 If you are in Melbourne on October 25th then head over to Theodore Bruce for their Motorclassica Collector Car Auction. Sixty lots of automobilia will go under the hammer at 6pm and 34 vehicles start at 7pm. Lot 7 is a 1914 Victor, the last and only surviving motorcycle from a series of five built over many years by Mr. Edward Victor Bowen in a shed at the back of his bike shop. As each one was completed, the previous one was sold so we can surmise that this must have been Bowen’s ideal machine with 1000cc JAP V Twin engine, TT 3-speed Armstrong gears within the rear hub and locally made sidecar attached to the frame using parts from the Chater Lea catalogue. The auction catalogue shows how it is entirely possible to carry out a thorough refurbishment and still retain the original finish and patina. Full marks! The 1923 Alvis 12/40 "Ducksback" Tourer is a firm favourite amongst so many sporting vintage drivers being made by a company with a good reputation for reliable, quality hand built cars with impressive performance and stylish bodywork from the best coachbuilders of the time, Cross & Ellis and Carbodies. The pictures show a meticulous restoration and the new owner can look forward to a lifetime’s happy motoring in this vintage gem. Three RHD Packards from Detroit are offered with their legendary straight eight engines, luxurious coachwork and the car of choice for the rich and famous the world over. I like the story behind the 1925 Packard Holbrook Coupe bought by music magnate Mr. Frank Albert and delivered to Sydney aboard the RMS Niagara which was subsequently sunk in 1940 by a German U-Boat whilst carrying US $8 million worth of gold. However, the 1937 Packard 120 Straight 8 Rumble-Seat Convertible Coupé is my favourite and the same can be said of the acting Governor of Hawaii when he saw the car on the ship taking it to Melbourne on a stopover in Honolulu, although I don’t believe the reason he wanted a RHD car. The description of the 1936 Cord 810 Sportsman's Convertible Coupé makes the car very tempting….” On account of its rarity and aesthetic appeal, the Cord Sportsman is one of the most highly collectable of American motor cars. Its unconventional bonnet and radiator conceal a V-8 engine coupled to front wheel drive and a pre-selection gear-change with electrically operated box. Remarkably quick acceleration, the Sportsman's Convertible Coupé cruised at 75 mph and had a top speed of over 92 mph..” and is in “ absolutely tip-top condition throughout.” But you’ll need deep pockets. There are two 1929 Marmons with much lower estimates but the car I would most like to take home from the pre-war cars is the 1937 BMW 327 Convertible. Look at the sheer beauty of the streamlined body (designed in conjunction with the Karosseriebauer Autenrieth of Darmstadt) and beneath the bonnet sits the straight six OHV M78 engine of 2 litres - BMW’s first straight-6 and designed by Fritz Fiedler. Transmission is via a ZF 4-speed gearbox with freewheel facility in first and second gears. “The much sought after 327 convertible is one of the most exclusive of all BMW classic cars.” (Text Robin Batchelor, pictures courtesy Theodore Bruce Auctions) |
     |
↧
Back shed bike to rich and famous Packards
↧