Royal Land Rover joins Bonhams Revival celeb star cars

All had connections with cars or automobilia in the 2017 sale. And, as always with famous person provenance, the lots proved very popular with auction goers. 

Here’s our look at some of the Bonhams sale’s most famously connected lots… 

HM the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Land Rover

The Queen and Prince Philip used this Ministry of Defence-owned 1968 ceremonial Land Rover in Northern Ireland during the 1976  Silver Jubilee celebrations. Complete with flag and raised viewing platform, the bespoke machine sold for £34,500. In contrast, the late Princess Margaret’s Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith didn’t sell.

Victor Gauntlett’s aircraft 

The late Aston Martin chief and great classic car driver and collector once owned this 1935 de Havilland Hornet Moth biplane, an innovative aircraft for its time that made flying possible for the business community for the first time. The plane, restored by P&A Wood in the 1980s, sold for £91,100. 

Win Percy’s police-spec Daimler Dart

The three-time winner of the British Touring Car Championship purchased this 1962 Daimler SP250 Dart at auction in October 2011. The car, one of 26 automatic-gearbox Darts that were purchased new by the Metropolitan Police, still has police-spec features including its Winkworth bell, radio and microphone, Met Police document folder and large calibrated speedometer. For 13 seasons the car was used as Goodwood Revival course car – so that’s where we know it from! It was sold by Bonhams for £55,200.

‘Gentleman Jack’Sears’Mercedes Cosworth

The late British touring car champion bought this 1986 Mercedes 190E 2.3-16 Cossie new in 1986 and kept it until his death in 2016. One of many cars in the auction from his collection, the Cosworth-tuned 185bhp 190 – Mercedes’ answer to the BMW M3 –  has covered 75,000  miles from new. It went to a new home for £25,300. 

Donald Healey’s prototype plans 

Part of a massive archive of Healey automobilia – everything from diaries to desks – a collection of documents, files and notes relating to Healey experimental, prototype and works cars sold for £8125. In all the archive sold for a total of around £50,000. 

Sir John Whitmore’s St Mary’s Trophy Austin 

Sir John drove this 1950 Austin Cambridge A50 competition saloon at Revival in 2008. It’s been back in the St Mary’s Trophy, as well as lots more historic saloon races, since, most recently at Members’ Meeting in 2015. Said to be well used but in really good condition, it sold for £28,750.

John Young’s Mercedes SL

The late John Young, 1950s race driver and one-half of the Rose & Young Mercedes-Benz dealership, was the second owner of this 2005 top-of-the-range 604bhp SL65 AMG convertible. The first owner? That would have been  Tara Getty, son of multi-millionaire businessman Paul Getty. At a fraction of the price when new, this two-owner 41,000-mile super-Merc sold for £43,700.