An industrial designer by trade, Sam Mann is well known and respected in design, collecting, and automotive circles around the world. A highly successful entrepreneur and inventor – he has in the neighborhood of 80 patents in his name – his professional successes afforded him the opportunity to combine his interests in design and manufacturing with his love for the automobile. His collection today, celebrated as one of the world’s leading car collections, is a labor of love for both Sam and his wife of 45 years, Emily. Today, with approximately 50 cars in their collection, it is impossible for Sam and Emily to enjoy them all. As such, they have chosen to present the following five vehicles in Monterey, and RM Sotheby’s is extremely honoured to offer the following selections fromtheir collection.
Tag: classic car
Bonhams | The Quail Lodge & Golf Club Catalogue – 19 Aug Carmel, CA
Bonhams | REVEALS ASTON MARTIN’S ULTIMATE RACE CAR
- Bonhams announces the sale of the 1936 Aston Martin Speed Model ‘Red Dragon’, estimated at £1.6-2 million
- The Aston Martin has impeccable provenance, having raced in the Mille Miglia, the Spa 24-Hours, the Ulster TT, and the Le Mans 24-Hours
- Wales-born racer, Dudley Folland, adapted the car’s bodywork to resemble an early Ferrari, and adorned it with the Welsh ‘Red Dragon’ emblem
- The car will be sold at Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale, taking place 10 September
The fierce ‘Red Dragon’ Aston Martin Speed Model is revealed as an early consignment for Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale, taking place 10 September 2016. The historical racing car has an outstanding competition history that includes the Italian Mille Miglia, the RAC Tourist Trophy in Ulster, and France’s famed Le Mans 24-Hour race. It is estimated at £1,600,000-2,000,000.
Built in 1936, the ‘Red Dragon’ was tailor-made to be the ultimate ‘Ulster’ Aston Martin, the car created for the British driver, Richard ‘Dick’ Seaman, to challenge Germany’s sophisticated new BMW 328s in the most important UK race of the period: the RAC TT on the Ards circuit in Northern Ireland.
Unfortunately, a win with the Aston wasn’t to be. The car was subsequently sold to Dutch owner/driver, Eddie Hertzberger, a few years later. He competed in this Aston Martin in the 1,000-mile round-Italy Mille Miglia and also in both the Belgian Spa and French Le Mans 24-Hour races. Hertzberger also won at the 1937 Grand Prix des Frontiéres meeting in Belgium.
The wealthy Welsh amateur racing driver, Dudley Folland, acquired the car after the war. Carmarthenshire-born Folland had started his racing career under the alias ‘Tim D. Davies’, contesting in the 1935 Le Mans with a Frazer Nash, before graduating to the powerful Aston.
John Polson, Bonhams Motoring Specialist, said: “Folland chose ‘Red Dragon’ because it was the most competitive British built car available in the early years after the war. Having proven itself in Hertzberger’s hands, it was the best British race car available, and Folland proved very competitive in it, finishing third in the Paris 12-hour race in Montlhéry in 1948, and holding 2nd in the Spa 24-hours before crashing dramatically very near the finish.”
Both races were won by the new Ferrari 166 Spider Corsa V12, driven by Luigi Chinetti. Folland was so impressed by the Ferrari’s speed and agility that despite his loss, he ordered one for himself, and in the meantime modified the Aston Martin after its Spa crash with lightweight bodywork resembling the Ferrari.
Today, the car still wears the famous Welsh racing driver’s livery – proudly emblazoned with the Welsh red dragon.
Tim Schofield, Bonhams UK Motoring Director, said: “This is an incredibly historic Aston Martin. Having competed in so many of the most renowned great sports car races of the 1930s and 1940s, it is regarded as the ultimate ‘Ulster’ Aston Martin and its provenance, including Dick Seaman, Eddie Hertzberger and Dudley Folland, is impeccable.”
Christie’s | “A performance art”: The secrets of a Christie’s auctioneer
Hugh Edmeades is responsible for over £2.2 billion in sales at the world’s biggest auction house.
Here, he presents his expert advice for would-be auctioneers
‘It’s showtime,’ declares Hugh Edmeades, Christie’s International Director of Auctioneering, who has conducted over 2,300 auctions since making his debut in August 1984 — selling over 300,000 lots for more than £2.2 billion.
