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.
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.
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.
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!