Veteran, vintage and P.V.T.: the stars of RM Sotheby's London sale

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Now in its third year, RM Sotheby's is very much getting into the spirit of the Brighton Run with no fewer than four wonderful veteran consignments this year, in addition to an assortment of Edwardian, vintage and P.V.T. lots. A 1903 Oldsmobile Model R (£30,000-40,000) stands out is a perfect entry-level offering, while a freshly-restored c.1900 De Dion-Bouton vis-à-vis (£65,000-85,000) will suit those are nostalgic for la Belle Époque.

The two which have really caught our eye, though, are the 1899 De Dion-Bouton 2¼hp tricycle (£50,000-60,000) and the 1902 Haynes-Apperson 12hp surrey (£130,000-150,000). De Dion tricycles are familiar enough, but what sets this one apart is that it has history virtually from new. It may have been sold originally through the Oxford cycle shop of a certain William Morris; in any case, it was from there that it was sold to Mr. H. J. B. Slatter of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1903. Mr. Slatter used the machine for camping trips to Wales, but kept it until his death in the 1960s, by which stage it had become dismantled. In single ownership since 1989, it has only participated on three Brightons and will require some recommissioning.

The Haynes-Apperson, chassis 74, is also special as it is thought to be the oldest Haynes-Apperson still in operational use. It has history going back at least as far as 1968, when it was known to be in the collection of William Harrah, but was sold as a restoration project in 1978. It was restored in America in the 1980s and imported into Britain in the 1990s and since then has participated in 30 Brightons.

Moving forwards in time, the 1914 Wolseley C6 16/20hp Colonial torpedo (£75,000-80,000) and 1915 Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII (£250,000-280,000)  would both be wonderful cars for Veteran Car Club events. Originally white, the Wolseley was despatched new to South Africa and by 1967 was in preservation, participating in the Rand Daily Mail Rally. Arriving in Britain in 1969, it is a wonderful survivor in ready-to-use condition.

The Hispano also hails from the southern hemisphere, having been supplied new to Australia, where it was bodied by a Sydney coachbuilder and used by Mr. H. Williams of the Dunlop Rubber Co. He sold it in 1927 to a New South Wales Railways engineer, Mr. Angus Eyres, who enjoyed it as a day-to-day vehicle up to 1958, when he sold it to a collector, George Green, who rallied it extensively through the '60s and '70s, apparently pushing it over 500,000 miles. After his death, the Hispano was sold to the York Motor Museum in 1983. Sadly, in 1985, the museum oversaw the removal of the body and its replacement with an imitation of the skiff body fitted to Briggs Cunningham's Alfonso. Now offered for sale from the museum, it nevertheless presents as an attractive opportunity to acquire one of the first true sports cars.

Racing heroes and concours queens

Later lots include no fewer than five Derby Bentleys, of which some of the most appealing are the 1939 4¼-Litre dhc by H. J. Mulliner (£150,000-200,000) and the 1935 3½-Litre airline coupé by Freestone & Webb (£80,000-130,000), the latter offered as a part-restored rolling shell, plus a 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental all-weather tourer by Hooper (£320,000-420,000) with a remarkable past. Commissioned by extravagant oil magnate Nubar Gulbenkian and specified for 'fast touring' on the Continent, it actually saw gentler use on loan to the Royal Family; George V. used it for the R.A.F.'s Silver Jubilee in 1934, a tour of R.A.F. stations in 1935 and an inspection of the navy in 1936. Gulbenkian retained it until 1939 and by the mid-1960s it had reached America and entered the concours circuit. Its most recent restoration was completed in 2018.

Besides all of those treasures, two of the stars of the sale ought to be the 1934 MG K3 Magnette (£600,000-800,000) and 1936 Delahaye 135S (£1,000,000-1,500,000). The MG, K3016, was prepared as part of a three-car works team for the 1934 Mille Miglia, to be driven by Yorkshire textiles magnate Eddie Hall and wife Joan. In 1935, the now-privately-owned car was sold to Australia to be raced by Lyster Jackson, and it remained there until 1999. Impressed by its originality, we published a detailed article about K3016 in December, 2023.

The Delahaye, too, has extraordinary provenance. After being raced for the works by Albert Divo, it was almost immediately shipped to England, where it was bought to Prince Chula, to be raced by Prince Bira, who raced it at Brooklands against the Napier-Railton. Inn 1938, it appeared for sale in a showroom on Park Lane was snapped up by young whisky heir Rob Walker, who would retain it until 1952, sharing the driving with others such as Bira, Arthur Dobson and Tony Rolt, and entering it in the 1939 and 1949 Le Mans 24 Hours, plus meetings at Montlhéry and Goodwood. Walker bought it back in 1970, commissioning a recreation of the body, which had fallen into poor condition. Chassis 47188 has remained in the Walker family up to the present day.

The RM Sotheby's London sale, including automobilia, takes place at the Peninsula Hotel, 1, Grosvenor Square, London S.W., on Friday and Saturday, November 1-2nd. To view the full catalogue, click here.

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