LONDON.- RM Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house for quality automobiles, is now on the countdown to its inaugural sale at London’s Salon Privé luxury car show and Concours d’Elegance on 23rd June, 2011.

The sale, which is only open to British-built automobiles, has attracted fifty-seven stunning examples of ‘Quintessentially English’ cars including some significant collections of Aston Martin, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce automobiles.

Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Europe says, “What is nice about this sale is that we have selected some genuinely rare and interesting cars and motorcycles while also offering a very comprehensive selection of British marques that represent a wide cross-section of some of the best loved and most keenly collected models.”

The star Rolls-Royce lot is unquestionably the unique and historic 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Experimental Sports Tourer, ‘10 EX’, the first prototype Phantom I Continental to be fitted with sports body ‘torpedo’ coachwork by Barker. This unusually rakish and sporting pre-war Rolls has a fascinating and well-documented history and is estimated to fetch between £400,000 - £800,000. It is fitting that in Rolls-Royce’s centenary year, the iconic British manufacturer is represented in the sale by a total of nine exquisite examples, ranging from an 1924 Rolls-Royce 20 HP Open Tourer (Estimate: £60,000 - £85,000) to a late 1993 Rolls-Royce Corniche IV Cabriolet (Estimate: £58,000 - £70,000). Other Rolls’ highlights include a 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Tourer with coachwork by Smith & Waddington (Estimate: £100,000 - £140,000), once driven by Prince Michael of Kent during a visit to Australia, and a desirable 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Drophead Coupé, (Estimate: £380,000 - £420,000), one of just three produced with attractive Freestone & Webb coachwork.

No less than 16 Aston Martin cars feature in the auction, with two very fine pre-war examples on offer including the one-off, ex-works 1939 Aston Martin 2-Litre Speed Model, chassis number 727U, originally built by the factory for outer circuit racing at the historic Brooklands (pictured top). Now fully rebuilt and prepared by one the world’s leading marque specialists, the car is estimated to achieve between £320,000 - £380,000.

“Aston Martin is brand famous for its well-built, high-performance GT cars, and the marque is currently one of the most collectable in market place”, adds Girardo. “Post war DB cars have, in particular, rallied in value in recent years, and we are truly delighted to be able to offer such a broad spectrum of desirable Aston models.”

Early DBs are represented by three DB2s in Drophead Coupé, Coupé and Saloon body styles alongside two DB Mark III Coupes. There are also three DB4 examples, the highlight of which is a simply beautiful 1962 Aston Martin DB4 Vantage Convertible, a very rare example in left-hand drive and one of only 74 Convertibles made. With a fascinating documented history behind it, the car was once owned by the famed actor and diplomat, Sir Peter Ustinov (Estimate: £250,000 - £320,000).

No sale of ‘Quintessentially English’ cars would be complete without Jaguar cars being well represented. Indeed, RM has brought together a fantastic cross-section of 11 of the most desirable models from the Coventry-based car maker, including both pre- and post-war examples. The SS100 is considered by many to be one of the most iconic examples of pre-war sports car design - the sale features a wonderful 1937 Jaguar SS 100 2.5 Litre Roadster, chassis number 18116 (Estimate: £200,000-£230,000).

The sweeping good looks of the post war ‘XK’ sports cars are also well represented by a solitary XK120 and four XK150 models. The undeniable highlight of these is the 1959 Jaguar XK150 3.8S Roadster (pictured right), the ultimate evolution of the XK-Series cars of the 1950 and a matching numbers example that boasts a service book signed by company founder William Lyons. It is estimated to bring £180,000 - £240,000.

In its 50th anniversary year, it’s only fitting that the sale should include three outstanding examples of the E-Type, from an early 1966 Jaguar E-Type Series I 4.2 Fixed Head Coupé (Estimate: £40,000 - £50,000) to one of the last of the breed, a 1974 Jaguar E-Type Series III Convertible (Estimate: £38,000 - £45,000).

Motorcycles are a new feature of the sale for RM, with seven examples on offer from historic British manufactures such as BSA, Triumph and Brough Superior. Worthy of particular note is the 1960 BSA Gold Star, fully restored and in desirable Clubman’s configuration (Estimate: £14,000 - £18,000), and the 1939 Brough Superior 11.50 V-Twin, an excellent, late example of one of these highly desirable machines (Estimate: £35,000 - £45,000).


Other notable entries include:

• a 1929 Bentley Speed Six “Le Mans” Style Tourer, chassis number FA 2518, a faithful recreation of the 1930 No 3 Speed Six Le Mans team car (Estimate: £450,000 - £570,000);

• a highly-desirable 1955 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback, (Estimate: £325,000-£425,000);

• a historically-interesting ex-Works Le Mans entrant 1961 Sunbeam Alpine Harrington Coupé, chassis number B 9102730/OD/HRO (Estimate: £58,000 - £70,000); and,

• a 1933 Lagonda 3-Litre Tourer, a quintessential pre-war touring car with an award-winning restoration (Estimate: £150,000 - £200,000).