Roy Savage Collection T
Ferrari celebrates 70 years
All 30 cars from the personal collection of the renowned Wellington businessman Roy Savage have sold, with many achieving double their pre-auction estimates, making it one of the most successful car auctions to ever take place in New Zealand.
Multiple auction records were set, including those from the 1955 Jaguar XK140, which achieved $258,750 against a pre-auction estimate of $120K to $140K; the 1972 Rover P5B 3.5-litre coupé, which sold for $57,500; and the 1966 Jaguar Mk2 3.8-litre, which sold for $71,300. Another record price was achieved for a pagodaroofed Mercedes-benz, with a stunning 1969 Mercedes-benz 280SL selling for $149,500. Mossgreen-webb’s head of collectors cars, Robert Richards, said, “I am delighted with the extraordinary result, which drew over 350 attendees to the auction room, plus numerous phone, online, and absentee bidders keen to acquire cars from this collection, which has outstanding provenance and long-held ownership by Roy Savage. This encouraged competitive bidding, resulting in a successful sale, and multiple auction records have been broken.”
This auction is the house’s most successful SingleOwner Department sale since inception. Head of department James Hogan said, “We are honoured to see this wonderful collection go under the hammer and to witness the overwhelming public response to it.” He continued, “We would like to thank Roy Savage and his son John for entrusting their personal collection to Mossgreen-webb’s, and we are delighted that it [the auction] proved to be such a roaring success.”
The Roy Savage Collection of Classic Cars, considered one of the most honest ever to be offered at auction in New Zealand, attracted a phenomenal level of interest locally and abroad, with thousands of collectors and enthusiasts viewing the cars over the last three days. The humble philanthropist, Roy Savage, will donate a portion of the auction proceeds to the Life Education Trust.
Top 10 prices achieved at the Roy Savage Collection Auction: 1955 Jaguar XK 140 fixed-head coupé, achieving $258,750. 1972 Rover P5B 3.5-litre coupé automatic (achieving $57,500), the previously mentioned 1966 Jaguar Mk2 3.8-litre manual saloon ($71,300), the aforementioned 1969 Mercedes-benz 280SL automatic ($149,500), and the 1996 Bentley Azure drophead coupé ($138K). The 1969 Jaguar E-type Series II 4.2 fixed-head coupé achieved $143,750, the 1965 AustinHealey 3000 BJ8 MKIII achieved $109,250, the 1955 MG TF 1500 achieved $71,300, the 1977 Land Rover Series III 2.3-litre achieved $29,900, and the 1930 Ford Model A Deluxe cabriolet achieved $29,900.
Readers may recall Carrington House — which is located at 285 High Street North, Carterton, Wellington — as being one of the country’s finest examples of a privately owned heritage sight. The residence drew attention after being registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (now Heritage New Zealand) as a Category 2 Historic Place in 1983, and joined the New Zealand Gardens Trust as a Garden of Significance in 2013, but what is not as widely known is that the historic sheds and stables located on the property house owner John Cameron’s 60 years’ worth of private collecting in motoring memorabilia. Among the collection are vintage petrol pumps, original metal signs, vintage workshop equipment, oil tins, number plates, and a series of Rolls-royce–related signs and advertising, which includes a dealer’s mirror from Conduit Street, London. The excitement continues inside a large shed dedicated to John’s high-end models, many representing vehicles he has owned in the past, including a rare, large glass-cased 1932 RollsRoyce Phantom II Sedanca coupé.
John said of the collection, “I have been interested in collectable cars and memorabilia for many years, particularly Rolls-royce, Bentley, and Mercedes-benz, and I have owned many, from the 1920s to the latest models, and many of the models, signs, and advertising that are to be auctioned represent these vehicles — as [when] the property is sold, I will have nowhere in the future to store them.”
John’s collection will go under the hammer at Carrington House’s Motoring Memorabilia and Model Auction at 10am on February 25. Viewing will be from 1pm to 4pm on Friday February 24, and from 8.30am on the morning of sale. For more info, images, and catalogues, go to wakefieldauctions.co.nz or Facebook: ‘Mike Perry’s/ Wakefield Auctions’.