It’s out of this world!
The ex-John Willment Racing Team Ford Galaxie 500, driven by British racing legend, Jack Sears, to the 1963 British Saloon Car Championship, more than doubled its estimate when it was hammered away at the Revival.
Auctioneer, Bonhams, expected the 7.0-litre V8 behemoth to achieve £180,000-220,000, but it quickly overtook this conservative estimate, with the hammer falling at £471,900.
‘Gentleman Jack’ Sears was the inaugural 1958 British Saloon Car Champion and beloved by motorsport enthusiasts for proving doubters wrong behind the enormous Galaxie’s wheel. Few thought it capable of being competitive against far nimbler cars, such as the Mini Cooper and Lotus Cortina, and fewer still ever thought that it could topple Jaguar and its all-conquering saloons, but the Galaxie’s outright power saw it win the day.
The Ford later passed to Bob Olth off, who dominated the South African Championship and retained it until 1989, when Sears bought it back and had it painstakingly restored, with much of the work being completed by former Willment race engineer, Mike Brown.
Jack Sears, who was a regular at Goodwood events, even after his career ended, died in August 2016. The Galaxie was the highlight of his eight-car collection, which was sold at the Revival. Other ex-Sears cars included a Rolls-Royce Phantom III Limousine by Thrupp & Maberley, a Mercedes-Benz 280 SL and an MG TC.
Don’t miss next week’s CCW for a full report on Bonhams’ Revival sale.