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The V12 Vanquish Celebrates 20-year anniversary

Aston Martin Works is the home of a great British automotive marque. This month, one of the greatest supercars they have produced is celebrating its 20-year anniversary: the original V12 Vanquish.

In 2001, the V12 Vanquish made its debut in front of eager audiences at the Geneva Motor Show. It immediately made an impact as the newest, most sophisticated, and most technologically advanced automobile designed, developed, and presented by Aston Martin.

The V12 Vanquish was given the most cutting-edge technologies like the F1©-style finger-tip controlled gearshift paddles and drive-by-wire throttle control. Almost overnight, the Newport Pagnell-manufactured V12 Vanquish became the flagship model of Aston Martin.

Expert media critics were immediately enamored by the V12’s beautiful design, exceptional power, and unparalleled performance.

Motortrend in the United States claimed, “Aston Martin’s new Vanquish is one of the most superbly designed front-engine GTs of all time.”

A British magazine, evo, added, “It devours the straight bits with relish, but it also has a ravenous appetite for corners.” The Sunday Times hailed it as “an automotive masterpiece”.

Today, Aston Martin Works President Paul Spires stated, “The original V12 Vanquish represented an important and timely development for our marque. It was, and is, a great super GT with all the character, style and power that is rightly expected of an Aston Martin sports car. 20 years on from that debut, the V12 Vanquish remains a proud part of the marque’s heritage which we celebrate here at Newport Pagnell. It is an exceptional piece of our history, and a car that we can rightly look back on with considerable pride.”

The Origin Story

The story of the V12 Vanquish started years before it made its historic debut at the 2001 Geneva Motor Show.

The V12 started with a concept sports car dubbed “Project Vantage”.

The concept car has been in development throughout the mid-90s and in 1998, it made its debut at the Detroit Motor Show. Project Vantage was designed by then styling chief Ian Callum.

It featured a new 6.0-liter V12 engine that had an output of 460 bhp. The engine was mated to an F1©-inspired paddle shift gearbox. The V12 was given an aluminum tub and composite body panels which was then a huge leap in terms of design and technology for the luxury marque.

Aston Martin continued to develop the program. By autumn of 2000, a group of key media people was allowed to see a pre-production V12 Vanquish, which was clearly greatly influenced by the Project Vantage.

V12 Vanquish design and body engineering

The two-door sports car’s elegant and classic body was designed by Ian Callum, and it was created to embody the tradition, pedigree, and heritage of Aston Martin. Offered in 2+0 or 2+2 configurations, it was seen as bold and dynamic, with finely detailed features that can be seen in the interior and exterior of the car.

All the design elements were carefully considered and incorporated into the car to showcase the marque’s commitment to quality and craftsmanship.

Some of the key features of the car are the bold and distinct auxiliary driving lamps and front direction turn indicators, in between them is the distinct radiator grille and lower air intake which are the marque’s design signature at the time. The front wings and bonnet panels were also given finely detailed compound curves that sweep back to the steeply raked windscreen pillars and low curving roof line.

Adding visual appeal are the sculptured sill and door panels. The rear wheel arches prominently and the rear spoiler and short tail section in the boot lid matches the overall classic look of the V12 Vanquish.

All the exterior body panels were made from aluminum, and each individual panel were tailored manually to the central structure.

The central transmission tunnel was made completely from carbon fiber while the body structure bonded to it, including the front and rear bulkheads and the floor, were made from extruded aluminum structure.

To create a high strength safety cell, they connected to the central structure a single piece composite inner body side section with carbon fiber windscreen pillars.

To create the structures, they needed a precise, computer-controlled manufacturing process and this was a huge manufacturing undertaking for Aston Martin at the time. These were developed in California’s Silicon Valley in Cupertino and at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.

In front of the driver and passenger compartment is a steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber subframe that houses the engine, transmission, and front suspension which are bolted directly to the front bulkhead. In front of the engine and front suspension is the deformable composite structure that carries the distinct Aston Martin mesh air intake grille. It not only adds crash protection, but it also accommodates the engine, transmission, and air conditioning radiators and intercoolers.

They also developed a completely flat surface for the underbody to allow air to be channeled into a Venturi section at the back to assist high speed aerodynamics.

The composite floor, parcel shelf, and side rails of the luggage compartment were also carefully designed at the rear to give additional deformable crash protection along with the extruded aluminum side impact beams that were in the doors.

All the exterior panels of the V12 including the bonnet, roof, boot lid, doors, and front and rear wings were made from “super-plastic-formed” and pressed aluminum. Each individual panel were then manually tailored and bonded at the marque’s Newport Pagnell factory in Buckinghamshire to guarantee a perfect fit and finish.

It takes eight full weeks to build each V12 Vanquish. Initially, Aston Martin targeted to create around 300 cars each year. As demand continued to grow, and the waiting list ran into years, the marque raised the target to build around 500 cars a year.

