German Car Zone

Oldest Rolls sells for record sum

The world's oldest surviving Rolls Royce car has driven away with two records after it sold at auction in London for £3.5m ($7.3m).
The price is the highest ever paid for a car built before 1905 and is also the most for a Rolls Royce.

The open-topped two seater was the fourth vehicle built by the new Charles Rolls and Henry Royce after they began work together in 1904.
An anonymous British collector paid twice the auctioneer's estimate.
Two telephone bidders drove the price up to its record-breaking high in a thrilling bidding war, said a Bonhams auction house spokesman.

'Tickle the carburettor'
The veteran car has had only three careful owners and is in perfect condition, said another Bonhams official.
"The purchaser could get in and drive it away," Tim Schofield, head of UK motor sales for Bonhams, told Reuters news agency.
"You would just need to tickle the carburettor, make sure the battery has a bit of life in it, remove the sleeve from the starter handle and give it a couple of turns."
The previous record for a veteran car built before 1905 was £1.76m paid for a 1884 De Dion Bouton. The most a Rolls Royce has previously fetched was £1.48m for a 1912 Silver Ghost Double Pullman Limousine.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Oldest Rolls sells for record sum

Still running strong after 103 years, the oldest known running Rolls-Royce in the world has just been sold at auction for a record price of ₤3,521,500, ($7,275,000, €4,961,000). The car sold at Bonhams’ collectible cars and automobilia in London and broke two new records: the highest price paid at auction for both a Rolls-Royce and a veteran car, classified as pre-1905.

The 1904 model 10hp two-seater was originally shown at The Paris Salon in late 2004, reports AFP. Since its restoration in the 1950s, the car has been lovingly maintained. According to Tim Schofield, Bonhams’ head of UK motor sales, “the purchaser could get in and drive it away.” A jiggle of the carburetor, a turn of the starter handle, and you’re off - quite a feat for such an old machine.

Only three owners have shared the machine over the last century, and it was the last - racing star Oliver Langton - that restored it and took such excellent care of it. The original red leather and brass interior now shine like the day the two-seat open-top car was built.


Source: Motor Authority Oldest running Rolls-Royce sells for record $7.2m

Gulp!

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