'Barn Find' Jaguar E-Type sells for £58k

A 1963 Jaguar E-Type found under a hedge has sold for £58,000 at COYS auction house.

The E-Type, shoowing just 44,870 miles on the clock, still had the last tax disc on the windscreen which expired in November 1969. The car’s first owner in May 1963 was Ivor Arbiter, who owned Drum City and Sound City in London and was the designer of the ‘drop – T’ logo for The Beatles.

“It is ideal for restoration and is extremely rare,” said valuer James Good at international auctioneers COYS, “It has a great history, including racing, which collectors love.”

The car’s first owner, Arbiter, was at the centre of the 60s music scene. The Beatle’s Manager Brian Epstein requested that the band’s name appeared on the bass drum so Arbiter sketched the “drop-T” logo on a scrap of paper with the capital B and dropped T to emphasise the word ‘beat’. Drum City was paid £5 for the design and it was hand painted by local sign writer, Eddie Stokes, who painted bass-drum heads for the store during his lunch hour.

Good added: “The Beatles logo is now recognised as one of the most significant and widely reproduced logos in history, and the fact that it was designed by the first owner of this E-Type is not insignificant.”

The car changed owners a couple of times between 1965 and 1967, when it moved to its last owner Frank Riches. Frank was a keen motorsport enthusiast and raced both the E-Type and his MGTF at Oulton Park, Brands Hatch and Blackbushe between 1967 and 1969. Frank would drive the E-type to the circuit with the MG behind and would then race both cars and drive home.

Good said: “This wonderful Series 1, 3.8 E-Type is in original condition, with matching numbers and has never been restored. It retains all the features it carried in 1969 and is possibly one of the most original examples remaining today. The car needs a total restoration but it has all the ingredients to make a superb car – this is a true rarity.”

This E-Type comes with its original brown log book, V5 and V5C, its last MOT certificate dated November 1968, the sales invoice to Frank Riches for £855 along with the Heritage Certificate confirming all the important details. It also has its original Operating Maintenance and Service Handbook, Service Manual and Spare Parts Catalogue and the original jack.

Chris Routledge, CEO of international auctioneers COYS, said: “The derelict E-Type attracted attention from all four corners of the world and bidders in a packed auction room and via telephone fought fiercely for it on Tuesday night. It ended up going to an English collector and Beatles enthusiast who plans to slowly restore it to its former glory.”

Last true Italian Lamborghini Diablo SV up for auction

A special 1999 Lamborghini Diablo SV is set to go under the hammer this March.

Believed to be the very last Lamborghini to leave the Sant'Agata factory before German brand Volkswagen took full ownership, Diablo SV will be auctioned at Silverstone Auctions’ sale at the Practical Classics Restoration and Classic Car Show.

The car is also thought to be the last Diablo imported into the UK as well as the last Diablo SV off the production line. 'V12 SVR' left the factory on the 21st of December in 1999 immediately before Lamborghini shut down for the Christmas break and their celebrations to mark the end of the Century. For the previous few months the Volkswagen Group had been in financial control of the company but the end of that year marked a turning point. From the beginning of 2000 some feel that German efficiency began to replace the magic of Italy in terms of the bloodline, style and general madness of the Italian supercars.

Speaking ahead of the sale of the car, managing director of Silverstone Auctions, Nick Whale, said: ”It’s a delight to be able to offer this fantastic part of Lamborghini history in the year of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the company’s founder, Ferruccio Lamborghini. The Diablo is a wonderful car that truly represents everything the marque is famous for.”

This right-hand drive example has covered just over 32,000 miles from new and is finished in what Silverstone Auctions believe may be a one-off colour of Pearl Red/Orange combined with a grey/black leather/alcantara interior.

This Diablo is still very much original. The original Lamborghini tool roll with its appropriate tools is present with the original tyre inflator and a very luxurious, custom-made, fleece-lined indoor car cover in red with an embroidered Lamborghini logo.

The condition of the car is described as 'amazing for the year and it drives superbly', particularly after a chassis and suspension restoration in 2013 at a cost of over £10,000. A full geometry set-up was carried out by Grimaldi Engineering in 2013 and in January 2016 the car was serviced and MoT’d.