In the six years that the car was in production, a total of 2,589 V12 Vanquish were produced, with all the versions.

V12 Vanquish production at Aston Martin Newport Pagnell

V12 Vanquish engine and gearbox

Under the hood of this powerful car is an all-alloy, twin overhead camshaft 48 valve 6.0-liter V12 engine. It can generate 460 bhp at 6,500 rpm, and 556 Nm of torque at 5,000 rpm, enabling it to run at 190 mph.

The DB7 showed engineering enhancements made on the V12 engine like the new design inlet manifolds, valve gear, camshafts, crankshaft, and a new exhaust system. All these innovations gave an additional seven percent power.

The whole exhaust system and front bulkhead was wrapped in a heat resistant material that was first used and developed for the aerospace industry. This was done to ensure that the body structure was protected from the heat of the engine and exhaust system.

A new engine oil to water heat exchanger sped up and helped the operating efficiency, working together with an ionized gas misfire detection system that continuously monitored all of the engine’s 12 cylinders.

The V12 Vanquish’s six-speed close ratio manual transmission is connected to the electronic drive-by-wire throttle of the car. It is controlled through the twin paddles mounted on the steering column.

The innovative F1©-inspired gearbox was first introduced in the V12 Vanquish and it introduced electronics to the hydraulics for faster gear changes. Leading writer and automotive journalist Jeremy Clarkson famously dubbed this innovation as “flappy paddles”. The manual transmission also had sophisticated electronics that allowed it to operate automatically. It also has an additional program for winter driving conditions.

Aston Martin recently engineered a manual conversion package that they offered to owners through their in-house heritage center and new car dealership: Aston Martin Works.

Since it opened, there have been around 130 original Vanquish models that have been given a manual transmission. On average, around ten cars are sent to Works every year for the process to done.

Brakes, Suspension, and Steering

The aluminum alloy road wheels were fitted with an anti-lock ventilated and drilled 355 mm (front) and 330 mm (rear) diameter Brembo disc brakes. It also had variable ratio power steering and independent front and rear suspension systems which had forged aluminum wishbones and cast aluminum front suspension uprights.

The rear axle had a limited slip differential that worked with an electronic traction control system which sensed potential wheel slippage and automatically decrease engine power. When necessary, it applies the rear braking system. The V12 Vanquish had exclusively designed Yokohama 255/40 ZR 19 front and 285/40 ZR 19 rear tires that had the AML initials. The tires were mounted on 19-inch diameter wheels with 9-inch width front rims, and 10-inch width rear rims. An automatic electronic sensing system monitors each individual tire pressure and temperatures.

A sketch of the V12 Vanquish S Ultimate Edition

V12 Vanquish S – the fastest

In September 2004, the V12 Vanquish S made its world debut at the renowned Paris Motor Show. At the time, it was the fastest production sports car that Aston Martin has released.

It had a recorded maximum speed of more than 200 mph, which was roughly 321 kph. It was equipped with a 6.0-liter V12 engine with 520 hp. The V12 Vanquish S was designed to be even more powerful, complemented by subtle steering and suspension upgrades, as well as a number of interior and exterior style changes.

When it was launched, the Aston Martin Chairman and CEO at the time, Dr. Ulrich Bez simply described the powerful V12 Vanquish S stating, “It is the ultimate high-performance Aston Martin”.

The elegant yet muscular body of the V12 Vanquish S was given subtle but effective changes. The distinct Aston Martin grille was given a more rounded and open appearance for better cooling. It also had an aerodynamic splitter for better high-speed stability. They redesigned the boot lid at the rear to improve aerodynamics, lowering lift and giving it better balance and stability while also adding a high mounted stop lamp. All the improvements allowed the V12 Vanquish S to get an impressive 0.32 Cd figure.

Other enhancements include shorter steering arms and stiffer springs and dampers. The modified steering geometry allowed it to respond 20% quicker than the ‘standard’ Vanquish, and it also resulted in a lowered required input for steering response.

The brakes were also upgraded to accommodate bigger six piston calipers and bigger grooved and ventilated front discs. The rear discs are 2mm bigger for better heat dissipation. They used floating discs to give drivers the feel of a more consistent pedal during heavy breaking. A revised brake pedal assembly reduced travel and improved pedal feel.

Other innovations include the all-alloy, quad-overhead camshaft 48 valve, 6.0-liter V12 engine that increased the power from 460 bhp to 520 bhp (388kW) at 7000 rpm. The torque was also boosted so it can give 425 lb ft (577 Nm) at 5800 rpm.

Improvements on the engine include new cylinder heads with fully machined inlet ports and combustion chambers for better airflow. They also updated the engine mapping and placed new fuel injectors.

