Motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss flagged off 50 cars as this years Hackett Beaujolais Run got underway in London. Celebrating 60 years of the Jaguar XK, many of the cars were historic Jaguars.
The 100 drivers and navigators headed for the English side of the Eurotunnel for a four day run which will see them reach Macon in France, bring back the Beaujolais and raise £150,000 for charity.
To find out more about the Beaujolis run click here to view an earlier news item.
‘Quantum of Solace’, the latest outing from 007, is heading to big screens here shortly and for Bond fans looking to emulate their hero, ‘Classics from BCA’ have recently sold some spy specials.
A recent sale saw a 1968 Aston Martin DBS among the strongest sellers on the day. Finished in silver with black leather interior, the classic DBS had been in storage for a number of years and required recommissioning before being ready to drive. Having covered just 69,000 miles from new and one of just 823 produced, it generated a huge amount of interest, with buyers competing from Europe and even Japan. It sold for £18,150 ($51,100 NZ) — over three times its original estimate.
“It seems everyone wants a bit of James Bond glamour as the bidding for the 1968 DBS proved” confirmed Robin Lawton, ‘Classics from BCA’ Manager. “But it’s not just Aston Martin’s that attract the classic car buyers. At our most recent sale we had a good turnout of buyers for the wide range of cars on offer, with a number selling for well above their estimate.”
The highest prices of the day went to a pair of Jaguars — one original and one replica.
And although Bond has never driven a Jaguar, it still oozes the style and elegance worthy of any superspy. Built in 1987, using a 1964 Jaguar Mk X as a donor, the replica Jaguar D-Type was finished in British Racing Green. Presented in the definitive ‘long-nose, full fin’ format this well-detailed replica sold for £22,000 ($61,900 NZ). The 1969 Jaguar E-Type Series II Roadster was the real thing, although it had undergone an extensive restoration some years ago. Finished in white with dark blue upholstery and black hood, it also sold for £22,000 ($61,900 NZ), proving Jaguar’s lasting appeal.
“It seems Classic car enthusiasts are still prepared to splash out on the right vehicle, despite the recession” concluded Robin Lawton. “And the launch of the latest Bond movie means anything with a licence to thrill is sure to get a good price. Classic car auctions can look like a who’s who of Bond cars, with everything from the Lotus Esprit to Bentleys and Astons going under the hammer, so everyone can get a slice of double 0 style.”
Mark checks out a lovingly detailed and engineered, locally made Jaguar C-type replica from Coventry Classics
When Jaguar founder, Sir William Lyons, conceived of the XK120 he was really only looking for a limited production test-bed for his new twin-cam XK and a bit of publicity on the side.
Little did he know this new combination would launch his company down the road to a whole new market, and on the track to competition success.
Jaguar Cars will now officially celebrate sixty years of the XK on the Hackett Beaujolais Run in November, and the company has joined with the organisers in issuing a challenge to motoring editors in “Fleet Street”.
Jonathan Griffiths from Jaguar Cars said: ” The Beaujolais Run was the brainchild of Allan Hall a Sunday Times journalist who, in 1972, issued a challenge to fellow journalists and members of the public.
“In the early days it was all about speed and which journalists would get the Beaujolais back to their offices first. Now it is about a group of motoring enthusiasts getting to Beaujeu, near Macon by the shortest route and raising money for charities as they go.”
He added: ” Jaguar has joined with the organisers in issuing a challenge to Fleet Street and the major motoring magazines once again. We want to see as many motoring journalists competing against one another in this, our sixtieth year of the XK, and raising lots of money for this year’s charities.”
In a fitting competitive tribute, the ‘Big Cats’ will compete amongst a varied and spectacular field including everything from Ferrari to Frazer-Nash.
This year’s run will see a maximum of sixty vehicles compete to “Bring Back the Beaujolais”. Famous faces and eminent motoring journalists will once again join this showcase of the unofficial motorsport calendar. Those who accept this fiercely fought challenge will battle it out on French soil, covering some of the most spectacular roads on the continent.
This “Mad Dogs and Englishmen” event is once again full of surprises and “money can’t buy” experiences; from Embassy to private Chateaux and public Fete, all in the name of raising money for worthwhile causes. This year the run will rest its spiritual home at Goodwood bound for the bright lights of the city.
Sir Terence Conran’s Bibendum restaurant in London will welcome a grid at 0800 hours on Tuesday 18th November 2008 with competitors’ expectations running high. Jeremy Hackett, Founder of the Hackett brand, will then join competitors to enjoy an exclusive Champagne Taittinger reception at the British Embassy in Paris.
En route to Louis Jadot’s vineyards in deepest Burgundy, the now famous navigational shoot out at the heart of this iconic event takes place. Teams will head south to Macon via a series of cryptic checkpoints, in a battle to cover the course in the shortest possible distance. On arrival in Macon, Footman James will wine and dine competitors in true French style as they eagerly anticipate the spectacular midnight release of this year’s harvest. A black tie prize giving dinner in a spectacular location awaits competitors in Paris on their return leg.
To register your interest to join this year’s ‘Run visit www.beaujolaisrun.com
On the cover of our May issue — on sale 29th April — we feature a superbly restored 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T — a car which achieved considerable fame for it’s starring role in the ’70s cult movie The Vanishing Point. Our featured Challenger hardtop has been immaculately restored over a period of three years and has to be one of the best Mopars currently resident in New Zealand. Our popular My Classic & I series returns this month as one of our enthusiastic readers talks about his Jaguar 420, and compares it to a mate’s Daimler Sovereign. In effect, these two luxuriously appointed saloons were rivals in the executive car market during the late ’60s, even though both came from the same manufacturer. This month, we’ll also be looking at a handful of Kiwi-made classic recreations. First up, we check out a thoroughly modern MGA. Fans of the MG marque will, no doubt, remember the thrilling but unsuccessful MGA Twin-Cam — well, we found one MG enthusiast who reckoned that he could go one better on the original. He took a battered and engine-less MGA; then kitted it out with modern Japanese mechanicals. Purists may groan at the thought of a Toyota-powered MG but, as we discovered, the end result is a superbly drivable, handsome and very modern sports car. Along the same theme, we explored New Zealand’s West Coast in two stunning replicas — a V6-powered sports car designed to evoke the spirit of a ’30s Alfa Romeo and a Porsche 928 which has been cunningly rebuilt as a Maserati 450S. Once again, these cars are the result of Kiwi know-how and, even more amazingly, both of these cars are available for hire by those who wish to travel around the wild West Coast in style. For those more into Vintage cars, we also feature a report on the recent Austin 7 Tour of New Zealand — following a convoy of these cute little cars as they travelled from Cape Reinga to The Bluff during their extensive tour of New Zealand. On the classic motorsport front, we report back from the huge classic racing meet at Phillip Island and talk to Chris Hyde — who was confirmed as this year’s Tasman Challenge champion at Phillip Island after beating off the opposition in his Kiwi designed and built McRae GM1 F5000 single-seater. In Motorsport Flashback, we talk to Merv Mayo — the Kiwi racer who was nominated alongside Bruce McLaren and Phil Kerr for the original NZ Driver to Europe scheme in 1958. And, of course, all your favourite monthly columns and features — it all adds up to pages and pages of New Zealand’s best classic reading.
