Barn-finds and restoration projects at Bonhams’ Beaulieu sale

At its annual sale held at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum, Bonhams will offer not only classics restored to perfection, but also several ‘barn-finds’ and restoration projects. Here are the examples we’d most like to see brought back to life…

Included in the roster of for-restoration classics is a 1929 Bentley 4½-Litre Sports Saloon with matching numbers, owned by the same family since 1935. The estimate is set at £150,000 – £250,000… but we all know about the current market appetite for ‘barn-finds’, especially for highly original cars with a story to tell. A little time, patience and cash could also see a 1950 Bristol 402 Drophead Coupé or a 1969 Aston Martin DB6 MkI Vantage given a new lease of life. Just be prepared to call on professionals if necessary, though. 

If you’re looking to keep your own hands busy as the winter months close in, perhaps a 1930 BSA 770cc or 1921 Harley-Davidson Model F might be a more realistic project for you to resuscitate personally? Of course, those that prefer an easy life can always choose from a number of pristine classics in the auction lotlist, many of which have quite reasonable estimates attached.

Our favourites from Bonhams’ 2015 Beaulieu auction

Auctions | Cars

1929 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre

EUR 205 058 - 341 764

Auctions | Cars

1969 Aston Martin DB6

EUR 205 058 - 273 411

Auctions | Cars

1950 Bristol 402

EUR 41 012 - 68 353

Auctions | Motorbikes

1921 Harley Davidson Model F

EUR 6 835 - 10 936

Auctions | Cars

1970 Mercedes-Benz SL Pagode

EUR 82 023 - 109 364

Auctions | Cars

1972 Triumph Stag

EUR 10 936 - 16 405

Auctions | Cars

1981 VW Golf

EUR 20 506 - 27 341

Auctions | Cars

1979 Airstream

EUR 43 746 - 51 948

Auctions | Cars

1955 Land Rover Series 1 - 3

EUR 19 139 - 24 607

Auctions | Cars

1966 Lotus Cortina MK I

EUR 31 442 - 35 543

Interview – Shun Miyazawa

Shun Miyazawa is the Product Manager at Yamaha Europe and also the man behind Yamaha Yard Built. I had the pleasure of meeting Shun Miyazawa last year at the European launch of the XJR1300. Shun is a great guy and his passion for motorcycles is second to none. He also has one of the best jobs in the world…

When did you start riding motorcycles and what was your first bike?

At 18 years old I had my first bike – a 50cc Honda Shadow 50. When I turned 20, I got my first “real” motorbike, a Yamaha SR400, which then got transformed into rigid frame board tracker bike over the next 3 years.

What do you ride now? I’m guessing a Yamaha?

Yes, it’s Yamaha XV950 Bolt Yard Built special, personalized with some of the many available bolt-on parts from RSD, Wrenchmonkees, Matt Black, Kingston Customs and Bratstyle.

How did the Yard Built series come about?

Before the Yard Built project, I did something called the Hyper Modified project around the VMAX working with three of the world’s top builders. They were Roland Sands, Marcus Walz and Ludovic Lazareth, and it was started in 2010. Back then it was just three one-off show bikes built in order to inspire VMAX owners by showing them what they could do. After we showed the three bikes in 2011, I got a lot of request from owners wanting to buy the parts used in those projects.

That gave me the idea to start Yard Built. The goal was very clear; inspire Yamaha owners by showcasing stunning show bikes (in many case without hard modifications such as frame cutting and welding) and urge custom builders to offer the bolt-on parts used on the builds to consumers. We started the first collaboration with Wrenchmonkees on the XJR1300 in 2011. While our prime goal was to increase the custom parts availability around modern Yamaha bikes, our close relationship with custom builders also gave us a great additional effect; we started to listen more carefully to what they wanted from mass production bike like Yamahas. Put simply, they wanted easy customization.

Many of the Yard Built collaborators gave us key inputs into how we should be designing and engineering our bikes so that both normal consumers and pro builders could easily personalize them. The result of this is reflected in our recent bikes such as the XV950 Bolt, the new XJR1300 and the XSR700.

The Roland Sands Hyper Modified project VMAX

In our eyes, you probably have one of the best jobs in the world. What’s the best and worse parts?

Being the husband of my lovely wife and father of 2 children, toughest part of my job is lots of traveling. Yard Built projects involve talented builders from all over the world, so I have to visit them often to talk about bikes and ride together. It’s a great pleasure and something that truly relates to my personal roots and passions. But sometimes it’s very difficult to balance this with my family.

On the other hand, the best part is always the surprises. Of course you are buried deep in the process of building a new custom bike from day one, but every time I see the final bike’s design or ride brand new Yard Built bikes, often they are much more than I expected. This is the best part of my job I believe; I feel very lucky to be in this position.

Shun and Shinya

You are based in Amsterdam. What’s the bike scene like there?

The new custom scene in Amsterdam is growing fast. There are many young builders such as Nubmnut MC and Nozem that are pushing the café racer scene here. Traditionally in the Netherlands we have great tuners and radical chopper builders as well, and a mix of new and old custom scenes that make the bike culture here very rich.

BMW R100 by Nozem Amsterdam

Do you have a favorite Yard Built bike?

I have emotional attachment to all the Yard Built projects, as I put my passion into each and every project. Choosing a favourite one is difficult. Not from a bike design or concept point of view, but from collaboration experience point of view. There are a few bikes which I will never forget; the very first Yard Built bike still remains one of the best – the “Monkeefist” by Wrenchmonkees. This is the machine that started everything. The B.S.R SR400 by Bratstyle and the “Faster Son” XSR700 by Shinya Kimura are special as well, since these two guys were heroes for me in my youth and they really influenced what I do today.

