All Entries Tagged With: "COYS"
This Week @ Coys: Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer
By Gunnar Heinrich
THERE is something sexy about slant-nosed RMR Ferraris.
It must be the way the cars seem to own a symbiotic look of edge blending with curve. Among the Prancing Horses that manage this feat best include the sublime F355, the angular Testarossa and, certamente, the 512 Berlinetta Boxer.
Ferrari’s mid 70s fighting champ was born out of what London auctioneer Coys of Kensington suggests was a “sensitiv[ity] to criticism.”
Not even a foal in Ferrari’s stables, rivals Lamborghini and Maserati had already brought mid-engined competitors to market that challenged Ferrari’s standing among the fickle fealties of the decade’s super-rich.
Still the Boxer proved to be a knock-out – packing a flat 12 that weighed-in at 344 (1970s) horsepower. Torquing the rear wheels with 302 lb-ft, the Italian moved to 60 in the mid-five seconds range (cheating a current Porsche Boxster) and powered on to a supercar worthy 181 mph (out-running a 911 Carrera).
Coys has made mention of the pictured car’s 45,000 mile, Maranello factory restored history. But in tutto rosso on white, we can call her bella.
Point of price reference : a 1984 512 BBi is listed on Hemmings for $164,500.
[Linked: Coys of Kensington]
This Week @ Coys: Bentley’s Rolls Fighter
By Gunnar Heinrich
YOU are looking at what was in 1931 Bentley’s eight gun -er – liter shot across the bow of HMS Rolls-Royce. British auctioneer Coys of Kensington states that this Eight is mostly original – a good thing considering the model’s extraordinary place in Bentley history.
BusinessWeek nicely summarizes the importance of Bentley’s final pre-Rolls foray:
“Introduced at the London Motor Show in 1930, the Bentley 8-liter made an immediate impact. While the engine was an extension of the successful 6.5-liter engine that powered Bentleys to numerous race victories, the 8-liter was intended to knock Rolls-Royce from its pedestal,” the article read.
The hugely powerful Eight would run marathons at speeds exceeding 100 mph (Murcielago-level speed in its day). By sorry contrast, Rolls’ best could only struggle to reach 90 mph. This effectively meant that the Royce people up in Derby could sit on their hats for Team Bentley had managed what Rolls couldn’t.
Sad to say, the superior Eight faltered as Bentley’s main rival proved in reality to be the marque’s own bad timing.
The Great Depression had just silenced the Roaring Twenties and like some awful plague it proceeded to systemically dispatch the great and good marques of the early 20th Century.
W.O.’s company fell into insolvency shortly after the 100th Eight.
Rolls bought Bentley via hostile takeover. A checkered relationship ensued. The Eight lost its reason to be.
This particular Bentley, one of only 100 Eights left in the world, has seen the large part of the 20th Century and the collaboration and dissolution of the Rolls partnership. Now that its marque is now free from the double Rs and once again at odds, perhaps fate has handed this road-going battleship a new mission.
Coys is mum on the price (as usual), but according to BusinessWeek another Eight was sold last year at auction on Amelia Island for $962,500. The financial rag gave the Eight model it’s blessing with an “A” grade investment rating.
Right, hoist the rebel flag and ready the guns! We’re off to overtake Phantoms!
[Linked: BusinessWeek | Coys of Kensington]
This Week @ Coys: Jaguar D-Type XKSS
By Gunnar Heinrich
BEFORE the E-Type, there was the Jaguar D-Type. And during the D-Type years there was the XKSS.
“A lightly road-equipped D Type, complete with full windscreen, wipers, hood and rear luggage rack, produced to make use of the remaining D Type components at Jaguar’s Browns Lane factory. After the disastrous fire that ripped through the factory in 1957, however, just 16 examples escaped unscathed, making the XKSS indisputably the rarest and most desirable of all Jaguar road cars,” stated Coys of Kensington.
Ah! A clue!
Generally, the British auto auctioneer is mum on the price of its cars (online) but buried deep within the explanatory text on this most splendid British racing or “Brewster” green Jag, Coys mentioned the average price of so rare a car to be around £2 million (currency watchers: that’s $3.92 million, €2.53 million, or 12.85 million Malaysian Ringgits).
FYI: This Jaguar bests the 300SL’s performance times by accelerating to sixty in 4.7 seconds and leaping on to a maximum speed beyond 170mph!
[Linked: Coys]
This Week @ Coys > 300SL Roadster
By Gunnar Heinrich
IF you were to search through Top Gear’s list of 100 sexiest cars of all time, you won’t find the 300SL roadster there. In fact, the current SL isn’t even listed and that car gives – to loosely paraphrase Chris Matthews – most women a charge up their silk stockings every time one parades into view.
No, what you will find on Top Gear’s twisted list (the Brits can be so strange) is that a Citroen C6 took number five sexiest car ever and that the epitome of sex on wheels is the old Fiat Cinquecento.
I guess that’s what happens when you eat stewed tomatoes with breakfast.
Anyway, the sexiest car in my book, at least, the smooth ’61 300SL roadster is on the list of one tasteful UK source – Coys of Kensington.
The Richmond (London suburb) based auctioneer is featuring one silver on red (naturally) three liter, straight six engined Benz that they state has gone under full restoration since their catalog photos were taken.
Comme toujours, Coys is mum on the price. But, if the 300SL roadsters listed on Hemmings are anything to go by, spending $500,000 or so is a safe bet.
Steep price, but then again, you’d own the world’s sexiest car.
