Gooding & Company has announced two coveted European classics consigned for private sale. The two additions include are a 1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Sports Tourer with coachwork by Vanden Plas and a 1958 BMW 507 Series II.
The Bentley is one of 665 naturally aspirated examples built and one of 148 finished with a variation of this sporting coachwork by Vanden Plas. Inspected in 2010 by Bentley expert Dr. Clare Hay, this car — chassis TX3239 — was noted to be quite original, including the chassis, drivetrain and body. A rarity among vintage Bentleys. The Vanden Plas body number of 1486 appears both on the original build sheet and remains debossed in the wooden runner of the rear floorboard.
Passing through the hands of caring owners, TX3239 was treated to some sporting updates by its owner around 2012. The changes include a long-range fuel tank, double-friction shock absorbers and a flat-folding windscreen with auxiliary Brooklands-style screens, among others. These were all noted by Dr. Hay when she updated her report in 2014.
Smaller in size than the Bentley but equally iconic, the BMW 507 offered by Gooding & Co. is one of 21 examples finished in Silbergrau and was equipped from the factory with a hardtop and exhaust tips. Completed in January of 1958, the 507 was then displayed at the BMW Pavilion in Munich before being sold to Caracas, Venezuela. By BMW was returned to Germany around 1960, where it remained for some five decades.
A restoration was undertaken from 2006 to 2008 which also included a mechanical overhaul completed by the BMW Classic Department. It was returned to BMW Classic for a thorough inspection and a factory expertise report. Accompanying the car, the BMW Classic Expertise book states that this car — chassis 70110 — retains its original braking system, chassis, bodywork and suspension. The engine and transmission are noted as original-type replacement components. The 507 was given a final score of 900 out of 1,000 points, placing it in Category 1, the highest rating.
Today chassis 70110 is finished in its original color of silver gray over a red interior and is fitted with rare Rudge knock-off wheels, disc brakes and a Becker radio. In addition to the BMW Classic Expertise book, further documentation accompanying the car is an owner’s manual, repair manual, maintenance charts and sales literature.
Check out the Bentley, BMW and all the private sale vehicles offered by Gooding here
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