An ex-F1 owned and Ex ITN News correspondent Range ROver Classic is up for sale.

• Range Rover driven 14,000 miles from Johannesburg to Somerset by ex-ITN Chief Foreign Correspondent now for sale at JD Classics
• Michael Nicholson of ITN News embarked on the epic five-month journey with his family in 1981
• The car also comes with a copy of the book, Across the Limpopo, in which Nicholson chronicled his incredible journey
• First owned by ex-Formula One racer Duncan Hamilton, and recently restored to perfection, this Range Rover has an impeccable history

A 1973 Range Rover driven on an epic 14,000-mile, five-month expedition from Johannesburg to Somerset is on-sale now at JD Classics. Undertaken by ex-ITN Chief Foreign Correspondent, Michael Nicholson in 1981, this Range Rover has survived the Nyaki Mountains in Malawi and elephants in Dar es Salaam – all chronicled in Nicholson’s book Across the Limpopo.

Nicholson was sold the Range Rover by its first owner, none other than Le Mans-winning racing driver Duncan Hamilton, who specified it in Lincoln Green with a Palomino interior and a number of factory options. 

Full leather upholstery and a Webasto sunroof were both fitted as extras by Nicholson who bought the car in 1976, before shipping it to Johannesburg where he was working as ITN’s Chief Foreign Correspondent.

After four years of daily use in South Africa, Nicholson was due to head back to England but couldn’t face the thought of simply waking up in the UK the next day. Instead of the 16-hour flight, he packed his family and their belongings into his Range Rover and set off for home.

From South Africa, Nicholson headed through Zambia to the Nyika Plateau of Malawi, where he camped fearing for his family’s safety, staying up all night with a machete at hand. The Range Rover took them through Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conversation Area, where they travelled side-by-side with wild rhinoceros, and saw them through dangerous encounters with bull elephants in Dar es Salaam.

Nicholson’s unstoppable Range Rover then crossed the Serengetti to Kenya, where it had to tackle the Weiwei Drift, a series of boggy washed away bridges where the average speed was 2.5 hours per mile.

Following its final route through Egypt, Sudan, Greece and the rest of Europe to the UK, the car was dry stored for many years. Recently it was subjected to a comprehensive bare shell restoration, completed by Range Rover specialists Bishops 4x4.

JD Classics Managing Director, Derek Hood, said: “The classic Range Rover market is hugely popular at the moment, and this is a wonderful opportunity to own a very special part of it. From its Le Mans-winning racing owner to its incredible journey through Africa – chronicled in a book and many photographs accompanying the car – this Range Rover has perfect provenance. Add to that the recent impeccable restoration, and it’s easy to see why this Range Rover is perhaps the most desirable on the market today.”

Silverstone Auctions will be displaying a very special 1968 Jensen Interceptor, first owned by comedy icon Eric Morecambe.

Silverstone Auctions will be displaying a very special 1968 Jensen Interceptor, first owned by comedy icon Eric Morecambe, at the London Classic Car Show on the 18th- 21st February at Excel, London.

Silverstone Auctions purchased the car in September 2014 and approached Jensen specialists Cropredy Bridge to undertake a full, no expense spared restoration at their base in Oxfordshire which was completed in July 2015. The car will be for sale at the show on a POA basis.

The car has a fascinating history. It left the Jensen factory on Kelvin Way in West Bromwich on the 23rd September 1968, and was delivered to its first owner, Mr Eric Morecambe, shortly afterwards. Residing at Morecambe’s house in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, the car was driven personally by Eric as well as used by Morecambe’s chauffeur, Mike Fountain, to ferry him and wife Joan around. According to Fountain, this Interceptor was Eric’s favourite car.

Eric spoke about this car on an episode of Parkinson in 1972, describing the time when he was driving through Batley in Leeds late one evening. He was appearing with Ernie Wise at the local variety club when he became unwell and decided to drive home. He felt increasingly ill, and eventually was forced to ask a passer-by to drive him to hospital in the Interceptor. He had actually just suffered a mild heart attack. Apparently the passer-by was so excited to be driving an Interceptor that it took him several minutes to realise who he was helping!

Speaking about the car, managing director of Silverstone Auctions, Nick Whale, said: ”This is a wonderful car with an equally wonderful history and has been a personal delight to see it restored to its former glory. It’s now time for the Jensen to find a new owner who will cherish it as much as Eric did.”

Visitors wil also have the chance to view two cars that will be auctioned in Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro Classic Car sale, including a incredibly low mileage 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II and a one-owner, 1,500 mile 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 RS GEN II.

Members of the Silverstone Auctions’ team will be answering questions on the classic car market in Speakers’ Corner and holding talks and discussions throughout the weekend on buying and selling at auction with a focus on one of Silverstone Auctions’ specialties - modern classics.

Silverstone Auctions’ stand at the show can be found in the main hall alongside the Grand Avenue.