‘Auctioneering is a performance art,’ Edmeades continues. ‘Our stage is our rostrum, and our only prop is our gavel.’ With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Edmeades is an expert performer, and now manages a select group of 65 men and women responsible for taking Christie’s sales across the globe. Many are graduates of his highly competitive ‘Auctioneering School,’ run every two years for Christie’s staff.
| Auctioneers must enjoy themselves, and the bidders will too |
In this video, Edmeades gives an exclusive insight into the rigorous training his potentials undertake. ‘If an actor doesn’t know his or her lines, then they cannot truly perform their part. And with auctioneers, if we don’t know our numbers and our increments then we cannot truly sell,’ he insists.
His other nuggets of wisdom are more subtle, though no less important — from encouraging auctioneers to adopt bright accessories, to using hand gestures. Perhaps the most vital is a sense of enthusiasm. To succeed as an auctioneer, Edmeades says, requires speed and energy: ‘Auctioneers must enjoy themselves, and the bidders will too.’
As Edmeades approaches the 22nd anniversary of his first sale, that sense of enjoyment remains palpable — shining through a now expertly-polished performance.
Bonhams | The Robert White Collection
Rare motorcycles, motor cars, watches and cameras
to be sold for a charitable cause
- Containing a treasure trove of mechanical rarities, the Robert White Collection will be sold at Bonhams on 19 September 2016
- Close friend Jay Leno described Robert White as a man who “Took more pleasure from his possessions than any man I have ever met.”
- The sale is expected to raise more than £2 million, with all proceeds set to fund advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment in Robert White’s home county of Dorset
Bonhams is delighted to announce the single-owner collection of entrepreneur and businessman, Robert White.
The collection contains a vast treasure trove of collectible mechanical delights worth more than £2 million, including motorcycles, motor cars, vintage Leica cameras, motoring mascots, Lalique, and several rare wristwatches.
Proceeds from the sale of this incredible collection will be used to build new cancer facilities at Poole and Dorset County hospitals, benefiting patients across the whole of the country.
“Robert White was a great man and an enthusiast of all things mechanical. The sale is a showcase of his life’s passion, with more than 500 lots set to raise more than £2 million for charity,” said Malcolm Barber, Bonhams Co-Chairman. “The collection is the result of a life’s passion for photography – Robert was the founder of one of the UK’s leading photographic retailers – and his adoration for motorcycles. We’re delighted to be able to offer this for sale, and for such a great charitable cause.”
It was his love of motorcycles that first connected Robert White his close friend and confidant, the comedian and TV host, Jay Leno.
“They say that you should never be possessed by your possessions; but Robert took more pleasure from his possessions than any man I have ever met,” said Leno. “The evening ritual of winding his George Daniels watch, for example, was an active delight to him as an opportunity to take pleasure in its mechanism.”
Robert White riding his Gilera 500cc Grand Prix Racing Motorcycle recreation at the 2006 Southern 100.
The model is now offered at an estimate of £50,000-60,000
The friends bonded over a love of Brough Superior motorcycles, and before Robert died in 2015, he sold his Brough Superiors to Leno. The funds from the Brough Superiors have been used to support the creation of a brand new cancer treatment centre at Dorset County Hospital and new diagnostic facilities at Poole Hospital, both overseen by the latter’s Dorset Cancer Centre.
Leno said: “We spent time together in England before he died. He didn’t feel sorry for himself or ‘woe-is-me’. He realistically faced up to his position and decided he wanted to give something back to the people in Poole Hospital who had helped him with his illness.”
ROBERT WHITE:
Robert White (1953-2015) was the founder of one of the UK’s leading photographic retailers, having started in business with a small camera shop in Poole, where he was born.
An astute and dedicated businessman, Robert White’s success enabled him to indulge a passion for collecting machines and objects that embodied the finest design and engineering. He loved to ride motorcycles and drive fast cars. He learned to fly and bought a vintage Boeing-Stearman bi-plane to travel round Britain.
