Back in the ‘60s coachbuilding was huge business, in Italy there were of course many famous names and today as people once again seek individuality, we are seeing a small resurgence in coach-built cars. But today the cars are much larger and it’s not as easy to create a beautiful object such as this 1965, Alfa Romeo 1900 produced by Autotecnica del Lario and believed to be one of just eight.
The small, lightweight cars produced my Alfa Romeo in this era are what many people are crying out for again as we seek engaging, fun cars rather than pure power. The ‘Superleggera’-style steel tubed, framework and stunning aluminium body are combined with Alfa Romeo’s 100bhp twin cam engine to produce a lightweight package. Finished in Verde Inglese, is this one of the most beautiful cars you have ever seen?
If power really is your thing, then you would be foolish to ignore the two hypercars in this auction. The McLaren P1 is regarded as one of the greats, and with a sub £1m estimate represents amazing value for money. The Porsche 918 commands a similar price but more than double were built, while a La Ferrari will set you back around £2m depending who you talk to. The P1 represents the pinnacle of hypercar design with its ‘shrink wrapped’ body and it would be hard to imagine prices dropping much below their current value.
The second hypercar is the gorgeous Ford GT, built to win Le Mans - which it did – the road going variant combines racing functionality whilst still delivering a beautiful package that pays homage to the original GT40. With an estimate of £600,000-£700,000, more than double its original price the Ford GT has proved a great success for Ford.
Lastly, we should give a mention to the road going rally icons of the ‘90s. Ford kicked off the decade with their Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4, the car was a huge success in rallying and also commercially, the ultimate fast family saloon. This Magenta over Raven example shows just under 14,000 miles and is a one owner car that has never been modified. Secondly there is the 1995 Lancia Delta Evo 2 Final Edition that’s also a one owner car and presents with 5,400km. Completing the trio is a Subaru Impreza 22B, just 16 examples were believed to be officially imported to the UK. Celebrating 40 years of Subaru, the car is as close as you can get to Colin McRae’s own rally car in official road trim. In current ownership for 18 years and with 49,000 miles, this is an extremely rare opportunity to own a modern classic that inspired a generation of computer gamers.
