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Jags and Bentleys dominate Goodwood sale

However Lancia project wins bravery award

Jaguars and Bentleys were flavour of the month at this year’s Bonhams Goodwood revival sale, with an XJ220 (above) setting a new price record for the model at
Au$870,000. The previous record (Au$780k) was set at this event last year.

With just 400 miles (650km) from new, the 1993 supercar was among the best examples around. It had undergone a significant freshen-up, including a $65,000 engine and fuel system rebuild.

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Originally intended only as a concept car capable of 220mph, the XJ got such a response that Jaguar was convinced to plan 350 examples in partnership with TWR. In the end, a little under 300 were made, powered by a modified version of the XJR-11 turbocharged V6 engine.

The top-priced car of the event was another Jaguar, a 1956/1980S D-type (above), which sold for Au$1.5 million. A well-known competitor on the classic racing circuit, it started life as a works race car. It was road registered and famously led the le Mans 24-Hour with Stirling Moss as one of the drivers. It has a colourful past, including effectively being written off in a race crash early in its life.

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Second on the value list was a 1955 Bentley R-type Continental (above), which went for Au$1.2 million. This series runs a 4.9lt Rolls-Royce-derived IoE straight six, good enough to pitch the Mulliner bodywork to a top speed of 102mph (200km/h), which was considered excellent at the time for a full-sized road car.

Close behind was a 1931 Bentley 4/8 (below), in other words the 4.0 litre model, of which 50 were made, fitted with the 8.0lt powerplant. This was a popular conversion among that small group of cars. It went for Au$1.1 million. Like a lot of its siblings, the car has seen more than its fair share of racetrack action.

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However the award for the most daunting lot goes to a 1955 Lancia Aurelia Spider America (below). Sporting the remains of the Pininfarina bodywork and a 2.5lt V6 not currently installed in the car, it sold for a staggering Au$603,000. That’s quite a starting point for a project car!

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