An ultra-rare, unrestored and original Aston DB6 Mk 1 Volante Vantage set a new record for Barons.

An ultra-rare, unrestored and highly original 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Mk 1 Volante Vantage set a new record for Barons when it sold for £781,000 at Sandown Park on July 28^th. The highest price ever achieved for a car at a Barons sale, it broke the auction house’s previous record of £739,000, set just three months ago for a 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback ‘barn find’.

The Aston above is the one sold at Auction, the cars below are illustrative examples of models that were sold at the auction, but are not the actual cars.

“We believe this may be a record for an unrestored example of this particular Aston Martin, so these are very exciting times for Barons,” said company director Peter Gascoigne. 

“The past six months since Tony Cavell and I took the reins have seen significant growth in the value and quality of cars across the sales, and in the overall sale results. To have two such cars within three months of each other is truly remarkable.”

The Sandown Park saleroom was packed, and the number of online bidders had swelled by 50% for this sale. Bidding on the Aston – one of just 29 ever made, and believed to be the final such Volante Vantage built – actually started slowly, building gradually from an initial £350,000. 

Then telephone bids began flooding in and the car accelerated rapidly up to the final figure paid by the UK buyer.

Another British classic was second in the popularity charts at the sale. The stunning 1968 Series 1.5 Jaguar E-type 2+2 had been the subject of a comprehensive nut-and-bolt bare metal restoration, and sold for £46,750. 

It was followed by a very impressive, and considerably younger, machine; the 2014 Dax Cobra, which has just 500 miles on the clock, roared past its £20,000 estimate to sell for £32,175.

Barons is now gearing up for its British Heritage, Classic & Collectors’ Sale, at Sandown Park on September 15^th.

The full results of Barons’ July 28^th sale appear below.

Year	Make	Model	Sold @ Inc
1969	Aston Martin	DB6 MKI Volante Vantage	£781,000
1968	Jaguar	E-type 1.5 2+2 Coupe	£46,750
2014	Dax	Cobra	£32,175
1989	Porsche	911 Carrera	£22,000
1963	Triumph	TR4	£21,450
2002	Porsche	911 Carrera 4 Widebody Coupe	£15,950
1977	Jaguar	XJ6 4.2 S2	£11,825
1961	Jaguar	MKII 3.4 Saloon	£11,220
1967	Ford	Mustang	£9,900
1990	Jaguar	XJS 3.6	£9,350
1977	Triumph	Stag	£8,525
1966	MG	B Roadster	£8,250
1972	Fiat	500L	£6,820
1994	Land Rover	Range Rover Vogue LSE	£6,050
	B0B 60	Registration number	£5500
1971	MG	1300 MK2	£5,225
1974	Fiat	500R	£4,675
1986	Porsche	928 S2 Coupe	£4,400
1997	BMW	Z3 1.9	£4,290
1992	Porsche	968 Cabriolet	£4,180
1989	Volkswagen	Golf Gti 16V	£3,410
1973	Morris	Mini 1000	£3,300
1977	Ford	Capri	£3,300
1986	Jaguar	XJS 5.3 V12	£3,300
2001	BMW	Z3 3.0i	£3,300
1957	Ford	Anglia 100E	£3,080
1985	Volkswagen	MKI Golf Gti Cabriolet	£2,970
1998	Alfa Romeo	Spider 2.0	£2,695
1999	Volkswagen	Golf Convertible	£2,530
1989	BMW	320i Convertible	£2,475
1978	MG	Midget	£1,870
2003	MG	TF 1.8	£1,650
1986	Saab	900GLS TA	£1,200
1980	Daimler	Sovereign 4.2	£1,150
1976	MG	B Roadster	£750

Uber Rare Crayford Wolseley Hornet Competition winner car comes up for auction.

‘Heinz 57’ Crayford Wolseley Hornet soup competition prize set to whet collectors’ appetites at Barons’ Spring Classic sale

The rare Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback ‘barn find’ restoration project and the Rolls-Royce Phantom V which belonged to the Queen Mother’s ‘stable’ of motor cars sit at the top of the entry list for Barons’ April 21^stSandown Park sale in terms of prestige and price. 

However, there are some highly desirable and unusual lots for collectors who are big on enthusiasm if smaller on budget.

One charismatic little rarity is the 1966 Crayford Wolseley ‘Heinz 57’ Hornet. Just 57 of these convertibles were built, as unique prizes for the ‘Greatest Glow on Earth’ soup competition, run by Heinz Foods.

From the original planning meeting between Crayford’s David McMullan and Jeff Smith and the Heinz directors in a greasy spoon café to the emergency storage of the 57 cars in a nudist colony, the story of the 57 prize cars is fascinating and highly entertaining. The example on offer at Barons now has red paintwork, as opposed to the original winners’ choices of Birch Grey or Toga White, but remains a charming piece of motoring – and Heinz – history. Estimate: £7,000-£9,000.

Equally appealing is the 1935 Austin 7 APD/E Military Tourer, one of just 11 such cars known to exist. The APD model was produced entirely for military use, and featured a rifle cradle. The car in Barons’ sale began life as an APD but was switched during production to an APD/E. It still has holes in the tunnel between the two seats to take a Lee-Enfield. Estimate: £8,500-£10,500.

A bigger, and more recent, Austin comes in the form of the 1951 FL1 Hire Car. A four-door limousine version of the FX3 Hire Car, it boasts a front bench seat but is without the ‘For Hire’ roof sign of the FX3. This particular example has been restored by the vendor and is now in very good condition. Estimate: £5,000-£8,000.

Ford Escorts are always popular in the saleroom, and Barons’ has a cracker for April 21^st. The beige 1968 Mk I Escort 11 De Luxe is in absolutely original condition and has covered just 18,000 miles. Estimate: £8,500-£10,000.

Finally, if the ‘barn find’ Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback is a bit of a stretch at £200,000-£400,000, how about the 1961 Mercedes 180 Ponton ‘shed find’? This car is in good condition, in spite of spending the last 15 years unused in a shed. 

The interior is particularly good, though beneath the dust it is evident that the exterior paintwork is a little faded. With a little more TLC this could be a fabulous family classic. Estimate: £4,000-£6,000.