Old beauties vie with a new electric Merc EQS
Pulling up silently in a Mercedes-Benz EQS to view a classic car auction of bad-ass collectables is, if not inappropriate, then a tad schizophrenic.
About 70 classic gems were to be sold in what was said to be the largest classic and collectable car auction this decade – and Creative Rides invited me along to the media preview in Constantiaberg, Cape Town.
Arriving in my state-of-the-art electric Mercedes-Benz EQS, I could not have chosen a better ride to highlight the difference between motoring these days and the golden liquid fuel era, when the internal combustion engine was king.
As I strolled up and down aisles of aged metal, refurbished leather and gleaming chrome, the Creative Rides collection left me breathless. From a 1975 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray V8 LS5 to a 1971 Ford Capri Perana V8 Automatic; from a 1985 Alfa Romeo GTV6 3L to a 1987 BMW 333i… There were classic Landies and Porsches, Ferraris and Mercs, you name it.
I took a spin as a passenger in a left-handdrive powder blue VW Karmann Ghia coupé which made me feel like I was in a glamorous 1960s movie.
But the oldie that captured my heart was a bright blue Citroën DS 20 Pallas, in perfect condition and similar to the model in which French President Charles de Gaulle escaped an assassination attempt in 1964, thanks to the superior performance of his presidential cabbie. For a minute I contemplated dipping into my access bond to buy the Citroën.
I couldn’t be at the auction in person but spent a thrilling four hours watching it online. So, too, did many other classic car fans and registered bidders from 14 countries, including Italy, India, Dubai, Switzerland, New Zealand and Japan.
A bunch of lots smashed the R1-million price barrier, breaking a record set at Creative Rides’ recent auction in Joburg.
These included a 1987 BMW 333i, which went for R1.255-million, and another Beemer – a magnificent 2017 BMW M4 GTS – going for nearly R1.175-million.
A 1987 red Ferrari 328 GTS sold for R1.1-million, while an impeccably restored 1962 Alfa Giulia Sprint SS fetched R1.25-million. But it was another Italian car, the 1957 Alfa Giulietta Sprint Veloce Lightweight 750E Conrero racer that stole the show, selling to a Swiss national, represented by a bidder on the floor in Cape Town, for R2.7-million.
“We weren’t surprised by interest in this car considering Bertone’s tiny production run (between 100 and 200 cars), which has made the Alfa Giulietta Sprint Veloce Lightweight one of the rarest cars in the world,” said Creative Rides CEO Kevin Derrick.