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This fi ne example of the Jensen C-V8 is getting a bigger fanbase after each event it attends; not just by Jensen owners who appreciate the fact that this car has been restored beyond the levels of expectation, but also by connoisseurs and collectors with an eye for quality.

During the restoration process the craftsmanship of the renovation team and the owner’s vast Jensen network collaborated. As a result this Jensen sets the brand’s mark for originality and excellence.

Even the rarest part is in full working order, and compared with some other concours-winning cars, this car is no trailer queen.

Documentation shows that it was completed on March 30, 1966 and registered on April 13, 1966. The striking colour is recorded as California Sage, and the bodywork is glassfi bre though the doors are aluminium. This is a late-model C-V8, built in the fi nal year of production.

This car was originally supplied to Douglas Behrend, an attorney at law and husband of Aida Grey – a beauty expert whose Institut de Beaute in Beverly Hills was a mecca for the rich and famous. Her clients read like a who’s who of Hollywood, male and female, as well as Princess Caroline of Monaco, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Noor of Jordan, Princess Benedikte of Denmark, Princess Astrid of Norway and Princess Christina of Sweden.

Harper’s Bazaar wrote in 1986: “She coined the term ‘skin care’ to describe the service she brought to American women 50 years ago, and pioneered the use of natural ingredients.” From 1982 to 2015 the car was owned by wine expert Peter Meltzer. It was then imported to the UK, and bought by the current owner in March 2016.

Giotto Bizzarrini has long been recognised as a pivotal fi gure in 1960s sports car engineering. In 1963, Bizzarrini began building cars under his own name. For the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1966, Bizzarrini entered a brand-new spider penned by Giugiaro and equipped with a Chevrolet V8 – the P538. Despite the P538’s promise, Bizzarrini’s mismanagement and changes in racing formulae conspired against it. However, a market continued for the P538. Original Bizzarrini foreman Salvatore Diomante was approached to build several new cars. Bizzarrini contributed to a number of them, employing his wife, Rosanna, to help with body fabrication. Four were produced during the 1960s. Three more, including this example, were built during the following decade.

This car is rare due to it being the only right-handdrive Series 1 Grifo with an original sunroof. There were only 34 right-handdrive Series 1 Grifos built, 322 worldwide. It was engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini, who created the 250GTO when at Ferrari. The car has been in single ownership for nearly 30 years and has covered only 64,000 miles. It is powered by a 5.4-litre V8 Chevrolet engine and has a Powerglide automatic gearbox. Top speed for these cars is over 170mph. This car won the Best Classic award at the Wilton House Classic and Supercar event in 2015. The Grifo’s fi rst owner had a famous restaurant on the King’s Road frequented by celebrities including the Rolling Stones. It would have been a common sight cruising up and down the Chelsea street in 1967.

This car has a detailed and interesting history, having lived on three continents. It was ordered on 29 December, 1932 and delivered to Vanden Plas on 12 April, 1933 for the fi tting of the body. On 31 May, 1933 it was sold to Mr Boulting of London. He was an early and active member of the Talbot Owners’ Club and took part in the 1935 TOC Continental Tour – 2200 miles through Europe. In 1973 APG216 was taken fi rst to Singapore, where it was raced and rallied for several years, (including through rubber plantations!) and then to South Africa in 1981. APG216 returned to the UK in 2016 and has now been comprehensively restored whilst retaining all its original components.

AC Ace Bristol AE40 is said to be one of the most important Aces existing today. It has competition history that includes the Mille Miglia in 1956 driven by Bruno Ferrari – the only Ace to have competed in the Mille Miglia in period. It also achieved fi rst in the 2.0-litre class (Jim Clark was fi fth) at the 1958 Belgian Sportscar Gran Turismo, Spa driven by Team Lotus driver Michael Anthony, and raced in numerous national and international events. In 2015/’16, the car was subjected to a ground-up restoration by AC Heritage, returning it to period specifi cation as raced in early 1958 by Michael Anthony for the Rudd Racing Team – arguably its most successful season. The car is now exactly as it left the AC factory in 1956, but with a Bristol engine as fi tted in 1958 for Rudd Racing.

Who doesn’t love a Frogeye? The fi rst of the Austin-Healey Sprites was conceived by the Donald Healey Motor Company as an affordable sports car. Its clever chassis design kept it strong but cheap to produce, and made it the world’s fi rst unitaryconstruction sports car. The front section – bonnet and wings – opens as one, hinged from the rear edge.

The Sprite boasted the 948cc, four-cylinder BMC A-series engine, as used in the Austin A35 and Morris 1000, plus Morris steering and A35 suspension. It was a great success not just as a production road car but also in racing and rallying, with examples competing successfully in the Monte Carlo, Le Mans, Sebring and many other international events. The Sprite spawned the MG Midget and, later, Sprite variants, albeit without the distinctive headlights.

This car appeared on Top Gear in August 2005 driven by The Stig and Richard Hammond. Around the same time the current owner, Michael Andrews, drove to the then-new Marcos factory in Kenilworth with his son Costin and two friends from the Marcos Owners’ Club to look at that new Marcos. They were taken on a test drive and then allowed behind the wheel to experience the 6.0-litre Chevy V8 performance: 0-60mph in four seconds and a 185mph top speed.

Two-and-a-half years later the receiver was called in, and Costin bid on the prototype. Two days later and 200 miles each way, Michael became the proud owner of a car that has had a very hard life. Twelve years later he says he is still in love with it. Marcos built just eight examples: three coupés and fi ve targa-tops.

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