Rally And Racing Cars Set The Pace At Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale

August 14, 2017 by Bonhams

An impressive array of sporting classic and collectors' motor cars will be offered at Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale on 9 September, including the collection of the inaugural British Saloon Car Championship winner, Jack Sears.

Also offered is one of the most original works 'Big Healeys' in existence, The Peter Riley/Tony Ambrose, 1961 Acropolis Rally Class Winner, ex-Rauno Aaltonen 1961 Austin-Healey 3000 MK I Works Rally Two Seater (£250,000-325,000). It is one of the squad of just five prepared by the BMC Competitions Department, and began its impressive career with a class win at one of the sport's most challenging events, The Acropolis Rally. To even finish the grueling 1,700km race in one piece is a considerable feat, but to cross the line as both class winner and third overall is truly astonishing.

Spurred on by the successes of both 'XJB 87' and the Healey team in general, Riley and Ambrose tackled the Alpine Rally later that year and proved more than a match for even the works Mercedes-Benz 300SLS, a favorite of the season. The Healey reached second place and was running well until disaster struck at the Stelvio pass, and the car spun over the edge of the notorious mountain road and hurtled downwards before thankfully coming to a stop in a bank of snow.

The drivers miraculously escaped without any serious injuries, and the car was recovered and repaired at the BMC Comps Department before being sold to budding Finnish rally star, Rauno Aaltonen. In 1965, a young rally enthusiast named Caj Hasselgren saw the vehicle advertised for sale, and, after a test-drive with Aaltonen in which they reached 220km/h on the motorway, fell head over heels with it. 51 years later, Hasselgren finally parted with the machine after having spent nearly 20 years painstakingly restoring it to its former glory. It is currently reported as running faultlessly, and is arguably the most original Works Rally Healey extant.

One of fewer than 300 surviving to this day, the 1935 Lagonda LG 45 Monte Carlo Works Rally Car (£250,000-300,000) is an outstanding example of the first Lagonda design to be overseen by W.O. Bentley. It was among the fastest road cars of its generation, said to be capable of 100mph. Two specially modified LG45 Tourers were entered in to the 1936 Monte Carlo Rally, 'DPE 121' being one of them. Company owner A.P Good was at the helm, joined by his wife who stepped in at the last minute to replace W.O Bentley who was sadly ill. They set off from the icy roads of Tallinn, but, only 200 miles in to the journey, the car skidded off the road on a patch of black ice and was forced to withdraw. Since its unfortunate first outing, the car has been carefully maintained and has enjoyed classic motoring events all over the world including Le Mans Classic and The Flying Scotsman.

Also offered in the sale is the car in which 'Gentleman Jack' Sears drove to victory in 1963, the ex-John Willment Racing Team, 1953 Ford Galaxie 500 (£180,000-220,000). It is the vehicle which was described as 'seven liters of uncatchable V8' by fellow racers and finally put an end to Jaguar's total dominance of the British saloon racing scene. A rare opportunity to obtain a highly original and beautifully preserved icon of British motor sporting history.