Celebrity provenance highlights the docket for RM Sotheby’s annual London auction with the announcement that a Lamborghini owned by Rod Stewart and a Lotus given to racing driver Jim Clark in lieu of salary will join on the block an Aston Martin DB4GT driven in a film and then owned by actor Peter Sellers.
The 12th annual London auction is scheduled for September 5.
The 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 S, chassis 4863, was delivered new to Stewart and is being offered with the original dealership delivery records. The car is right-hand drive and has factory-installed air conditioning and seat belts. The car retains its JLL 831K license plates as seen in a photograph of the car at Stewart’s residence with Stewart’s then girlfriend, model Dee Harrington.
The car’s ownership since Stewart sold it is documented and includes more than 20 years with a single collector. The car recently has undergone a complete restoration at Polo Storico, Lamborghini’s in-house classic department.
The car also is entered in the Salon Prive Concours d’Elegance, to be held August 30-September 1 at Blenheim Palace. RM Sotheby’s has set a pre-sale estimated value of £1,200,000 to £1,400,000 ($1.59 million to $1.85 million).
Meanwhile, the 1962 Lotus Elite Super 95 is a car that Colin Chapman gave to Jim Clark in February 1962 in lieu of his salary as a works racer for Team Lotus. The car comes with its original logbook, which was signed by Clark. The logbook indicates that the engine in the car is the original powerplant.
The car is one of only 23 Super 95 models with such an upgraded engine as well as servo-assisted brakes, long-range fuel tank and two-tone paint.
Clark had the car fitted with a Hobbs Mechamatic gearbox, perhaps the first sequential shifter, and while not currently in the car, the unit is part of the consignment. RM Sotheby’s expects the car to sell for £150,000 to £200,00 ($200,000 to $265,000).
“The history behind these two newest headline consignments speaks for itself,” William Smith, car specialst for RM Sotheby’s, was quoted in the company’s news release.
“The Lamborghini Miura has a known ownership history from new, and the restoration work carried out by Lamborghini Polo Storico makes this example truly flawless. The Miura has been kept in such fine condition, it looks to this day just as it would have been delivered to Rod Stewart in the 1970s.
“With the Lotus Elite, a bygone era of motorsport is represented thanks to the very obvious connection with Jim Clark, who lived and breathed the brand in its most successful era. Cars previously owned by Jim Clark are rarely ever sold, and this would be the ultimate collector’s item that can still be driven in spirit to this day.”
The ex-Stewart Lamborghini and ex-Clark Lotus join a docket that already included the Aston Martin driven by Sellers in the movie The Wrong Arm of the Law. Sellers liked the car so much he bought it when the filming was completed.
