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Daytona Spider and Blower Bentley to star in Salon Privé sale

Say the name Henry Pearman and it’s the Jaguar E-type that leaps to mind, but that’s not Pearman’s only passion. Over the last 14 years he’s also been responsible for assembling the ‘Stradale’ Collection, a remarkable selection of classic road cars, including a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider…

Selected cars from the ‘Stradale’ Collection are now being put up for auction at The Salon Privé Sale on 4 September in London. “Having chosen Salon Privé to launch our Eagle E-Type Speedster to the world back in 2009, as well as to celebrate the E-type’s 50th anniversary in 2011, we knew the new joint venture between the UK’s finest concours event and Silverstone Auctions was the perfect opportunity to release some of the very best road cars from the collection,” explains Henry Pearman, best known as CEO of Eagle, the renowned E-type specialist.

Living, breathing – and breathtaking

“It is truly a living collection, so is subject to change from time to time, and we’ve been exceptionally fortunate to have recently acquired arguably the very best Audi R8 – the ex-works and 2004 Le Mans winner, to join the growing number of competition cars within the collection.”

A total of 14 “thoughtfully grouped road-going cars” will go under the hammer at Syon House, the star lot being that Ferrari Daytona Spider – one of just 122 ever produced, and delivered new in 1971 to US casino owner William F. Harrah. Silverstone Auctions tells us that it’s covered just 3,955 miles from new and, stunning in black with a red leather interior, the car was granted Ferrari Classiche certification in 2009. The estimate is £1.75–2.25 million.

A star-studded show

But it’s by no means a one-horse show, as there are plenty of other Italian models to choose from, among them a Ferrari F50 with just 6,219 miles on the clock (estimate £600,000 to £750,000). Then there’s the F50’s much-loved predecessor, the F40, boasting a mere 10,738 miles and also estimated at between £600,000 and £750,000. And at the same estimate again is an “exceptionally original but mechanically fresh” 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400, in its original striking yellow.

If British metal is more your thing, the Stradale Collection includes a 1931 Blower Bentley (number 25 of the 50 produced), estimated at between £2.2 and £2.5 million, or perhaps you’d prefer the Aston Martin DB6 Mk 2 Volante, one of only 38 built and just 17 to feature the preferred manual gearbox. The Aston convertible carries a not-unreasonable estimate of £820,000–920,000.

Meanwhile, if your budget doesn’t stretch to such lengths, there’s always the more affordable but still desirable Lotus Elan Sprint Drophead with rare, blue paintwork and an estimate of £35,000 to £45,000.

The full lotlist from The Salon Privé Sale on 4 September 2014 can be found in the Classic Driver Market