A 1953 Aston Martin DB2 Vantage topped H&H Classics “Best of British” collector car auction December 8 at Pavilion Gardens in Buxton, UK. H&H reported a 75 percent sell-through for the auction, its first since founder Simon Hope transferred ownership to H&H Classics employees.
Earlier this month, Hope, 69, who launched H&H Classics in 1993, turned over ownership of the company to an Employee Ownership Trust.
In that announcement, H&H said Hope will become chairman, day-to-day management will remain with Colette McKay and Damian Jones, who have run the company for the past two years, “but of course it now means that clients dealing with any member staff will know they are speaking to one of the owners of the business. They can therefore be assured of the ultimate level and commitment and service.”
H&H did not announce a sales total for its “Best of British” sale, which was topped by the DB2 Vantage that was restored in the 1990s and has won its class at events including the Three Castles and Scottish Malts rallies. The Aston Martin sold at the auction for £165,000 ($217,775).
Second-highest sale of the event was a 1931 Rolls-Royce 20/25 swept-tail sports saloon, for £77,050 ($101,695). Known as “Arabella,” the car was restored in its original green-over-cream colors.
H&H Classics next auction is scheduled for March 16, 2022, at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford.
