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An eclectic collection of classics
© Silverstone AuctionsAnthony Hamilton. Father and former manager of a seven-time Formula One World Champion. Car connoisseur. A fan of triumph – and of Triumph. Back in 2020, Hamilton sold some of his car collection via Silverstone Auctions. A third of them wore a Triumph badge, while a further two are based on a TR2. Let’s take a closer look.
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Triumph TR8
© Silverstone AuctionsOur cover star is a bit special. The Triumph TR8 is a rare car. The vast majority were left-hand-drive examples, destined for the lucrative North American market. The usual British Leyland shenanigans and mismanagement meant that a UK launch never happened, but that didn’t stop a few from escaping out of the back door. This is one such example: one of just 14 right-hand-drive cars, with just 124 miles on the clock. The Pharaoh Gold paint and tan/plaid interior is very of its time, too. It sold for a relatively modest £31,500.
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Triumph Italia 2000 GT
© Silverstone AuctionsIt was a match made in heaven. A meeting of minds. The brawn of one of the world’s preeminent sports car manufacturers, plus the beauty of Italian design and coachbuilding. The fact that the Triumph Italia looks like a fun-size Maserati 3500 GT should come as no surprise – both were designed by Giovanni Michelotti and built in Italy. Anthony Hamilton purchased this 1960 example from Germany in 2018. It’s number 157 of just 300 built and it sold for £125,000.
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MGA Twin Cam
© Silverstone AuctionsSilverstone Auctions said this ‘could be the best MGA Twin Cam in the UK, if not the world’. A strong claim, but if the photos are anything to go by, one that’s entirely justified. The Twin Cam version of the MGA is the one to have. It offers the performance to go with its undoubted style, but finding one is tricky. Just 2,111 Twin Cam models were sold – far fewer than the 101,000 single-cam versions. Hamilton’s car was restored when it returned to the UK from North America in 2014. It achieved just above the pre-auction estimate, selling for £56,250.
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Triumph TR5
© Silverstone AuctionsEstimated at £80,000 to £90,000, this is one to file under ‘we had no idea these had gotten so expensive’. Or words to that effect. In fairness, this isn’t just any Triumph TR5. It’s a former Autoglym concours champion. A car that’s used as a benchmark for judges. A TR5 that has been described as ‘the best in the world’. Originally finished in green, the car was restored using Wedgewood Blue, while the interior has been retrimmed in the correct Powder Blue material. Surprisingly, it failed to sell at auction.
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Triumph Stag
© Silverstone AuctionsFor a lot less than an immaculate TR5, you could own a Triumph Stag. Originally delivered to Leyland dealer Newbury Motors on 21 April 1977, it was first registered on 3 June. Factory options included a hardtop, alloy wheels, Sundym windscreen, overdrive, inertia-reel safety belts and headrests. ‘The market for Stags of this quality has been warming for some time,’ said Silverstone Auctions, before selling the car for £34,875.
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Triumph TR3A
© Silverstone AuctionsThis ex-California Triumph TR3A is a former Autoglym Gold Champion, having been restored with the intention of creating the ultimate concours-winning car. The £37,687 sale price reflects that.
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Triumph TR3A
© Silverstone AuctionsThis is another ex-California car, having returned to the UK in the mid-1990s. Originally finished in Pearl White, it was treated to a bare metal respray in Signal Red. The interior was retrimmed in red-piped black, while the engine bay was fully detailed. A small piece of trivia: the Triumph TR3 was the first British car to be fitted with disc brakes. Hamilton parted with it for £27,562.
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Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
© Silverstone AuctionsIt seems fitting that Anthony Hamilton’s collection includes a car with a McLaren badge. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was unveiled in 2003. Mercedes-Benz called it a blend of ‘yesterday, today and tomorrow’ – a reference to the SLR racing cars of the 1950s and the contemporary Silver Arrows F1 team. A pair of gullwing doors added some street theatre, along with a nod to iconic Mercedes-Benz models of old. Hamilton’s car was built in 2006 and had covered just 10,990 miles. It sold for £182,250.
