For sale – a 1968 Jaguar and a rare Ducati motorcycle
THERE HAVEN’T been many reasons over the past year why you might have needed a beautifully restored 1968 Jaguar 240 to travel in style.
But classic car enthusiasts who are looking for a dream purchase for countryside trips after lockdown have the opportunity to bid for one described as the best restoration the auctioneer has ever seen this weekend.
Spicers, based in Goole, will auction the fully-restored car, which only has 60,460 miles on its clock, tomorrow in an online show, and it’s expected to fetch between £14,000 to £18,000.
Andy Spicer, business director at Spicers, said: “It took the previous owner four years to restore.
“We’re expecting quite a number of bidders on it – this one is absolutely wonderful.” Other lots which will go up at the online auction include a 1966 Ducati Mach 1 motorcycle, estimated to fetch between £7,000 to £9,000. The bike is the same model that won the Isle of Man TT in 1966. Mr Spicer said: “It’s incredibly rare, and the fastest bike you could get in the day. It’s been beautifully restored by a retired policeman.”
The auction will take place tomorrow starting at 11am. Visit www.spicersauctioneers.com for further details.
TRAVELLERS WERE last night warned to prepare themselves for delays as strong winds and heavy showers battered the country.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind covering the entirety of England and Wales yesterday, with wind speeds expected to reach up to 70mph in coastal areas and high ground.
The RNLI urged people to exercise caution if visiting exposed cliffs, seafronts or piers due to the “severe safety risk” caused by the wind, which is expected to be accompanied by heavy showers. The charity’s head of water safety Gareth Morrison said: “In a normal year around 150 people lose their lives at the coast and we know that more than half of those never intended to be in the water.
“So, whether you are walking, running or cycling at the coast, please be extra responsible and avoid taking unnecessary risks or entering the water.”
But the weather is expected to ease over the course of the weekend in Yorkshire, with no weather warnings in place. There will be showers and sunny spells.
Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: “The weekend is set to have an unsettled start but nothing usual for the time of year.”
CHINA HAS endorsed the Communist Party’s latest move to tighten control over Hong Kong by reducing the role of its public in picking the territory’s leaders.
It adds to the crackdown on protests in Hong Kong since 2019 calling for greater democracy, which has prompted complaints Beijing is eroding the autonomy promised when Hong Kong returned to China in 1997.
The National People’s Congress voted 2,895-0 to endorse changes that give a pro-Beijing committee power to appoint more of Hong
Kong’s legislators, reducing the number elected by the public.
Delegates routinely endorsed party plans by unanimous vote or overwhelming majorities.
President Xi Jinping and other party leaders sat on stage in front of delegates as they voted.
Details of the legislation have yet to be announced but Hong Kong news reports said the committee might pick a third of legislators.
The mainland government has rejected complaints it is eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy and says the changes are necessary to protect the territory’s stability.
Yesterday the people’s congress also endorsed the ruling party’s latest five-year development blueprint.
It calls for increased efforts to transform China into a more self-reliant technology creator – a move that threatens to worsen strains with Washington and Europe over trade and market access.
Last year the party used the congress session to impose a national security law on Hong Kong in response to the protests that began in 2019.
Under that law, 47 former legislators and other pro-democracy figures have been arrested on subversion charges that carry a possible maximum penalty of life in prison.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi defended the changes in Hong Kong, saying they were needed to protect its autonomy and defend its “transition from chaos to governance”.
It came as a Hong Kong court granted bail to a fifth pro-democracy activist and former legislator but revoked bail for another, after both were charged with subversion under a controversial national security law.
The two pro-democracy activists are part of the group of 47 who were arrested over their involvement in an unofficial primary election last year, aimed at determining the strongest candidates in a legislative election that was later postponed due to the pandemic.
Authorities said the primary was part of a plot to paralyse the government and subvert state power, as at least some of the activists had planned to vote down major bills and force Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to resign if their pro-democracy camp had gained a legislative majority. The city’s High Court yesterday granted bail to former Democratic Party legislator Helena Wong, who was one of the candidates in the primaries.
Despite releasing Ms Wong, the court revoked bail granted to another activist, district councillor Ng Kin-wai, who was remanded in custody.
Ms Wong and Mr Ng are among 15 defendants initially granted bail last week, although they were all later kept in custody while the Department of Justice filed an appeal.
The remaining 32 defendants have all been told they will remain behind bars. The next hearing is May 31.
The changes were needed in the transition from chaos to governance. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi defending the changes.