NEWS & EVENTS

Brighton runners celebrate Benz

TO M DY MOND/GAYNOR CAU TER

Classics packed Regent Street on Saturday

Derek Light’s Renault (post-1904, but eligible via ‘grandfather rights’) heads train into Brighton

The 2011 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, on 6 November, was opened by Jutta Benz, driving Mercedes’ own replica of the 1886 Patent-Motorwagen. The greatgranddaughter of Carl Benz was in attendance as part of the celebrations surrounding 125 years of the automobile, and the 115th anniversary of the Emancipation Run.

The main field was led away from Hyde Park at 7:02am by 17-year-old Oliver Wright in an

1894 Benz. Matt Roberts was the first to arrive in Brighton aboard his 1897 Marot Gardon tricycle, 3 hrs 25 mins after leaving London. An impressive 420 vehicles reached the finish from 496 starters, despite them having to take a detour after an incident in Streatham in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Among the competitors were Prince Michael of Kent, driving the National Motor Museum’s 1903 Daimler, former rally ace Paddy

David Oakley guns 1899 Brown quadricycle

Hopkirk in a 1904 Bayard tonneau, plus 1992 F1 World Champ Nigel Mansell in a Mercedes-Simplex, alongside Mike Penning MP.

The day before the Run, the 100 veteran vehicles were joined by, among others, 50 Jaguar E-types and the same number of Mini Coopers for the Regent Street Motor Show. Both models celebrated their half-centuries in 2011. The E-types included the last built, now owned by Jaguar Heritage.

Show honours Fangio

Winners circle: Ferrari, Bugatti and Jaguar. Below: V8-powered Huayra

With 550 cars, 350 ’bikes and 10 vintage speedboats on show from 7-10 October, Autoclásica is the largest classic event in South America. Held in the Boulevard San Isidro Hippodrome in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this year it featured a Juan Manuel Fangio tribute, with six vehicles from the museum in his birthplace of Balcarce.

Best of Show came from a special Bugatti class, with judges falling for local collector Daniel Sielecki’s 1935 T57 Roadster with a body by Bertelli of Feltham, commissioned by first owner Colonel Giles. Other award winners included a Jaguar MkIV dhc and a Ferrari 250 SWB, while the FIVA Preservation Trophy went to a Briggs-bodied 1917 Ford Model T.

Newly imported from America for the show was a rare 1949 Cisitalia 204A, the first car to feature Carlo Abarth’s famous Scorpion, and there was a fascinating range of Argentinian-built racing cars from the Fuerza Libre series and the ’70s Nacional F1 Championship. But it was a Huayra Pronello Ford sports-prototype, one of six built, that attracted the most interest. Driven by Carlos Pascualini and Carlos Reutemann, this wild 7-litre V8-powered GT dominated the 1969 Turismo Carretera series.

Jaguars star at Malta festival The historic town of Mdina, Malta rang to the sound of classic racers from 21-23 October, as the island’s annual Grand Prix moved in for 2011. More than 25,000 spectators enjoyed a concours in St Paul’s Square before drivers took to the new 2.2km sprint circuit in eclectic batches of six or seven cars.

British visitors included John Burton in an E-type, Guy Broad in his rapid XK120 and Sir William Lyons’ grandson, Michael Quinn, aboard an XK loaned by the Malta High Commissioner to the UK, Joseph Zammit Tabona (below). The overall winner was Gordon Vella in his Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV.

16 Classic & Sports Car January 2012

Events diary Shows, festivals and tours

DECEMBER 3-6 Auto Retro Barcelona Spanish show draws 60,000 visitors with club stands, cars for sale and autojumble; Seat takes centre stage for 2011 0034 93 410 59 51; www.autoretro.es

18 Brooklands Classic Breakfast Pre-’73 vehicles in Paddock from 8am, spectators park at M-B World. Adults £13, under 12s £6.50 (inc breakfast and museum entry). Also 15/1, 19/2 & 18/3. Donna Hopton (ext 253) 01932 857381; www.brooklandsmuseum.com

JANUARY 2012 13-15 InterClassics & TopMobiel Maastricht, The Netherlands: tickets €15; open 2-9pm (13), 10am-6pm (1415) 0031 43 383 83 14; www.ic-tm

17-22 Palm Beach Cavallino Classic Exclusive Ferrari bash at The Breakers and Mar-a-Lago, Florida, USA. Includes tours, a track day and a concours 001 561 994 1345; www.cavallino.com

FEBRUARY 1-5 Rétromobile Porte de Versailles, Paris, France. Open 11am-10pm (1), 10am-7pm (2, 4-5), 10am-10pm (3); adult tickets €14, 6-12s €8 0033 1 49 53 27 10; www.retromobile.fr

3-5 Bremen Classic Motorshow Busy north German show, with club stands, classics for sale and automobilia. Open 9am-6pm; adult tickets €13 0049 421 3505 525; www.classicmotorshow.de

8-12 Porsche Parade On the shores of Lake Taupo, North Island, New Zealand. Includes tour and vineyard visits, plus driver training at Taupo Motorsport Park and a tarmac gymkhana. Michael Pearson, PCNZ E-mail: parade@ porsche.org.nz; www.porsche.org.nz

10-11 Great Western Autojumble New event from the Bristol Classic Car Show organiser, at The Royal Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet 0117 907 1000; www.bccsl.co.uk

10-12 Automotoretrò More than 400 exhibitors at Lingotto Fiere, Turin, Italy, with classic cars and ’bikes, plus trade stands and automobilia 0039 011 350936; www.automotoretro.it

MARCH 2-4 Antwerp Classic Salon Classic Expo for the Benelux countries. Adult tickets €15; open 2-8pm (2), 9am-6pm (3-4) O1932 351640; www.siha.de For more events or to add your own, go to www.classicandsportscar.com/diary AUTOSPORT

2012Saturday14January

An Important COYS Auction of Grand Prix, Competition,

Touring and Rally Cars & Collectors Items

Already entered:

BMW M1 Group 4, Ex-Colin McRae Ford Focus WRC Works Car, 1981 March 811 Formula 1

ENTRIES ARE INVITED

Launching the 2012 auction season, Coys are pleased to announce our return to the internationally acclaimed Autosport International Show at the NEC, Birmingham. This important specialist classic and motor racing show attracted over 300,000 visitors last year and is without doubt the premier motorsports show in the world. It is the perfect venue to sell your important Grand Prix,

Competition, Touring Road and Rally Car or associated collectable.

For further information, free valuation and consignment advice please contact one of our specialists.

COYS LONDON Manor Court, Lower Mortlake Road, Richmond, TW9 2LL, United Kingdom Tel. +44 208 614 7888 Fax +44 208 614 7889 auctions@coys.co.uk www.coys.co.uk

COYS EUROPE Michael Haag Elisabethstr. 4, D-68165 Mannheim, Germany Tel: +49/(0) 621 412004 Fax: +49/(0) 621 415551 coyseurope@web.de