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Ford GT
© Silverstone AuctionsThe most remarkable thing about this 2006 Ford GT is that it was unregistered. Assembled in Michigan in January 2005, it left the factory bound for a Ford dealer in New Hampshire. From there it was shipped to Madrid, where it remained until 2014, when it was imported into the UK. It had a paltry 43 miles on the clock and sold for £241,875.
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Chevrolet Corvette C1
© Silverstone AuctionsAnthony Hamilton has an eclectic taste in cars. Although his collection was dominated by British sports cars, he made room for this 1957 Chevrolet Corvette C1. The car was restored in 1966 and is, according to Silverstone Auctions, ‘one of the most exacting and best restorations’ it has ever seen. It’s cool in a way that only an early Corvette C1 can be. The hammer came down at £78,750.
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Wood and Pickett Radford Mini Cooper S
© Silverstone AuctionsThere was a time when a Wood & Picket or Radford Mini were the cars to be seen in. Spot one in London and you could almost guarantee that a celebrity was behind the wheel. The converters were great rivals, but this 1971 example is the work of both houses. It started life as a Mini de Ville GT, before Wood & Pickett finished it as a ‘Margrave’ Mini. It cost £3,487.50 in 1971. At auction, it sold for considerably more: £38,250.
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Morris Mini Cooper S
© Silverstone AuctionsThis Mini Cooper S was built to Australian-spec and shipped ‘down under’ when new. It features the correct Australian market details, such as wind-up windows with quarter lights, flared wheelarches, twin fuel tanks, stainless steel overriders, 10-inch steel wheels and slightly different badging. The restoration took place in the UK. Sadly, it didn’t sell.
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Morris Mini Traveller De Luxe
© Silverstone AuctionsLewis Hamilton might be Formula One royalty, but this Morris Mini Traveller has an actual royal connection. The first owner was Lord Mountbatten, the first Earl Mountbatten of Burma. The history includes a letter from St James’s Palace and the Prince of Wales’ private secretary replying to a subsequent owner, advising that the Prince would not be interested in acquiring his uncle’s old Mini. It is thought that the car was restored to ‘collector’s quality’ in the 1990s. It achieved an impressive £23,625.
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Alvis TD21 Series 1 Drophead Coupe
© Silverstone AuctionsThis Alvis T21 Series 1 Drophead Coupe was first registered in Jersey in 1959. Although it covered very few miles early on in its life, by 1998 it was in need of a ground-up restoration costing around £30,000. A rolling programme of maintenance kept the car in good working order before it became part of Anthony Hamilton’s collection. He sold it for £49,612.
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Swallow Doretti Roadster
© Silverstone AuctionsAnthony Hamilton owned not one, but two Swallow Doretti roadsters. Despite the Italian-sounding name, the pretty car was built in Walsall by an offshoot of Jaguar that specialised in aircraft maintenance and motorcycle sidecars. It was based on the Triumph TR2 and was designed to appeal to the US market. Production ceased in 1955 after just 276 cars had been completed. More than half of the total production went for export, with California a particularly popular destination. The sale price was £69,750.
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Swallow Doretti
© Silverstone AuctionsWhen it was tested by Autocar in 1954, the Swallow Doretti was praised for its ‘very lively performance’ and ‘very little roll on corners’. However, the car lacked refinement and space. The road test concluded: ‘It is a trim little car with pleasing lines, and the general finish indicates that it is a well-made, workmanlike job’. This one sold for even more: £74,250.
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Austin-Healey 100-6
© Silverstone AuctionsIntroduced in 1956 to replace the Austin-Healey 100, the 100/6 was powered by a straight-six engine from the Austin Westminster. This delivered more power (and a suitable soundtrack), but the engine added weight, so the performance gains were negligible. Anthony Hamilton’s car is finished in British Racing Green and was originally destined for the North American market. He sold it for £37,125.
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Wolseley Hornet
© Silverstone AuctionsWe conclude this look at Anthony Hamilton’s former collection with a rare March-bodied Wolseley Hornet – one of seven built. What a way to explore the British countryside! Selling for £31,500, it also seems like a bit of a bargain.