Car shopping with a 75MM House Captain at Bonhams

The first car he went for was one of the auction’s stars, the ex-David Hobbs Lola T70 Spyder. “I won a race at Silverstone in one of these once, they don’t go round corners but gosh they are quick on the straights,” says the touring car hero, who is driving a Bizzarrini at MM this year. 

It was the Aston Martin DP214 replica that took his fancy next, but he insists he would only want an original one (er, that might be difficult Anthony…). He was immediately drawn to the beautiful Alan Mann Racing Daytona Coupe but went off it when he discovered this made-in-2016 car was still lacking an engine.

“That must be a million pounds worth,” he enthused about a Ferrari 330GT in the sale. I could see myself in that.” And yet he might: the gorgeous silver Ferrari actually has a guide price of £180-320,000. 

Anthony paused for a moment by a Lotus 7 – “one of my first jobs when I left school was building Caterham Super 7s at the old Caterham works” – and then again at Douglas Bader’s Alvis drophead, complete with its little Spitfire mascot on the bonnet.

What about an Austin-Healey? There are two in the sale. “I like Austin-Healeys, they are a lot of fun to drive with plenty of power and lots of oversteer." 

Then there was the Mercedes McLaren SLR: “Phenomenally quick, but their handling is not to my taste, too pointy at the front end.” 

At last GRR believes it has found the ideal car for the Methuen captain: A Rolls-Royce Phantom drophead, literally standing head and shoulders above everything else in the sale and the perfect foil for a Members’ Meeting cap’n in his blazer and hat. It was the most expensive Rolls-Royce in the range in its day, but today the three-owner, 8300-mile convertible comes with a guide price of £120-160,000.

Anthony won’t be swayed and heads outside to see the car he has really come to see. The car? Actually a boat…

“When I was a boy my father used to take us on holidays to the Algarve where a friend had an Albatross speedboat and we all used to go skiing behind it. It’s a beautiful boat and with the Coventry Climax engine like this one makes a very good ski boat.” 

So, he’s sorted. What do Anthony Reid and Brigitte Bardot (plus a whole load more 1960s royalty and superstars) have in common? A love for the Albatross speedboat with Coventry Climax engine!

The Bonhams Members’ Meeting auction is at 14.00hrs on Sunday. 

Photography courtesy of Tom Shaxson