He was described by a close friend as: “A modest person who liked the best of what he liked, but was never one for designer clothes and frippery, leaves a legacy that will outlast all of us. The life of Robert will help countless people he has never met. Robert’s illness taught him what is important, and he was in a self-made position to make a life-changing difference.”
A CHARITABLE CAUSE:
Robert White died of cancer in 2015. His consultant oncologist, Dr. Mike Bayne, said: “The impact that Mr. White’s incredible generosity will have to patients facing cancer in Dorset cannot be overstated.
“This lasting legacy will continue to benefit patients and their families for years to come, enabling the people of Dorset to receive the very latest and most effective diagnoses and treatments for a range of cancers, and supporting our skilled clinicians and nursing teams to be among the most advanced in the country.
“Robert White will forever be associated with advances in cancer care in the county, and on behalf of our patients I would like to express our heartfelt thanks.”
The money raised from the Robert White Collection will help to fund essential improvements in cancer diagnosis and treatment in Dorset, including:
- New cancer treatment radiotherapy facilities at Dorset County Hospital to benefit patients in the west of the county, meaning shorter travel times
- New computerised tomography (CT) scanner for Poole Hospital, accurately identifying cancer site to enable targeted treatment
- Permanent positron emission tomography (PET) scanner at Poole Hospital – a sophisticated imaging technique widely used for cancer, providing highly detailed imagery showing tumours and its response to treatment.
- Education and training bursaries to enable staff working in cancer care and associated medical and diagnostic specialties to remain at the cutting edge of best practice.
WATCHES:
Dr. George Daniels C.B.E (1926–2011) is regarded by many as having been the greatest watchmaker of the last 250 years. In the 1990s, he relinquished some custodianship of his brand to Roger Smith, the man who would continue Daniels’ legacy long after he’d gone.
Smith was the only watchmaker Daniels ever collaborated with, and, working together, they produced a number of watches, including the very last piece to bear the ‘Daniels’ name, the
George Daniels 35th Anniversary wristwatch. It is of no surprise then, that Robert White, an enthusiast of mechanics and engineering, possessed one of these rare, beautiful wristwatches. The watch is now offered at an estimate of £70,000-100,000.
MOTORCYCLES:
“Robert White loved his motorcycles, and this is no more evident than when we look at the incredible machines he had in his collection,” said Ben Walker, Bonhams Head of Motorcycles. “Robert had his own personal motoring museum and workshop where he took great pleasure in showing people his carefully curated items. He was a true enthusiast who appreciated each and every part of these exhilarating machines.
Motorcycles featured in the collection include:
- c.1929 Megola 640cc Touring Model, estimated at £120,000-140,000
- MV Agusta 500cc 3-Cylinder Grand Prix recreation, estimate £80,000-100,000
- MV Agusta 500cc 4-Cylinder Grand Prix recreation, estimate £70,000-90,0000
- 1974 Ducati 750SS, estimated at £60,000-70,000
- 1951 Vincent 998cc Series C Black Shadow, estimated at £50,000-70,000
MOTOR CARS:
The collection features four lovingly maintained motor cars, including a superb 1930 Bentley 4½-Litre Tourer.
Just 670 4½ Litre Bentleys were built between 1927 and 1931, with this particular model offered carrying the popular Le Mans-style Tourer coachwork, made famous from the Le Mans 24-Hour victory in 1928.
Motor cars featured in the collection include:
- 1930 Bentley 4½-Litre Le Mans-style Tourer, estimated at £450,000-550,000
- 1959 AC Ace-Bristol Roadster, estimated at £180,000-220,000
- 1958 AC Ace Roadster, estimated at £120,000-140,000
- Pur Sang ‘Type 51’ Sports Two Seater, estimated at £90,000-110,000
More info on Bonhams
Bonhams | Catalogue Now Online The Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale Friday 24 June
Bonhams | Catalog now on line: GREENWICH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE AUCTION
Bonhams | Catalogue Now Online: THE ASTON MARTIN SALE
Amelia Island 2016: Results
RM Sotheby’s celebrated its 18th year in Amelia Island by presenting a terrific series of best-of-category automobiles across the block on March 12th. As one of the auction calendar favorites, our Amelia Island sale achieved a strong $38 million in sales to a standing room only crowd packed with bidders who journeyed from 20 countries.
meridianae 