V12 Vanquish S Ultimate – the end of an era

In February 2007, Aston Martin announced that they will end new car production at Newport Pagnell. And production stopped until 2017 when the marque developed their successful Continuation program.

This historic announcement in 2007 was marked by the creation of a strictly limited run V12 Vanquish S Ultimate Edition sports cars.

The 40 cars were all made available by special request of their clients who wants to celebrate the last iteration of a highly significant car in Aston Martin’s history.

The cars were given a specific color and trim combination to set these cars apart. The coachwork was given an ‘Ultimate Black’ finish which is a unique metallic shade. For the interior, the cars were trimmed in semi-aniline leather with coarse stitching, leather headlining, and black chrome finish.

Each car also had a personalized sill plaque that displayed its limited-edition number.

Aston Martin also produced a small number of white V12 Vanquish made for the Middle East, along with their European market Ultimate.

Paul Spires added, “Here at Newport we rightly celebrate the heritage of this great British sports car marque, with particular emphasis on icons such as the DB5 which were almost all built in this seemingly sometimes sleepy corner of Buckinghamshire. However, to also be able to lay claim to a ‘modern classic’ such as the original V12 Vanquish is a great honour for us, and I’m sure that in time people will come to view these cars with the same reverence that is afforded to the early DB cars.”

October 29, 2021 / Comments Off

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For Sale: 1956 Austin Healey 100M Le Mans – Formerly Owned By Augie Pabst

An Opportunity To Purchase Your Own Piece Of Motorsports History

Introduction

In our line of work here at supercars.net, we have the privilege of interacting with some of the automotive world’s most interesting individuals and groups (and with that, some amazing cars along the way as well). One such person is our good friend Hugh, owner of Old Stone Garage – a licensed independent dealer located in Palm Beach, Florida in the United States. Hugh specializes in sales and acquisitions of classic/collectible automobiles, and has helped clients around the world build some very notable car collections.

Recently, Old Stone Garage was able to add a very special car to its own collection – a 1956 Austin Healey 100M Le Mans – and yes, it’s up for sale! Hugh was so excited about it, that he contacted us to see if we would like to do a feature on this iconic car and share it with our international audience. We love what we do here, and when we’re given the opportunity to tell the story of a Motorsports Hall of Famer’s personal car, we can’t help but be obliged.

The Augie Pabst Story

Motorsports Career

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mr. Augie Pabst was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame America (MSHFA) in 2011. While Pabst’s racing career didn’t span over as long a period as some of his contemporaries, the impact he left on those involved with the sport was ultimately deserving of this honor.

He first began competing during the mid-1950s ; a period when road racing was at the pinnacle of competitive sports in the United States. Pabst also owned a Triumph dealership at this time, and this is said to be the catalyst for kick-starting his career as a race car driver. He started racing a Triumph TR-3 in 1956, then made the transition to an A.C. Bristol the following season.

Before long, Pabst would be piloting a Ferrari 500 Testa Rossa he purchased for $5,000 using his own money. Powered by a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine specially built by Ferrari for Le Mans racing, Pabst was able to compete successfully against Porsches, Maseratis and other Ferraris at renown tracks such as his home turf at Road America. He would go on to win the 1959 USAC Road Racing Championship while driving the Testa Rossa, as well as a Scarab MK II.

More legendary Ferrari cars would be raced by Pabst throughout his career, where he would drive at the 1960 24H of Le Mans in a V12-powered Ferrari 250 GT SWB and then again in 1963, where he co-drove a Ferrari 250 GTO (with Roger Penske) and achieved a GT-class win at Sebring.

After Racing

After just a 10-year stint in racing, Pabst would call it quits on his illustrious motorsports career. Despite it being a relatively short one, he looks back on it with a real sense of fondness and always remarks about how fortunate he was to be surrounded by the greatest people in the industry.

Pabst was offered a job at the family-owned business, Pabst Breweries – named after his grandfather – where he would work his way up to an executive role before the company was sold. Part of the condition of his employment at Pabst Breweries was that he would have to quit racing for good, and also sell the car dealership he had continued to operate while he competed. As such, there were not even any part-time motorsports opportunities for Pabst, though he did not seem to mind.

After moving into the role of running Pabst Farms for a while, he would officially retire. More recently, Pabst rekindled his involvement with motorsports by serving on the Board of Directors at Road America – Wisconsin’s internationally renown road racing track – where he retains emeritus status.

