Austro Daimler 19/100 3-Litre at the TT at Ards 1928 Photo; Geoff Goddard Collection

Few people would have guessed that the 1927 Austro Daimler 19/100 3-Litre would have sold for such a colossal figure as £362,750. For a ‘barn find’ it produced a barn-storming result for both the vendor and Christie’s London team, forming over a third of the nigh-on £1,000,000 of motors cars and automobilia sold on the night.

Estimated at £70,000 - 90,000, bidding on the car started slowly then gradually accelerated to the point when auctioneer Rupert Banner had three people (two in the room, one on the 'phone) going all the way to the £300,000 mark. Over that it was down to two bidders, one on the telephone and one in the saleroom. The saleroom won and, as so often happens on these occasions, a hushed silence gave way to applause from the floor. Christie’s representative Mark Donaldson explained the success of the car “It had so much going for it, being a genuine, rarer alternative to a 3-litre Bentley. It was a Porsche-inspired car that had period racing history and was basically complete and ready for restoration.”

With all lots (apart from the 1949 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith Saloon) selling prior to the Austro Daimler, it was not surprising that proceedings were slightly subdued afterwards but with the exception of both pre-war Bentleys and the April 2004-delivery Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, most of the big-ticket numbers found new owners. The two Talbots selling well, the 1933 90 Vanden Plas Tourer going for £37,012 while the 1935 T110 Vanden Plas Tourer hammered at £64,625. Useful for figures for elegant cars on the lower rungs of pre-war celebrity.

The SLR McLaren was bid to £280,000, some £30,000 short of the lower estimate and clearly not enough for the vendor. Time will tell whether with a list price of around £313,000 this bid (with buyer’s premium working out at £329,000), should have been accepted.

The BRG 1964 Ferrari 250GT Lusso was sold for £192,250 post-sale and its 1960s British competitor, the 1962 Aston Martin DB4, was withdrawn prior to sale having attracted a lot of interest from buyers worldwide. Three smaller-capacity early sixties sports cars also sold, the 1962 Porsche 356B Coupe for £14,100 and the two Alfas going for £14,100 for 1964 Giulia Spider and £16,450 for the 1965 Giulia Sprint Speciale.

Highlight of the preceding automobilia sale was a very rare poster for the 1948 San Remo Grand Prix - an event that saw Maserati finishing 1, 2, 3 with their new 4CLT. It sold for £3,055.

All prices include buyer’s premium.

Also in the saleroom were two magnificent vintage Bentleys, early - and fitting - entries to Christie’s first sale at the Le Mans Classic event on 23rd July. The next London sale will be at the Jack Barclay Showroom on 7th June.

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Christie's International Motor Cars Ltd The Jack Barclay Showroom 2-4 Ponton Rd Nine Elms London SW8 5BA Tel: + 44(0)20 7389 2851 Fax: + 44(0)20 7627 8917 [email protected]

Text - Steve Wakefield
Photos - Christie's/James Mann