Sotheby’s Australia is pleased to announce that it has completed the sale of ’57 FAC’ – the ex-Paddy Hopkirk 1963 Works Austin Healey 3000 Mk II Sebring 12-Hour competition car by Private Treaty . In beautiful condition, ’57 FAC’ was in its original Sebring racing colours and a very important and rare Works Healey. Used as the test car at the 1963 Sebring, it competed at the 1964 Sebring and won both the Canadian 4-Hour Sundown Grand Prix and the Canadian Racing Drivers Association class championship in 1964.’57 FAC’s other legendary drivers included Donald Morley, South African Bob Olthoff, American Ronnie […]
Sotheby’s Australia is pleased to announce that it has completed the sale of ’57 FAC’ – the ex-Paddy Hopkirk 1963 Works Austin Healey 3000 Mk II Sebring 12-Hour competition car by Private Treaty . In beautiful condition, ’57 FAC’ was in its original Sebring racing colours and a very important and rare Works Healey. Used as the test car at the 1963 Sebring, it competed at the 1964 Sebring and won both the Canadian 4-Hour Sundown Grand Prix and the Canadian Racing Drivers Association class championship in 1964.’57 FAC’s other legendary drivers included Donald Morley, South African Bob Olthoff, American Ronnie Bucknum and Canadians Don Kidrie and Al Pease. It is a truly remarkable car with wonderful history and provenance.
Of comparable rarity and provenance is the 1936 Lanchester Straight-Eight drop head coupe by Vanden Plas (pictured above) that is now offered for sale by Private Treaty. The only Straight-Eight drop head coupe ever built, the car was commissioned by the son of the famous cricketer ‘Ranji’. One of six specially ordered Straight-Eights (two by the Maharajah Digvijaysinhji and the other four by King George VI), this Straight-Eight won the first All-India Concours d’Elegance in 1966 and the four subsequent Concours d’Elegance. In 2000 it gained second prize in category in Convertible cars between 1925-1938 at the 50th Anniversary Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and was featured in the Peterson Automotive Museum exhibition, ‘Presidents, Popes and Potentates: Cars of Heads of State’. This superb Lanchester, truly a one off, has remained in continuous single family ownership from new and has covered only 10,000 miles.