Other Highlights & Colorful Moments

Pabst Blue Ribbon had been around long before Pabst started his racing career, so his association with the business was well known in the industry. However, he would eventually pilot a Scarab race car owned by Harry Heuer. This particular car was sponsored by Meister Brau – a brand under the Peter Hand Brewing group of companies, which by all accounts, was one of Pabst Breweries’ biggest rivals. He would race under the Meister Brau banner for two years, before the controversy proved too much for the partnership to continue.
As a successful Ferrari race car driver, Pabst was able to get an audience with Enzo Ferrari in 1964. During their meeting, Mr. Ferrari (through a translator) asked Pabst and co-driver Walt Hansgen if they could win the upcoming Road America 500 using a brand new Ferrari 250 LM. They reckoned this should be very possible, so John Mecom Jr. bought the car for them and had it shipped to Wisconsin. Pabst and Hansgen would go on to win the 1964 Road America 500 in the Ferrari 250 LM.
Pabst’s most famous incident away from the race track would occur in 1961, when he drove a Ford Falcon rental car into a hotel swimming pool in Monterey, California as part of a dare with Cunningham team manager Alfred Momo. Witnesses recount the event with some slight variances from person to person, but everyone agreed that Pabst certainly held his end of the bargain and was fully entitled to the wager!

1956 Austin Healey 100

Model Summary

The Austin Healey 100 was an open 2-seater sports car produced in England from 1953 to 1956. The brainchild of Donald Healey, the 100 was originally produced in-house in a relatively small Warwick factory owned by his company, Healey motorcars. Healey used a variety of low-cost parts and components to build the car, many of which were produced by Austin.

When Healey presented a developmental version of the car (called the Healey Hundred) at the 1952 London Motor Show, the design had impressed Leonard Lord – an Austin Motor Company bigwig – so much that he was convinced that it should become the successor to Austin’s rather underwhelming A90 model.

Thus, a partnership was forged and through it, the creation of the Austin Healey 100. Assembly would be moved to Austin’s much larger factory located in Longbridge, with the body and chassis of the car provided by coachworks company Jensen Motors in West Bromwich.

The 100 was given its name due to the fact that it was able to reach 100 mph. This was before many motor companies – including Austin Healey with successive models – began to commonly derive their model nomenclature using engine displacement instead. Earlier models (1953-1955) are designated as BN1-series cars, while those produced from 1955-1956 (known as BN2) were refreshed with improvements which included a 4-speed manual transmission with overdrive. Other upgrades available for the BN2 included an ‘M’ kit which improved engine performance. These parts were available as part of the Le Mans package and could be ordered and installed on any Healey 100.

In total, 14,634 Austin Healey 100 examples were produced over its 3-year production run which concluded in July 1956. Of these, 4,604 are BN2-series cars.

100M ‘Le Mans’

Following the release of the competition-spec 100S variant, Austin Healey would produce an upgraded version of their road-going model known as the 100M, with the privateer racer as its target customer. This upgrade package (known as the Le Mans package) mainly consisted of engine modifications which raised power from 90 bhp to 110 bhp, even exceeding the performance of 6-cylinder models the company would go on to produce.

To achieve this modest power increase, a high-lift camshaft was fitted, along with larger carburetors, higher-compression pistons, a free-flow intake manifold, a special distributor and a cold air box. Other upgrades included larger anti-roll bars, while the louvered bonnet was retained by a Le Mans-spec leather strap. Available for the first time was an optional two-tone package which paired White-Black, Reno Red-Black, Healey Blue-White, Black-Reno Red and Florida Green-White.

Only 640 examples of the factory-built 100M were produced and of these, 544 were shipped to the United States. These are distinct from 100 models which had the Le Mans package added to them after-the-fact (usually through the dealer) – such cars do not contribute towards this total.

What a 100M Le Mans Typically Trades For Today

After scouring the online classifieds sections at some of the more renown auction/consignment establishments, values appear to vary quite substantially. Some examples are asking well under US$100,000, while just as many crest over the US$200,000 mark. Both median and mean asking prices appear to be hovering around the mid-high $100k mark.

We’re the first to admit that we’re no experts when it comes to appraising classic cars, so we refer to Hugh of Old Stone Garage for his expertise and insight:

“When looking into values, they appear all over the place. This is because you had dealers in the period install the 100M Le Mans kit (or individual upgrades) on regular 100 models, and these sell for half the price of a real 1 of 640 factory example. They range from $160k-$240k depending on condition.”

Naturally, factory-built 100M examples are considered much more desirable and command at the higher range of prices as outlined above by Hugh. Fully and properly restored factory-built examples like this 1956 Austin Healey 100M ‘Le Mans’ fall within that category.

The lower priced “100M” examples you may come across, are most likely to be (the much less sought after) dealer-installed versions. As mentioned earlier, dealer-installed versions are not part of the count which determined that only 640 units of Le Mans versions were ever built from the factory. Furthermore, those with asking prices at the very bottom of the curve tend to be afflicted by sub-par restoration jobs or are in a generally poor state.

