Replica Piper GTR to be sold at Sandown Park

Auctions
 | 17 May 2013

A faithful copy of the Piper GTR that missed out on Le Mans in 1966 is expected to make £20-25,000 at Barons’ 8 June sale.

Using authentic body moulds, the racer was created by the man responsible for the original vehicle.

It can also claim to be a mechanically improved version of the car that – having shed its body panels travelling at 164mph down the Mulsanne Straight in practice – never made it to the famous enduro.

The new car features a revised spaceframe chassis, improved cooling (another weakness of the old car) and a Ford Sigma engine.

The Piper even comes with a full set of moulds should the new owner decide to take it into limited production.

Offering rather less performance is a 1958 Regent V open-topped bus with a guide price of £12-17,000.

Thought to be one of three left with the same spec, it features an air-operated front door, a ‘half cab' and was also fully restored in 2008.

As you expect from Barons, there is the usual mix of prestige saloons from Britain and Germany and a 1968 Jaguar 420 (£17,500-19,000) represents the former nicely.

Originally sold in South Africa, the Jag was repatriated to the UK in 1991, has had two owners since and was treated to a ‘nut and bolt’ restoration in 2010-’11.

Work on the rust-free car included a bare-metal respray, upgrading the brakes, fitting an electronic choke and ignition, plus rebuilding the engine.

A German alternative comes in the shape of a 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280SE with a 3.5-litre V8 (£15-17,000).

The Benz has also been restored, an undertaking that covered jobs such as painting the body and chassis, an engine overhaul, plus an interior retrim with new grey leather.

The car has covered just 6000 miles since the work was finished five years ago.

See the full lot list on the company’s website.