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Over 150 lots to digest with Historics next auction

Historics Auctioneers have 166 lots at their upcoming at Ascot sale on Saturday 15th May. Out of that not-so-little lot, we’ve picked our top five bidder’s picks.

1958 FERRARI 250 GT COUPE PININ FARINA SERIES 1

The superbly refined and cleanly designed 250 GT Coupé Pinin Farina was, by 1960, the most populous car Ferrari had ever produced. 353 were built over a period of two years, and the car you see here is one of the earliest. This achingly elegant Ferrari, in Blu Nart with beige Connolly hide, was delivered new to the UK with a rare front bonnet scoop, Lucas electronics and a six-blade cooling fan more commonly found on racing models. Power comes courtesy of a 237bhp 3-litre Tipo 128 Colombo V12. It’s been restored to a high standard and is being sold on behalf of a prominent UK collector. Estimate: £360,000-£410,000

1970 ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER SHADOW 1 COUPE

This handsome two-door fixed-head coupé’s first owner was Richard Attenborough, one of cinemas most acclaimed actor-directors. He ordered his Rolls from Jack Barclay Ltd in August 1969 (the same year he made his directorial debut with Oh! What a Lovely War) in ICI special green, trimmed in beige cloth and sitting on whitewall tyres. Lord Dickie enjoyed 11,400 largely chauffeur-driven miles until trading the car in 1984 for the very similarly styled Corniche Coupé. The ‘Shad’ has been exquisitely maintained ever since and upgraded from cloth trim to Connolly leather with green piping. A gentlemanly motor with a most enviable history, and always up for The Great EscapeEstimate: £48,000-£55,000

1986 LISTER-JAGUAR MKIII ‘LE MANS’

The Lister Le Mans might look like a Jaguar XJS, but a quick peek at the technical specification shows how this car was unbeatable at Top Trumps in the late 1980s. Brian Lister, who’d redesigned racing Jags from 1957 onwards, spent six years developing the XJS from a premium but relatively accessible GT car into an out-and-out supercar. The V12’s capacity was bored out to a giant 7.0 and had two superchargers bolted on, producing 600bhp (that was 120bhp more than an F40!) and 600lb ft of torque, which propelled the car to 200mph with effortless acceleration in every gear and sounded like the apocalypse. The Lister Le Mans seen here is extra special. It’s chassis ‘001’, and was originally used as Lister’s press car. It featured on the cover of Autocar magazine in November 1986, which heralded ‘The Return of the Lister Jaguar’. With just 9,500 miles recorded, this is the first time 001 has come to market in three decades and represents a wonderful opportunity for Top Trumps players and schoolboy subscribers to car mags back in ’86, who’d love to live their childhood dream 35 years later. Estimate: £125,000-£160,000

2012 ASTON MARTIN V12 ZAGATO

This 2012 machine was built in homage to the great Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, which electrified the supercar scene 50 years earlier and put Ferrari on notice, it remains one of the most coveted classic Astons of all time. Based on the V12 Vantage, Zagato reskinned it in aluminium with its signature vast grille and double-bubble roof. Two-thousand hours of craftsmanship at Aston’s Gaydon plant went into each of the 65 limited-edition cars produced, which is five-times as much work as a production Vantage. This was very much reflected in the price and subsequent values. Seen here is the second of two production prototypes and the sole full aluminium-bodied example. It did 25,000 miles of testing, some of it at Nardò. This car was kept by Aston Martin until 2016, appearing at public events, and then passed to an important client. Paint chips and interior scuffs were dealt with at this time, including an Aston Martin Racing Green respray. A collectors’ item that will only get more desirable. Estimate: £540,000-£620,000 2016

MASERATI QUATTROPORTE ‘CINQUEPORTE’ SHOOTING BRAKE

In 2009, Carrozzeria Touring built four bespoke fastback versions of the Maserati Quattroporte and entitled them ‘Bellagio’. One particular British aficionado was disappointed to miss out on bidding for one of these Bellagios in 2013, so he commissioned his own using the latest generation of Quattroporte. In 2016, classic car restorer Adam Redding produced this coach-built shooting brake for the client in question. Known as the ‘Cinqueporte’, it’s sweepingly styled and completely practical. Fitted with Maserati’s diesel engine, it’s painted Gunmetal Grey with Nero leather and piano black veneer, sits on black Mercurio wheels and has recorded 8,714 miles from new. One of a kind. Estimate: £75,000-£85,000

Check out all 166 lots available at the Historics Auctioneers, Ascot Racecourse sale in the Classic Driver Market.