Unique Character of the “Augie Pabst” 100M

Factory-built 100M ‘Le Mans’

As mentioned earlier, the factory-built Austin Healey 100M ‘Le Mans’ models are the most rare of any of the 100 models. The “Augie Pabst” 100M is indeed a factory-built example, being just 1 of 640 ever built (and only 1 of the 544 that made it to US shores). This in itself makes it a very unique automobile, even if you put aside the fact that it was once owned by Pabst himself.

A Real Connection to Augie Pabst

Pabst never raced this 100M (even though it comes with a racing harness), as it served him as his personal car during the time he owned it; unfortunately, there won’t be any photos of him bombing it around Road America! However, there is documentation – which will be provided to the new owner – confirming that he owned this particular example. The car has been serviced throughout its lifetime by Tom Kovacs of Fourintune – an Austin Healey specialist located in Cedarburg, Wisconsin – who is familiar with the car and confirms that it was serviced at Fourintune a number of times while it was owned by Pabst.

The Restoration Story

This Austin Healey 100M was acquired by its current owner on the Father’s Day weekend of 2016. He happened upon it at a classic car auction which was running concurrently with a vintage Alfa Romeo racing event he was participating in. Remembering the car vividly from his high school days, he was immediately drawn to it and would soon discover that it was owned by Augie Pabst.

The car’s more recent history would reveal that it was owned, at the time, by Robert Pass of Passport Transport, who had successfully completed the inaugural edition of the Colorado Grand in 1989 while driving this 100M (plus the following year’s event as well). The moment arrived for the 100M to go up on the block, and before long, the current owner won the right to purchase the car from Pass.

While the car showed well as-is, he felt that it was overdue for a restoration. So in the fall of 2016, the 100M was sent back to Tom Kovacs and his team at Fourintune to undertake this project. The current owner opted for the car to be presented in a bolder “motorsports” theme, which most notably adds rally lights and the removal of the original chrome front bumper (which also lends itself to the car’s distinctive “stealth” appearance).

On the performance side of things, larger brakes were fitted along with a dual-electric fuel pump system to ensure that the car would be ready for the demands of vintage driving events, and for a general improvement in reliability and safety. All of these changes are 100% reversible back to factory-spec, as was required in order to obtain a FIVA ‘passport’ – which has already been done (more on that later).

When it came time for the paint job, the current owner and Fourintune were initially perplexed on how they should proceed. That’s because the original build sheet for this 100M indicated that the car was “Black with Reno Red trim” from the factory. Kovacs advised that this most likely meant that the original car wore a black exterior over a red interior (including the trunk trim).

What was casting some doubt over this, was the fact that in the condition it was purchased, the car also had the lower flanks painted in red. We reckon that car liveries were often modified during the era to fit in with the popular looks of the time, and that this might’ve been the case with this example.

Mystery Solved

Wanting to stay true to the original state of the car for this aspect of the restoration, the current owner decided to do some digging. Being a friend of the Pabst family was certainly a good head start, so he contacted Augie Pabst III (Pabst’s son) to see if he could provide any insight. Unfortunately, Pabst himself was not able to recall the details personally, so Pabst III tried to find some color photos that could be used as a reference, but to no avail.

The current owner would eventually find his answer after running into his friend, Bill Wuesthoff, who also happens to be Augie’s former racing teammate and close friend. Over casual chit chat, the pair would eventually discuss the current owner’s Austin Healey restoration project. Upon being told that the car once belonged to Pabst, Wuesthoff distinctly remembered this particular 100M and shared his own experience with it; one he retells with a great fondness.

Wuesthoff really wanted to impress his future wife-to-be for what was at the time, their first date. He felt he needed something special – something along the lines of a beautiful sports car – to pull this off with aplomb. So he borrowed Pabst’s Austin Healey 100M; and the rest as they say, is history. To the current owner’s delight, even the finest details of this once-in-a-lifetime event were so vividly recalled by Wuesthoff. “Jet black with a gorgeous red interior” he declared without hesitation. Off to the paint booth it went.

Instant Success

As the photos accurately depict, the car was thus restored in a beautiful black exterior finish with a deep-red leather interior, which really pops. The current owner also decided to paint the wheels gloss black, to further accentuate the car’s stealthy motorsports-derived silhouette. It is quite simply, a stunning work of art. This sentiment is shared with vintage car experts too, having received distinctions beginning at the very first show it attended.

This would be a class-win at the 2018 “Gather on the Green” Concours d’Elegance event, which took place on the back lawn of the Osthoff resort. The trophy was presented by former rally and formula one race car driver, ‘Quick Vic’ Elford. In 2019, the current owner returned to Road America and had the 100M shown at the Vintage Concours d’Elegance taking place at nearby Elkhart Lake. The car would secure another win in its class, and also advanced to the “Peoples Choice and Best in Class” awards the following day where it won Best of Show!