Nick Whale added: ”Owning a Diablo SV is a dream for most people, however if purchasing one is an option for you, then the appeal of this Lamborghini 'Devil' may be too much to resist.”

The Lamborghini Diablo SV has an estimated at between £150,000 and £170,000 and will be offered in the sale taking place at the NEC, Birmingham on 6th March.

James Bond’s Aston Martin DB10 up for auction

A unique Aston Martin DB10, made for James Bond in 'Spectre' is to be auctioned for charity.

The Aston Martin DB10 – the first bespoke car created for James Bond by Aston Martin – is to go under the auctioneer’s gavel at Christie’s in London, with proceeds donated to Medecins Sans Frontieres. The only car to date in the rarest DB lineage to be made available for private ownership, the auction offers a very rare opportunity to own a piece of automotive history with bids almost certainly to go over the £1-million mark.

The auction of the only DB10 to date to be made available for private ownership celebrates the release of the 24th Bond film ‘Spectre’ on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD with 24 special auction lots going under the hammer for charity, led by the DB10.

Celebrating the British brand’s half century of working with Bond, which started with the DB5, the DB10 gives a glimpse of the future design direction for the next generation of Aston Martins. Production of the DB10 was strictly limited to ten examples of the bespoke sports car which was developed and hand-built by the designers, engineers and ‘artisan craftspeople’ at Aston Martin’s Gaydon headquarters in the UK for the latest Bond film.

The DB10 features a 4.7-litre V8 petrol engine and six-speed manual gearbox, with Aston Martin saying it ‘has an estimated top speed of around 190 mph’. The car features an all carbon fibre exterior, while the interior has been handmade using fine luxury leathers, carbon fibre and aluminium.

Most of the DB10s were modified for use in the filming of Spectre, but the DB10 offered at Christie’s is one of only two “show” cars, which were left unmodified and used for display purposes. This DB10 took pride of place at the world premiere of Spectre at the Royal Albert Hall in London and has been signed by James Bond himself, Daniel Craig.

The auction will take place on 18th February at Christie’s King Street auction house in London.

Top Gear’s Reasonably Priced Car up for auction

Bidding has opened for a piece of motoring history – the Vauxhall Astra used by Top Gear as their ‘Reasonably Priced Car’.

With proceeds of the sale going to automotive industry charity, BEN, the five-door Power Red 1.6-litre (115bhp) Vauxhall Astra Tech Line has been added to eBay. Currently at £10,301.00, bids can placed at www.ebay.co.uk/itm/-/231786726259, with all proceeds being donated to BEN.

The mileage on the Astra stands at 2,908, and comes with front Corbeau Sprint Racing seats, 5 point safety belt harness and full roll-cage. Bidders should be aware that the airbags have all been disabled to make room for the roll-cage. To re-instate the airbags would involve removing the roll-cage and seating. So, in its current state, the car is not type-approved and should not be driven on the road. The Vauxhall Technical Team will work with the successful bidder at handover to fully explain how the vehicle has been adapted, advising that converting the vehicle back into use on the public highway would incur a ‘significant cost’.

Other features, aside from the car’s celebrity status include 17-inch, 10-spoke alloy wheels, Sat-nav system with seven-inch colour monitor, and three-spoke leather-covered sports steering wheel.

With an estimated 350 million views in 170 different countries per week, the Vauxhall Astra was initiated with a star-studded barbeque, featuring celebrities including comedians Jimmy Carr and Warwick Davis, and singers Brian Johnson and Joss Stone. Celebrities such as Olly Murs, who topped the leader board, Margot Robbie, Ron Howard and James Blunt all thrashed it around the Top Gear Test Track at Dunsfold Park, Surrey.

“David Main, BEN Chief Executive commented on the auction, saying: “We are reliant on the generosity of our supporters to enable us to continue our work helping people who work within the UK automotive industry, so we are very grateful to Vauxhall Motors for this kind donation of a piece of history for a great cause.”

BEN’s goal is to make positive differences to people’s lives in the automotive industry, supporting them in times of difficulty through a wide range of free, confidential information, advice and support services.