 All
eight cars in British connoisseur Dick Skipworth's collection from the
legendary Scottish team that won two consecutive Le Mans 24-Hour races
in 1956 and 1957, sold at Bonhams today (1 December) for record prices.Just as they did in the 1950s, four of the Ecurie Ecosse Jaguars raced ahead of their rivals.The
team's 1952 Jaguar C-Type sold for no less than £2,900,000, amid
auction-room applause, while their 1956 Jaguar 'Shortnose' D-Type sold
for £2,600,000. Both went to a buyer in the United States.Meanwhile, the packed saleroom resounded to further applause as the Collection's Jaguar XK120 Roadster made a record £707,000. Million-pound mark-up for two-stroke truckHowever,
it was the Ecurie Ecosse three-car Transporter, their unique 1960
Commer TS3 immortalized for many by the Corgi toy, which exceeded all
expectations as it was sold to the same US buyer for £1,800,000 after a
telephone bidding war that lasted almost 20 minutes.The
800-strong crowd in Bonhams' £30-million New Bond Street headquarters –
opened by London Mayor Boris Johnson on October 24 - erupted as
auctioneer Robert Brooks' hammer sealed this sale of the most valuable
historic commercial vehicle ever sold at auction.Following
the Ecurie Ecosse Collection's sale excitement, the spotlight turned to
Ringo Starr's Facel Vega, which sold for £337,500 while seven-time
Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher's Benetton-Cosworth Ford
B194 went to a German museum in Boeblingen for £617,500, bringing the
auction total to £16,861,630.James Knight, Bonhams' Group
Motoring Director, said: 'We always knew that today's Sale had the
potential to be a roaring success, but nobody quite anticipated the
incredible atmosphere in the saleroom that saw so many truly historic
cars go for such astounding prices.'The Jaguars especially
were exceptionally popular, and I am delighted that the Transporter
will still be carrying two of its original Ecurie Ecosse racing cars.' |
Jaguar XK120
1959 Tojeiro-Jaguar Sports-Racing Prototype
Le Mans Sprite
1960 Cooper Monaco-Climax ^Mark II^ Type 57 Rear-Engined Sports-Racing Prototype
1962-63 Tojeiro EE-Buick Endurance Racing Coupe
1960 Commer TS3 Three-Car Transporter
Source: conceptcarz.com
