Ascot Racecourse plays host to a vibrant Historics sale of 160+ fine and varied classics on Saturday, 27th May.
A magnificent 1956 Aston Martin DB2/4 MK.II (£140,000-£160,000) will graciously uphold the honour of British sporting classics at Historics' bustling sale of 160+ motor cars on Saturday, 27th May at Ascot Racecourse.
The stunningly restored, matching numbers example is one of a veritable feast of sporting classics within the hugely varied entry. In fact, the DB2/4 headlines a collection of nine Aston Martins, including a late Series IV 1988 Aston Martin Lagonda (£70,000-£85,000), one of just five of these avant-garde 'grand luxe' classics manufactured with Coniston Sand coachwork.
Also delivering street presence aplenty is a fine example of a 1995 '6.3 Litre Cosmetic' Aston Martin Virage (£65,000-£75,000). Featuring a complete factory Wide Body package and with just 29,000 recorded miles since new, it is joined by a selection of five Aston Martin 'young-timers' from 2003, with a DB7 Vantage, DB9, DBS, Vanquish S and Vantage V8 within the elegant line-up.
A feisty counterpoint to Aston Martin at this major spring sale comes in the guise of a sonorous Italian quartet that resembles the Who's Who of 1970s sporting classics, namely a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera, 1972 Ferrari Dino, 1972 Maserati Indy and 1976 Lamborghini Urraco P300.
The flowing lines of the compact Gandini-penned Urraco (£64,000-£74,000) is in itself a fascinating counterpoint to the chiselled profile of another Lamborghini 35 years its junior that will also cross the block at this major sale, in the dramatic form of a 2011 Lamborghini Gallardo V10 570-4 Superleggera (£115,000-£130,000), one of just 13 registered in the UK.
Meanwhile, the fine 1972 example of the iconic Ferrari Dino 246 GT (£190,000-£215,000), surely one of Pininfarina's most enduringly fluent designs, is UK-supplied, right-hand drive and understood to have travelled just 25,000 miles in its 51 years, 33 of them with the current owner.
Nevertheless, pushing the Dino hard on both design and desirability stakes is a wonderful example of another of Pininfarina's triumphs. This, a 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider (£53,000-£58,000), was first supplied to the USA and fully restored there before arriving in the UK in 2015.
The steroidal 4.7 litre V8 powering the Vignale-designed, fully-restored, RHD 1972 Maserati Indy (£42,000-£54,000) gives it an utterly different persona to the Ferrari Dino but is no less alluring, whilst the award for the most colourful of the quarter goes emphatically to a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera (£120,000-£150,000).
Superbly restored from a barn find in the USA, it is presented in dramatic race livery as a homage to the five-strong Pantera Group IV entries at the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1972. It features a correct body upgrade and beneath the skin, the specification has been enhanced substantially whilst preserving its road registration credentials.
It features a correct body upgrade and beneath the skin, the specification has been enhanced substantially whilst preserving its road registration credentials.
Finally, not to be outdone on the sporting classics stakes, a 1960 Facel Vega HK500 (£92,000-£112,000) waves the flag for France in dramatic fashion. Numerous celebrities enjoyed ownership of the extraordinary pinnacle of French touring elegance and this rare right-hand drive manual gearbox example comes to sale in magnificent condition after a £50,000 restoration in the mid 90's, with a further £48,000 lavished on it by The Chelsea Workshop since the car was acquired by the vendor in 2020. An exceptional collector opportunity.
The Historics sale commences at 09.30 on Saturday, 27th May at Ascot Racecourse and is preceded by three full viewing days. For full information on all entries, including a host of more affordable classics, and to register to bid, in-hall, by phone and online, visit www.historics.co.uk.
