Jet pretender or Champagne delivery vehicle?

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Plenty of celebrated cars have been recreated in the past, and we’ve seen quite enough C- and D-type replicas, ‘Works’ Healeys and ‘Bond’ DB5s – thank you. But a ‘JET 1’ replica? That was new to us. Coys Auctions is, however, offering one such car during their Blenheim Palace sale on the 11th. It’s the opening lot of the sale and looks as though it is in desperate need of some tlc. It’s a design thing rather then a technical tour de force, with no gas turbine engine revving up to 50,000rpm, but a more conventional 2.5-litre straight six engine. But what a great looking vehicle it is. Hang on, there is another! - you’ll be in good company.

Oh – what is it that we prefer shabby basket cases over shiny restored cars? It’s good to see not one but two Austin-Healeys with no chromed wire wheels on offer, but this 1955 Fiat 600 ‘Mare Spiaggina’ really makes our heart beat - a take on the classic beach car, which we hadn’t come across before either. It has all the quintessential features, from wicker to the tent-roof but this one was built by coachbuilder Canta of Turin and is in need of total restoration now. Another Italian looking much better preserved is this ‘54 Lancia B20 GT, which has been owned by its previous caretaker for over 40 years. In that period he rebuilt just about any bit of the car, all adding to the history file.

Much quirkier is this 1968 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow shooting brake. Believed to have been converted in the 1970s, it will indeed still do nicely at any car park at Royal Ascot, Henley or the Derby, or turn it into a Champagne delivery vehicle?

(Words Jeroen Booij, pictures courtesy Coys Auctions)
 

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