Monkeefist by the Wrenchmonkees

B.S.R by Bratstyle

You travel the world riding and hanging out with bike builders. What’s the best road or location you have ever ridden?

Malaga in Spain. Just behind the Matt Black custom shop they have an almost endless, twisty mountain road, and so far it is my favourite. After the riding it you get to cruise down the street right next to the beach, showing off your personal ride and enjoying the Spanish tapas and wine!

Shun riding at Wheels & Waves

The SR400 has been such a great bike and part of that success has been that it hasn’t really changed for 40 years. There’s so many parts available for them. Is Yamaha planning on making less drastic changes to new models as well?

Absolutely. We know our Sport Heritage bike community that’s evolved over the years together with our aftermarket suppliers (including our YB collaborators) well. They have all told me not to drastically change the production bikes, and to respect ‘eternal’ parts fitment. I guess I have to keep my promise.

YAMAHA SR400 ‘Gibbonslap’ by Wrenchmonkees

There were rumours that Yamaha were planning on manufacturing the XS650 again. Is there any truth to this?

I guess the rumours were about the XSR700, which drew much inspiration from the XS650.

2015 Yamaha XSR700

What else is Yamaha planning in the future?

There’s more bikes to come that follow our “Faster Sons” philosophy; respecting simplicity and the material beauty of historical Yamaha bikes. They will blend these core elements with the latest technology. The XSR700 is a first attempt.

YAMAHA XSR700 by Shinya Kimura

Finally, can I have your job when you decide to leave Yamaha?

If you have the passion to support the custom bike scene and you are motivated to constantly offer stimulation and new ideas, then you are more than welcome to join our team!

via PIPEBURN

The Bernina Gran Turismo brings rallying back to the Engadin

In the 1920s and 1930s, drivers from all over Europe would make the pilgrimage to the Swiss Engadin to compete in the Bernina Mountain Race. In early October, the Bernina Gran Turismo will revive this tradition.

Legendary mountain race on the Bernina Pass

In the 1920s, the triumph of the automobile began in the Alps. Newly built mountain roads and magnificent panoramas attracted gentlemen drivers who sought to prove their sportsmanship at high speed. One of the first and most famous mountain rallies at this time was the Klausen Pass Race, first held in 1922, but other parts of Switzerland were starting to attract wealthy tourists from all over Europe with the lure of hillclimbs. In the summer of 1929, just four years after the abolition of a strict car ban in the Canton of Graubünden, the first ‘Automotive Week’ was held in St. Moritz. The heart of the event was the Bernina Mountain Race, along a 16.5km route and attended by many great racers of the time. Winners included Hans Stuck in a 1929 Austro-Daimler ADR 3.0 and Louis Chiron in a 1930 Bugatti T47.  Another highlight was a ‘Kilometre Race’ for which Shell had created a dedicated asphalt road between Punt Muragl and Samedan. Today, the road is still known as the Shellstrasse, or Shell Road. 

Adrenalin and stunning views

Now the classic race cars return to the Engadin each year, thanks to a group of automotive enthusiasts who initiated a revival race last October. The event will run again this year, starting on 2 October, with a hillclimb for sports and racing cars built up to the early 1980s on a closed road along the Bernina Pass. From La Rösa up to the Bernina Hospiz, the hillclimb will (say the organisers) be 5.6km of “pure adrenalin in an inimitable Alpine setting”. Early October, when the sky above the snowy peaks is a deep blue and the forests rich with autumn colour, is certainly the ideal time for a race weekend in such a beautiful place. 

Photos: Bernina Granturismo

More information about the Bernina Gran Turismo 2015 can be found at bernina-granturismo.com.

Dream women at the wheel – Welch, Bardot and co to enchant at Chantilly

While cars that once belonged to the likes of Steve McQueen or Alain Delon are traded for millions of dollars, the same can’t yet be said for famous female owners’ cars. At next week’s Chantilly Arts & Elegance, a dedicated ‘Ladies’ Cars’ class in the Concours d’Etat will aim to change this…

Let’s face it ­– the automotive scene is one of the few places where the feminist movement has scarcely left its mark. The scantily clad young ladies at motor shows today would never have passed in the 1950s and, even at premier concours events, glamorous ladies play second fiddle to polished sheet metal and chrome. The organisers of Chantilly Arts & Elegance have noticed this, and have thus dedicated a concours class to famous female motorists, comprising a number of classics with prominent female previous owners. 

From the cabaret to the racetrack

Among these cars will be a 1927 Bugatti Type 35B formerly owned by cabaret dancer and enthusiastic racer Hellé Nice, an elegant, ex-Lucienne Dhôtel Figoni-bodied Delahaye 135 MS, and the Ferrari 250 GT Europa of Princess Lilian de Réthy, the wife of King Leopold II of Belgium. Also featuring is Brigitte Bardot’s Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II convertible, which she hopes will do well come Monday afternoon, given how much she adored it. 

Four-wheeled gifts

Another star is the BMW 507, which Ursula Andress was given in 1963 following filming with Elvis Presley. But gifts for actresses were probably not that rare – director Leslie H. Martinson presented Raquel Welch with a blue Ferrari 275 GTS in 1967, after they had become acquainted during the filming of ‘Fathom’. Even later, in 1986, Madonna received a Mercedes 280 SE from Sean Penn, though admittedly he was her husband at the time. It is an illustrious group of women, whose cars could well inspire change in the classic car scene. About time? We think so…

Photos: Peter Auto

The Chantilly Arts & Elegance will take place on 6 September 2015, near Paris. You can find all related articles here.