Brabham racer leads local Historic Racing Car Auction

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 08.07.2019

Donington Auctions presents The Historic Racing Car & Motorcycle auction: Online bidding opens July 21

Donington Auctions presents The Historic Racing Car & Motorcycle auction featuring iconic Brabham, Honda, Jaguar, Lotus, and Chevrolet racing cars.

Bidding for the online auction opens July 21 and runs through to July 28, with viewing open from the 22^nd to the 27^th in Cheltenham Victoria, Australia.

The headlining piece of the auction is a Brabham BT16 Climax, Lot 39, estimated to fetch between AU$280,000 to $320,000.

The BT16 was originally sold to John Coombes Racing and raced in Formula Two by Graham Hill in the beginnings of his racing career that would eventually culminate in two Formula One World Championships.

The car was also helmed by Frank Gardiner in the Tasman Series where he finished equal second in the 1967 Championship with Jack Brabham and Jackie Stewart, as well as finishing third at the 1967 Australian Grand Prix.

Lot 33 sees another Aussie open-wheeler icon, a 1928 BWA Special, up for grabs – estimated to fetch between AU$95,000-$115,000.

Affectionately known around race tracks as the "Bloody work of art", the BWA was actually an acronym of the three friends who built it: Gib Barrett, John White and Alan Ashton.

With Barrett at the wheel, the car set the fastest time at Bathurst in 1946, and later took the class record at the historic Rob Roy Hillclimb, and also raced at the 1953 Australian Grand Prix.

Other major highlights include a 1968 Chevrolet Camaro SS 350 (Lot 31, estimate: $69,000-$79,000) and a 1971 Datsun 240Z (Lot 32, estimate: $29,000-$36,000) offered on behalf of the estate of Daryl Duff.

Affectionately known as the "fastest butcher in Brighton’, Duff was the former president of the Victorian Historic Racing Register and a popular racing competitor up until he was almost 75 years of age. He built this Camaro into a race car from an original condition SS 350, retaining all original bodywork complete with exterior trim.

The auction also includes a 1964 Jaguar 3.8 MkII Group N Historic Touring Car (Lot 35), meticulously built by Graeme Lord in 2003 and in continual development ever since. It’s estimated to fetch between $50,000 and $60,000.

For those who prefer historic production sport cars, there’s a genuine 7.0lt 427 1969 Chevrolet Corvette Roadster (Lot 37), estimated to fetch between $60,000 and $70,000. It’s a competitive Group Sb car offered with CAMS historic log book.

The auction also includes a range of racing memorabilia, including original books, programmes and posters from the 60s and 70s, alongside a rare Harley-Davidson trophy race cup from 1927.

Online bidding opens July 21. View all available lots at DoningtonAuctions.com.au

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