained in production for 23 years and was built in both France and the UK. Today, saloons are worth €25,000 but expect to pay from €150,000 for the roadster version. Buy one because: you always admired fictional detective Inspector Maigret’s taste in cars.
MERCEDES C-111
If Mercedes-Benz were to pull the wraps off the C-111 for the first time today, few might realize it was originally designed in 1969. An entirely experimental design, the gull-wing coupé was made in 14 examples to serve as technological test beds, variously with rotary petrol and turbocharged diesel engines – the latter being capable of more than 322km/h. None has ever been sold but were you to have a chance to purchase one, you’d probably have to stump up in excess of €10 million. Buy one because: you’d be the only private individual in the world to own one.
ALFA ROMEO TIPO B
Pre-war Grand Prix cars don’t come more thoroughbred than Alfa Romeo’s 1934 Tipo B ‘P3’ – the world’s first single-seat racer. Built in tiny numbers, buyers today will pay up to €4 million. Its supercharged, straighteight engine produced more than 250 horsepower and made it hard to beat in the hands of star drivers such as Tazio Nuvolari and Rene Dreyfus. Buy one because: you wish you’d been born in the golden era of motor racing.
GAZ 21 VOLGA
One of Russia’s first mass-produced cars, the GAZ 21 Volga, named after Europe’s longest river, became a Soviet icon. The first series models were built from 1956- 1958 with styling inspired by American cars of the era and, unusually, featured an automatic gearbox as standard. The early Volga models are identifiable by the chrome star symbol mounted in the grille and fetch from €10,000-15,000. Buy one because: you like your luxury to be a little left field.
Illustrations by BEN CHALLENOR
Words by SIMON DE BURTON
