On his 80th birthday, Land Rover presented Sir Winston Churchill with a unique Series 1 model, outfitted with a particularly wide rear seat to accommodate his aristocratic girth. With a chauffeur at the wheel, Churchill used the car to explore the 300 acres of his Kent estate, Chartwell, which is now owned by the National Trust. At his death, the car passed to Churchill’s son-in-law. Still in its original configuration, with just 12,932 miles, the 1954 Rover is expected to sell for $78,000-$94,000 at Cheffin’s Vintage sale in the U.K. on October 20th.The car comes complete with its original logbook, registered at UKE 80 in the name of the Rt Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill KG. OM. CH. MP. Chartwell, Westerham, Kent. Among its other options added for the former PM are a padded fold down armrest, a leather grab handle, and heater.
Winston Churchill’s Land Rover
August 14, 2012
Aston Martin Sells For Record $4.95m
May 20, 2013Until this past weekend, the record for an Aston Martin at auction was the $4.6m paid for a DB5 with celebrity credentials, having seen use in “Goldfinger.” That price was eclipsed on Saturday, when a factory-restored 1960 DB4GT “Jet” Coupé sold for $4.95m at a Bonhams auction in the UK. Offered for the first time in 30 years, the unique car — the only GT with body by Bertone — has won various Concours d’Elegance awards, including ‘Best In Show’ at the Villa d’Este and 1st in the Italian Coachworks Class at Pebble Beach.
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Winston Churchill’s Daimler Sells In Germany
April 30, 2013Between the years of 1944-49, and thus throughout his tenure as Prime Minister in World War II, Sir Winston Churchill’s ride of choice was a stylish 1939 Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe. Incongruous as it may seem for an automobile that belonged to the man who led his country’s battle against the Third Reich, the roadster turned up on German eBay, where it set off a bidding frenzy that ended with a price of $621,500. That was, according to the Online Mail, about 16 times what a DB18 might be expected to command.
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100 MPH Without Brakes: Steve McQueen’s 1914 Indian At Bonhams
April 12, 2013Of all the motorcycles owned by Steve McQueen—and there were many—one of the more unusual is the 1914 Indian Board Track Racer that Bonhams will offer at its Stafford sale in England later this month. Produced for one of the first pine-board motordomes in the country, it was fitted with neither brakes nor throttle. Racers went all out, powered by a 4hp, 500cc engine, reaching speeds of 100mph. Restored by Indian specialist Stephen Wright, McQueen’s bike is estimated at $34,000-$43,000.
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Rising Value of Unrestored Cars
By Malcolm Welford, Vintage Car Specialist
