ClassicInside - The ClassicDriver Newsletter

ClassicInside – The Classic Driver Newsletter

Edition 21/2004

June 4th 2004

This edition is sent to 27.430 subscribers

Editorial

Regular followers of this column may believe the life of your correspondent is party, party, party. Well it's true this week saw the start of the Summer motoring 'Season' with luxury goods seller (with a strong link to motoring from the pioneer days in the '20s) dunhill hosting an evening at the Jermyn Street flagship store, to showcase their involvement with the Goodwood Festival. Those familiar with their London outlets will know a car is often placed in the window, and this time a Mercedes-Benz W25 pre-war GP single-seater was the chosen model. With a price-tag one can only guesstimate at say $10,000,000 (confirmed as a reasonable figure for an original car by Simon Kidston, head of Bonhams Europe) one wonders at the insurance premium for the evening, not only for the glitterati present but also for the original 'Silver Arrow'.

Anyway, a great evening was had by all and a reminder, once again, that both Goodwood events will be for pre-booked tickets only, and the Festival is just three weeks away. For an area (the heart of London's Clubland) familiar with expensive cars, it was tremendous to see a D-Type parked nose-to-tail with an Aston DB3S outside the store.

Moving smoothly on from one luxury brand to another, tomorrow is Louis Vuitton Classic day, and this year the world-class concours will be held at Waddesdon Manor, rather than The Hurlingham Club. The show will bring together 70 of the world's most beautiful motor cars and 25 motorbikes, all competing for the title "Best of Show". Full report to follow next week.

Steve Wakefield
Managing Editor
sw@classicdriver.com

*THIS WEEK IN CLASSIC DRIVER*
The Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG With its combination of state-of-the-art motorsport technology, driving dynamics more familiar from the race-track, captivating styling features and unrivalled exclusivity, the new Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG will set the pulses of car enthusiasts racing that much faster... read the complete article
25 years of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class It is now 25 years since production began of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The Stuttgart-based car maker unveiled the robust Cross-Country Vehicle to the pubic for the first time in 1979, since when it has delivered a total of some 175,000 units of the G-Class to customers the world over... read the complete article
Ex-Shah of Iran Lamborghini Miura SVJ returns to Sant’ Agata after 33 year absence Most modern cars are used to rather shorter service intervals, but given that the Lamborghini Miura SVJ built for the Shah of Iran has covered barely 5,000 km from new, it was in remarkably fine fettle when it returned last month to the Lamborghini factory for the first time in over 30 years... read the complete article
Over three hundred Ferrari and Maserati cars on track at Spa Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), 30 May - This was the main day of the “Ferrari Maserati Days” event at Spa-Francorchamps, with over 300 Prancing Horse and Trident marque cars taking part, with both race and road cars, as many owners of both marques took to the track to do some laps... read the complete article
Gordon-Keeble Club celebrates marque's 40th Anniversary “A full four seater, with 300bhp on tap, it was truly a ‘Grand Tourer’ - but with performance that would embarrass many sports cars, even today. Something a little different - and more scarce - than, for example, an E-type…” Sounds interesting?.. read the complete article
Alfa Romeo ‘Goccia’ "Cars don’t come much rarer than this Alfa Romeo Michelotti Conrero. Tipped off by Abarth guru Tony Berni, we travelled to Brescia to find this original yellow one-off, supplied to us by Fiat main dealer Pierangelo Pasini, of Franzoni Auto. We drove to nearby Villa Badia Piccola for our photo location. Michelotti made the camera lie..." read the complete article
H&H at Buxton 9th June 2004 Preview Over 80 cars will be sold at H&H’s next Derbyshire Auction. As usual a good mix of traditional sporting cars will be featured, with the focus very much on classic British marques. For example this rather fine 1960 Bristol 406 Saloon for £13,000 - 15,000... read the complete article

Advertisement PREMIUM OFFERS
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster 4 speed, leather, restored schwarzer Schaltknauf, schwarzes Lenkrad Schwarz lackierte Felgen mit poliertem Alukranz Der hier vorgestellte 300 SL Roadster wurde im Jahre 1957 an seinen Erstbesitzer ausgeliefert. Seine schwarze Lackierung bildet einen harmonischen Kontrast mit dem roten Leder, schwarzem Verdeck und Gussmotor. Laufleistung seit der Restauration unter 400km(!) Colour Black Interior colour Red Drive LHD Year 10/1957 Mileage 51.850 km / 32.218 m Chassis No. 198042-7500335 Engine No. 198980-7500351 Price: 295.000 EURO (Today 196.175 GBP) Dealership: Mercedes-Benz Classic Center HPC 096/R051, 70546 Stuttgart Phone +49 (0) 711 17 84047 see all details see complete stock from this dealer
Audi RS 6 Avant Estate full history, 1 owner, Tracker monitor, full Audi service history Colour Avus Silver Interior colour Black leather piped grey Drive RHD Year 11/2002 Mileage 12.000 m / 19.312 km Price 46.950 GBP Dealership: Avro Motor Cars By appointment only: The Circuit Centre, Avro Way, Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey, KT13 0YT Phone +44 (0) 1932 352220 see all details see complete stock from this dealer
McLaren F1 GTR Ex-Bigazzi works team car run for BMW Motorsport in Fina and BMW colours. Raced by Piquet, Soper, Laffite and Duez. Silverstone 4th & Pole, Le Mans 11th. The car has now been homologated and licensed to run on the road but maintained externally and internally as a race car. Rare opportunity to acquire one of only four race F1 GTRs that can be used on the road. Colour White BMW Fina Interior colour Black Year 1996 Chassis No. 16R PRICE 675.000 GBP Dealership: Duncan Hamilton & Co P.O.Box 222, Hook, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG27 9YZ Phone +44 (0) 1256-765000 see all details see complete stock from this dealer

EVENTGUIDE

Louis Vuitton Classic, Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury, UK
5th June 2004

Stanford Hall - 'The UK's Premier Italian Car Concours', UK
6th June 2004

2nd Three Castles Welsh Trial, UK
5th - 8th June 2004

H&H Classic Auction, The Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, UK
9th June 2004

Gordon-Keeble Owners Club 40th Anniversary Weekend, UK
12th - 13th June 2004

Motor Racing Legends Pre-War Sports Car Series, Nürburgring, Germany
26th - 27th June 2004

Goodwood Festival of Speed, Goodwood, W.Sussex, UK
25th - 27th June 2004

see further event details

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