Vauxhall Prince Henry and Rolls Royce Phantom I up for grabs at Silverstone auction
Car enthusiasts have the chance to bid on a former King’s Rolls-Royce, the world’s first sports car and a classic vintage Jaguar at a special auction later this summer.
On August 4, Silverstone Auctions is hosting The Dawn of Motoring Sale, with a whole host of classic vintage cars up for grabs.
These three unique and rare cars fetched over half a million pounds at auction. Below, This is Money reveals the colorful stories behind each…
History: This 1911 Vauxhall Prince Henry engine is expected to fetch £350,000
First sports car: 1911 Vauxhall Prince Henry 20HP £250k-£350k
This 112 year old C-Type Edwardian touring car has been restored to recreate the 1911 Works Russian Reliability Trial cars.
The Vauxhall Prince Henry was a car manufactured from 1911 to 1914 by a British company, Vauxhall Motors Limited of Chalton, and is widely recognized as the first sports car ever made.
Sporting credentials: this Vauxhall is considered the first in a series of high-performance cars
This Vauxhall is considered the first of a series of high performance cars that mirror today’s sports cars.
The company’s draftsman, Laurence Pomeroy, redesigned the 20hp Vauxhall engine and offered a more tuned 3054cc 4-cylinder monobloc engine.
Some of these Vauxhalls competed in the 2,000 mile RAC trials and performed strongly in the speed trials at Brooklands.
Royal Car: 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I – £130,000 – £150,000
Interested parties will need deep pockets as the target price for the Rolls-Royce of the late King Mohammed V of Morocco is at an upper limit of £150,000.
The 1925 Roll-Royce Phantom was prepared in Paris by famed Rolls-Royce racer James Radley for the late King Mohammed V of Morocco.
The Body-Body Phantom is subject to a recently completed, no expense spared, long-term restoration that began in 1985 and is estimated to sell for between £130,000 and £150,000.
Royal connections: This 1925 Rolls-Royce Phantom I can be yours on August 4
Mohammed V was sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953. He was sultan again after his return from exile in 1955, and as king from 1957 to 1961.
Sultan Muhammad V was a central figure in the independence movement in Morocco, or as it is also known: the Revolution of the King and the People.
According to Silverstone Auctions, there are conflicting accounts of what Mohammed V did for Morocco’s 250,000 Jewish community during World War II.
Although it is a subject of debate, most scholars, the auction house says, emphasize Mohammed V’s benevolence towards the Jewish faithful during the Vichy era.
Muhammad reportedly refused to endorse efforts by Vichy officials to deport the country’s Jews to their deaths in Nazi concentration camps in Europe.
Divine: Delivered new by Henlys in late 1934, this SS1 is fresh from long ownership
The Beginning of Jaguar: 1934 SS Cars Ltd. SS1 2.6 liter Tourer – £50,000 – £60,000
A forerunner of the Jaguar brand, SS originally stood for the Swallow Sidecar & Coachbuilding Company, founded in Blackpool in 1922 by William Walmsley.
Delivered new by Henlys in late 1934, this SS1 is fresh from long ownership and reportedly in need of only some light recommissioning.
Launched in 1932, the SS1 is a close coupled coupe based on the Standard Ensign 16hp.
The chassis and body were designed by Lyons.
It has a long bonnet, small passenger compartment and helmet-type front fenders that imply the ultimate in high performance of the time and this is what ultimately created a blueprint for Jaguars of the future, combining sporty looks with better-than-average specification.
Lyon’s new venture was so successful that production of Swallow-bodied cars ceased altogether in 1933 and SS Cars Limited was formed, initially as a subsidiary of the Swallow sidecar building business.
The historic interior is upholstered in burgundy leather with Art Deco ‘sunburst’ door cards and has the original steering wheel and dashboard including the combined 100 mph speedometer and 5000 rpm tachometer. The target price is between € 50,000 and € 60,000.
Silverstone Auctions’ Dawn of Motoring Sale on August 4 will be closely followed by the Classic Sale at Silverstone Festival on August 25 and 26.
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