LEOMINSTER, ENGLAND (May 5, 2009) – Brightwells of Leominster have secured an exceptionally rare and desirable collection of nine pre-war Rileys for their next classic car auction on June 24. Star of the collection is undoubtedly a 1934 Riley MPH, one of no more than 15 ever made, which has previously been owned by three famous motorsport personalities: Leslie Hawthorn (father of Mike Hawthorn), Ron Flockhart (twice winner of Le Mans in the Ecurie Ecosse D-type Jaguar) and Colonel Ronnie Hoare (founder of Maranello Concessionaires). In excellent condition throughout, the six-cylinder 1.6-liter MPH is expected to fetch around $230k-$270k. Other rarities […]
LEOMINSTER, ENGLAND (May 5, 2009) – Brightwells of Leominster have secured an exceptionally rare and desirable collection of nine pre-war Rileys for their next classic car auction on June 24.
Star of the collection is undoubtedly a 1934 Riley MPH, one of no more than 15 ever made, which has previously been owned by three famous motorsport personalities: Leslie Hawthorn (father of Mike Hawthorn), Ron Flockhart (twice winner of Le Mans in the Ecurie Ecosse D-type Jaguar) and Colonel Ronnie Hoare (founder of Maranello Concessionaires). In excellent condition throughout, the six-cylinder 1.6-liter MPH is expected to fetch around $230k-$270k.
Other rarities include a 1936 Riley Sprite (one of about 50 made) which is expected to fetch about £50,000 – £70,000 and a 1935 Riley Imp (one of about 200 made) which is estimated at $60k – $75k. Also in the collection are a couple of pre-war MGs and a 1936 Frazer-Nash BMW special.
All the cars belonged to Ivor Halbert, a well-known engineer and Riley collector who died earlier this year. The auction will also feature a large quantity of pre-war Riley, Bristol and MG spares amassed by Ivor over many decades.
“Pre-war sporting Rileys have a particularly devoted fan base and we have already had a huge amount of interest in the collection, despite the fact that we have not yet begun to advertise it properly,” said Brightwells classic car expert, James Dennison. “Interest seems to be particularly strong in Germany where Rileys are always highly sought after. It would be a shame if all the cars were to end up going abroad but, with the Euro being so strong, this does seem to be quite a pronounced market trend at present.”
For full details of all the cars in the Brightwells sale, please visit www.brightwells.com.
