Concours South Africa has announced that for the first time, an international classic car auction will be held in South Africa.
Billed as 'the biggest-ever auction of classic cars in Africa', it is taking place in association with Concours SA, an event in its third year, which draws over 100 cars from across the south of the continent.
The event will be hosted by Coys of London on 11 August at Steyn City in Johannesburg, and will be headlined by 50 cars from The Plit Portfolio, Concours South Africa said.
In addition to The Plit Portfolio a number other classics will be auctioned, including a rare Maserati Khamsin AM120 prototype – of which only five were built.
. "I have worked in Africa now for many, many years developing close associations with historic South African car culture; it is in my bones and in my veins," said Chris Routledge, managing director of Coys. "I am so excited that we are doing this and that the time is now."
“The Coys catalog that is in preparation right now will be distributed electronically to 25,000 of their clients internationally and there will be international on-line bidding from enthusiasts all over the world, on the night, as well as bidding on the floor at Steyn City”.
3 Rare cars you can expect to see at South Africa’s first major international classic car auction
Fox & Nicholl Singer Le Mans 2-litre Special (1935)
This car is one of only three Singer cars ever built by the famous Fox & Nicholl Race Car Company who were also responsible for the construction of the 1933 Lagonda LG45R.
A similar Fox & Nicholl LG45RT was sold at the 2014 Bonham’s Goodwood Revival auction for R28 million.
The three Fox & Nicholl Singer Le Mans cars had body numbers LM11, LM12 and LM13. This is LM11 and is evidently the only surviving car.
Apparently, LM11 raced at the 1934 Le Mans and in various major UK events, until being brought to South Africa in 1938 by an RAF aircraft rigger on contract to the SAAF, to re-rig the SAAF Glouster Javelin bi-planes.
The Singer LM11 was then sold to a local Singer expert in 1965 and subsequently in 2007 a collector in Cape Town, prior to being incorporated into the Plit Portfolio.
Jaguar XK120 (1950)
This is the oldest known Jaguar XK120 in South Africa, finished in a off-white colour with red interior.
This particular car features in the book “The Jaguar XK120” by John Elmgreen and Terry McGrath.
The chassis was completed in 1950 and delivered to a Mrs Catherine Elaine Reid-Walker in Staffordshire in the UK.
It was then exported to South Africa by Mr Reid-Walker who was a Scottish businessman on a six-month tour in our country.
It was tested by a reporter from The Sunday Express and a picture of this car appeared in that paper on 11 February 1951.
The car then left South Africa in May 1951 and returned to England where it competed in the ninth Scottish Rally, still sporting its South African plates, and where it finished third overall.
The car eventually returned to South Africa and it appeared at the Motoring Memories event at the then-new Carlton Exhibition Centre in Johannesburg in the 1970s.
Porsche 964 RS N-GT (1990)
This is an extremely-focused racing car with a bare-metal interior, strengthened and seam-welded shell, alloy front boot lid, thinner glass, and FIA welded-in roll cage.
It sports Recaro race seats covered in flame-retardant Nomex, a Schroth race harness, plumbed-in fire extinguisher and an on-board cut-off switch. It also just happens to be road legal.
It was brought to South Africa by Bruce Joelson, who was famous at the time for heading up Elna Sewing Machines in this country, and sponsoring SA Superbike champ Dave Petersen.
This car may be one of only 290 similar examples produced by the factory for racing homologation purposes, but it is the only one with this level of factory specification.