Proliferation of Classic Car Ownership

Why You Should Consider a Classic Car (Like This 1956 Austin Healey 100M) As Your Next Purchase

The typical modern supercar and hypercar owner these days faces a conundrum; driving their 6-figure-valued (sometimes, even 7-figure) cars on the city streets often yields very little enjoyment in relation to what was spent to acquire the car. There’s no doubt that newer automobiles such as these do offer a redeemable level of “bang-for-buck” when it comes to the outstanding performance these advanced machines have on tap, but therein also lies the problem. Collectors are a bit of a different story, but the principle still applies.

It doesn’t take long before some of these owners start wondering why they’ve tied up all those funds to drive a car at 5% of its performance potential, 99% of the time. Cars like this are invariably pigeon-holed by road laws and infrastructure that has remained static for many decades, originally made to cater to the available technology at the time when they were first introduced or built. While limits can be explored on race tracks, most (if not, too many) owners opt not to; or at best, they are content with a few parade laps around a local raceway once every so often. This is usually done with the intention to preserve resale values and minimize additional costs, which nevertheless makes things difficult to justify.

There may be a shift in thinking that is starting to gain momentum, however. It has been noted that a growing demographic of younger car enthusiasts are picking up classic cars to enjoy, drive and exhibit. In the recent past, younger buyers with the means would almost always gloss over opportunities to purchase anything that wasn’t the latest and most flashy Lamborghini or Ferrari. Now, the nuance, appeal, benefits and advantages of classic car ownership are starting to catch the eye of this demographic for the aforementioned reasons – and also because cars like this 1956 Austin Healey 100M exist.

Particularly with the relatively younger crowd – who have had little to no opportunity to enjoy cars of more vintage and simple technologies – this 100M would be a breath of fresh air and in many ways, an entirely new and eye-opening experience. Many classic cars of this ilk can be driven spiritedly and rewardingly, without having to be egregious with public road laws and speed limits. Free of the countless electronic aids needed to tether the typical 600+ hp modern sports car, this 1956 Austin Healey 100M offers one of the most pure driving experiences a car enthusiast could possibly have; dare we say it could be life-changing and forever transform one’s perspective (for the better).

Not a Garage Queen!

What we love about this Healey – aside from its storied history – is that it is ready for a new owner who will have no qualms driving it, as any car is meant to be. With a proven and documented history of being roadworthy, this properly built and cared-for 100M is as “turn-key” as it gets, with many more memorable and exciting miles lying ahead.

It has already obtained a FIVA ‘passport’, which also allows it to participate in the largest and most recognized historic car events around the globe. The sections below provide more detail on the benefits this 100M has as a FIVA-certified vehicle, and the process it had to go through to achieve this status.

This provides plenty of incentive for the new owner to take this 100M on some road trips and truly enjoy the car – as it has been by all of its previous owners, including Augie Pabst. This 100M has already successfully participated in events such as the Colorado Grand charity car tour.

Mille Miglia

As the Austin Healy 100 was raced in the original Mille Miglia endurance series – which took place between 1927 and 1957 in Italy – this 100M is also eligible for the famous 1000 Miglia event. This immersive experience is essentially a re-enactment of that race (known as the Red Arrow), which has been an annual tradition since 1977. It is not a competitive series, but rather a ‘regularity race’ reserved for classic and vintage cars produced no later than 1957. The route for the 1000 Miglia event is similar to that of the original race, which traverses through a variety of beautiful Italian landscapes as part of a round-trip between Brescia and Rome.

“The 2021 competition will follow the tradition of the route, from Brescia to Rome and back, with legs in Viareggio and Bologna, but this edition will introduce an absolute novelty for the re-enactment of the 1000 Miglia: for the first time ever, the competition will take place in the opposite direction of the recent editions, taking up the counter-clockwise direction of many editions of the original speed race. From Brescia, the crews will head towards the Tyrrhenian coast and stop in Viareggio, leaving the next day for Rome. The third leg will start there, go up north and end beyond the Apennines, in Bologna. The fourth and last leg, from Bologna, will take to the traditional arrival in Brescia. A new route will lead the crews to face, for the first time, three mountain passes: Passo della Cisa in the first leg and Passi di Futa e Raticosa in the third day of the race. A new feature that will satisfy many fans of the competition.” – from 1000 Miglia website

This year’s edition of the 1000 Miglia took place from June 16 to June 19, so you’ve just missed it; that provides plenty of time to plan for next year’s trip, however.

FIVA Card*

The FIVA Identity Card is an international vehicle ‘passport’ issued by the international federation of historic vehicles, FIVA (Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens), that applies to mechanically driven vehicles built at least 30 years ago and are in a historically correct condition.

