Biggest fine motor cars auction to be held at Blenheim Palace

The biggest car auction of the year is to be held by Coys, the international car auctioneers, at Blenheim Palace on Saturday, July 14, when over a 120 vehicles will go under the hammer.

The auction will be held at Sir Winston Churchill's birthplace and will see the eighth
annual Concours d'Elegance, which is free to enter and open to anyone with an interest in cars.

"We have some amazing and unique cars that will be on sale and, undoubtedly, such a magnificent venue takes the event to another level. This is the biggest auction of the year," said Chris Routledge, the Managing Director of Coys.

"We already have some interesting cars attending the Concours d'Elegance including a Ferrari 212 Inter, Ronnie Hoare's C-Type Jaguar, an Alfa 8C Monza and an Auburn 851 Speedster from the National Motor Museum."

"But the whole point is that anyone can turn up and put their car into the Concours and have the potential for winning a price. The car doesn't have to be exotic it could be a Mini or a Ford Anglia, the point of the Concours is to show cars right across the collecting spectrum," he added.

Classes will include'The Churchill Trophy' for best car of the day, the Coys 'Spirit of Motoring' to celebrate the epitome of the motoring enthusiast and 'The Kensington Trophy' for the most elegant design.

The sale is already attracting interest from around the world and has a unique collection of vehicles, including a fine selection of micro cars, a 1965 Morris Mini Cooper S recreated to the Italian Job specifications and the Jaguar Legend collection, with several E-Types, a SS100, a SS Tourer and various models of the XK and MK series, amongst others.

A number of cars owned by famous personalities will also be auctioned, including a 1954 Rolls-Royce that belonged to Dirk Bogard, a 1972 Volkswagen Karman Ghia once owned by Kelly Jones and Javier Weyler of Stereophonics.

The auction also features a 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Playboy Roadster, first owned by Tom Mix, the biggest cowboy star of the silent era, who got the car modified and updated. After his death, the car was shortly owned by Bette Davies and then went into the Warner Brothers' movie fleet, and over the next thirty years it was to be seen in such classic films as Giant, The FBI Story, and even Inside Daisy Clover, in which it was driven by Robert Redford.

"We are proud to have this exceptionally handsome Phantom I with a glittering Hollywood history, this magnificent roadster, with rumble seat, is sure to be the star of any significant event", said Chris Routledge.

"The sale and the Concours will be a fantastic day out for all motoring enthusiasts. There will be something for everybody whether they are intending bidding on a car on the sale or not. It will be a great opportunity to see an amazing cross-section of classic and high-performance cars from worldwide manufacturers," he concluded.

Viewing will be open to public on Friday July 13, from 12.00 AM to 6.00 PM and on the day of the sale from 10.00 AM to the start of auction.

Posted in: Auction,Blenheim Palace,Chris Routledge,Classic/Vintage,Concours d’Elegance,COYS,International