FIVA’s primary objective is to encourage the safe use of self-propelled, mechanical vehicles, more than thirty years old, on the roads for the benefit of both their owners, dedicated enthusiasts and the general public. To that end FIVA, through its Events’ Commission, has devised its own code for the safe promotion of rallies or mildly competitive events, and in concert with the European Commission, has recently published a Drivers’ Code for more general guidance of historic vehicle users, which can be downloaded from the link below.

Vehicles and issued FIVA-Card data are stored in a unique encrypted and well-protected database. Furthermore, each vehicle is allocated a FIVA Registration Number – FRN, generated from that vehicle’s individual parameters and unique to the vehicle for its lifetime.

Top events for which your vehicle requires a FIVA identity card before it can compete include Concorso d‘Eleganza Villa d’Este, the Mille Miglia and the Peking-to-Paris Motor Challenge.

For a full list of International FIVA-sanctioned events requiring an ID card, click here.

*from FIVA website

Certification Process*

A team of independent specialists, usually Concours judges who possess significant historical and technical skills, will be inspecting, documenting and confirming that the vehicle’s configuration, physical condition, chassis, engine and body serial numbers match the documentation provided. If there are modifications, the scrutineer will typically require proof that they can be easily reversible to original.

If the forms have been completed as required, the process should typically be completed in 30 minutes. The scrutineers will also examine and appreciate any relevant documentation that the vehicle owner has (photocopies are always greatly appreciated). It is an informal and friendly experience, unlike the nerve-wracking experience of Sunday morning on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach.

June 24, 2021 / Comments Off

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Classic Bugatti cars achieved record results at auctions in 2020

Bugatti vehicles have always been exclusive. But as their age increases, so does their value – as shown by an analysis carried out by Classic Analytics, a company specializing in international market analysis and valuation of classic cars worldwide. “Bugattis from the Ettore and Jean Bugatti era, especially in their original condition and with a history of racing, have always been among the most expensive classic cars on the market. This trend has held steady and in fact, even increased despite the general decline in interest in pre-war vehicles,” says Frank Wilke, Managing Director of Classic Analytics. Classic Analytics belongs to the Hagerty Group, the largest classic car service provider in the USA. The top ten ranking is based on an internal auction database in which all international classic car auctions over the course of a year are observed and evaluated.

“The current situation has certainly brought about a change in the auction market, from face-to-face to online auctions. But prices for exclusive, classic vehicles remain stable at a high level,” says Frank Wilke. “Every historic Bugatti vehicle is unique. Those built between 1920 and the end of the 1930s set standards in both performance and design. But this year’s auctioned vehicles were particularly outstanding in terms of history and originality,” Wilke explains.

“This year certainly presented challenges, but it opened the door for Gooding & Company to create new opportunities to maintain our connection with our automotive community and enthusiasts around the world,” says David Gooding, Gooding & Company President and Founder. “We held our first-ever UK sale which set many new records that include selling the most expensive Bugatti at public auction and selling the top two most valuable lots of 2020; the 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports and the 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante.”

“We were honored and extremely proud to have been entrusted with these exceptional and historic Molsheim masterpieces,” said James Knight, Chairman of Bonhams Group. “Both represented superb Type 55S – one a special coachbuilt convertible by Figoni, the other the iconic artistry of the Jean Bugatti Super Sport roadster. As one would expect, both cars attracted multiple bidders. Not surprisingly, the Bugattis won the accolade as the most valuable motorcars sold at their respective auctions. and both also achieved the highest results at auction during Paris Rétromobile 2020 and the 2020 Amelia Car Week respectively.”

Bugatti Type 59 Sports (Chassis 57248)

A 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports with the chassis number 57248 was auctioned for USD 12,681 million at Gooding & Company in London in September 2020. This makes it one of the most expensive Bugattis ever to come under the hammer at a public auction. The Bugatti Type 59 Sports was created as a racing car for the Bugatti Grand Prix factory team and won the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, later finishing third in the Monaco Grand Prix. Some of the most famous and successful Bugatti racing drivers were at the wheel of this car – including Robert Benoist, Louis Chiron, René Dreyfus, Achille Varzi and Jean-Pierre Wimille. After the successful racing season, Bugatti converted the Type 59 into a sports car. King Leopold of Belgium purchased it in 1937. The vehicle remains in its original, unrestored condition to this day. It is powered by an 8-cylinder in-line engine with a capacity of 3.3 litres and a supercharger. The power output was around 250 PS; other engine variants reached up to 380 PS in the Type 59, which was built until 1936.

Bugatti Type 57S Atalante (Chassis 57502)

A sum of EUR 10.44 million was paid by the buyer of a rare and highly desirable 1937 Type 57S Atalante with the chassis number 57502 at the Gooding & Company auction in London. It is a genuinely distinctive model that was purchased by British racing driver and Bugatti enthusiast Earl Howe in 1937. The Bugatti Type 57S Atalante is one of only 17 cars that Jean Bugatti fitted with his sensational Atalante body. The power unit is a turbocharged 3.3-litre eight-cylinder engine that delivers an output of up to 175 PS in the Type 57S.

Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster (Chassis 55220)

A 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport Roadster with a factory body designed by Jean Bugatti fetched USD 7.1 million at Bonhams’ Amelia Island auction in March 2020. Bugatti produced a total of just 38 Type 55 Super Sport chassis up until 1935. Eleven of the 14 roadster-bodied vehicles built by Jean Bugatti are still in existence today. Victor Rothschild, later the third Baron Rothschild, purchased the Type 55 as a new car and kept it in his collection for many decades. In 1985, Boston professor Dean S. Edmonds Jr. acquired this Bugatti with the chassis number 55220 for GBP 440,000. This made it the most expensive car ever sold in Britain at the time. In Edmonds’ ownership, the Bugatti was restored and won first place in its class at Pebble Beach in 1993.

Bugatti Type 35C (Chassis 4871)

A Bugatti Type 35C Grand Prix dating from 1928 fetched USD 5.23 million at a Gooding & Company auction in London – a record for the Type 35. This car with the chassis number 4871 was originally built for the Targa Florio 1928. The first private owner was Jannine Jennky, a French racing driver who drove it to overall victory in the first ever Coupe de Bourgogne in Dijon. Now more than 90 years old, the vehicle had only four owners after 1932. It remains in its original, unrestored condition. Up until 1930, Bugatti produced the Type 35C with an 8-cylinder in-line engine and a capacity of two litres. With the help of a Roots-type supercharger, the power unit delivers an output of 125 PS, enabling a top speed of over 200 km/h more than 90 years ago.

Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport (Chassis 55221)

A Bugatti enthusiast paid USD 5.07 million for a 1931 Type 55 in Paris last February. This made the vehicle with the chassis number 55221 the most expensive car to be sold at one of the Rétromobile 2020 auctions. This is an outstanding vehicle: Louis Chiron and Count Guy Bouriat-Quintart co-drove it as a factory racing car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1932. The later owner had a unique Figoni body put on the chassis. With this body, the Type 55 remained in the family for over 60 years. Its 2.3-litre 8-cylinder turbocharged engine produces an output of some 160 PS.

The prices paid in 2020 are not surprising to experts. Bugattis are considered the most valuable cars of all time anyway. Between 1936 and 1938, only four of the Type 57 SC Atlantic were produced, three of which still exist after more than 80 years. The fourth Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic is considered the Amber Room of the automotive world and is still missing today.. If it were found, its speculative value would probably be much higher.

February 2, 2021 / Comments Off

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Buying a Classic the Right Way

Having a true classic in the garage is a dream countless car nuts aspire to. If you’re having fantasies about getting up to polish it, and then taking it for a long, leisurely drive on a sunny Sunday afternoon, you’re certainly not alone! Although owning a classic can be a wonderful experience, like buying any car there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Here’s some tips for the former…

Do Your Research

I’m sure you’ve spent more than enough time learning about the classic car market from online auto traders and classic car magazines. However, if you want to get the best deal possible on the model you’ve got your heart set on, you should spend a while researching that specific vehicle. Find out about its features, and the main pros and cons. Read up on its maintenance schedule and the kind of regular care you’ll have to find time for. Look into how easy it is to find a parts dealer and what those parts typically cost. If you’re certain about the model, it may even be worth signing up to an owner’s club for even more info. Classic cars aren’t something you can buy on a whim, so don’t underestimate the amount of research you should do!

Buy Privately

Once you’ve done all the reading and investigation necessary, and you’re dead set on a given model, then the next step is to find a private seller. First of all, good classic car dealers are pretty much all private individuals anyway! Secondly, buying privately will give you a little more opportunity to assess the previous owner, and get more information on how the vehicle has been used and cared for in the past. Above all, you get to dodge the retail premium you’d have to budget for otherwise! Ideally, you’ll be able to find a seller with the model you want in your local area, and then be able to check it out easily. However, if the car you’re going for is a little rarer, you may have to really put your feelers out and find someone further away. Ask as many questions as you like online, and always check the vehicle in person before you commit. Furthermore, I recommend you use Shiply or a similar service to get your classic car home. Even the smallest little nick in the paint can be utter heartbreak!

Budget for Problems

While classic cars are absolutely gorgeous, and can run like a dream if they’re properly maintained, they all have one unfortunate common thread: they’re old! Even if everything seems fine in the stages of your purchasing decision, you’d have to be very lucky to have total plain sailing for the rest of your car’s useful life. You’ll discover things that you’ll want to improve, parts that need repairing or replacement, and so on. All this will be worth it if you truly love the car, it’s just important to prepare for it and set enough money aside.

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February 1, 2017 / Comments Off

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