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Aston Martin Ulster to break world record

16 June, 2014

 

There may be another Aston Martin about to break world records at auction. As seen in yesterday’s article, The Persuaders! vehicle sold for more than NZD$1 million. However, the upcoming Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale may just see another record breaker in the rare Aston Martin Ulster.

The ex-Works Aston Martin Ulster CMC 614 has an incredible racing history  and is one of only 21 production Ulsters ever built. It’s estimated at £1.4 million–1.6 million (approx. NZD$2.8 million–3.2 million) and it is expected to beat the existing world record of £1.3 million set by Bonhams last December for a pre-war Aston Martin at auction.

The Ulster’s racing history dates back nine decades and 100 races. It has raced every year since 1935 — excluding a rest period throughout World War II — and is built for endurance and pace. The two-seater Ulster features a four-cylinder 1496cc engine and is guaranteed to reach speeds of  up to 100mph.

This particular Ulster started its racing career in 1935 at the Mille Miglia. It finished eighth in the 1935 Le Mans 24-hour race and went on to complete the Targa Abruzzo 24-hour sports car event in Italy — finishing third overall and first in class.

As a period entrant in both the Mille Miglia and Le mans races, CMC 614 is not only eligible, but positively welcomed to the great historic motor sport events worldwide. This includes the Mille Retrospective, Le Mans Classic, Goodwood Revival, Monterey Historic, California Mille, and Colorado Grand.

Bonhams Group Head of Motoring James Knight says, “CMC 614 certainly has the potential to exceed the existing Ulster record we established a few months ago. This car has the added benefit of being a Works entry that competed at the very highest international level. It will attract international interest and we are looking forward to an exciting sale.

NZ Classic Car magazine, September/October 2026 issue 407, on sale now

16 August, 2026

We love bugs!
A bit of TLC that became a major restoration
The 1302S, or ‘Super Beetle’ as it became known, was built for two years before it, too, was replaced by a further-enhanced Beetle, the 1303, continuing an amazing 65-year lineage for one of the World’s best-known shapes.
The world’s best-selling single-model vehicle, the VW Beetle, possibly established another record for the amount of controversy it has created since the inception of the Type 1.
In a meeting with Hitler in June 1934, Ferdinand Porsche was contracted to build a ‘People’s Car’ that could accommodate two adults and three children, was air-cooled and simple to maintain, and could cruise economically at moderate speed along Germany’s proposed new Autobahns.
Our feature car, a 1972 1302S ‘Super Beetle’, was found by Dave and Michelle Dickie in Mosgiel a few years back. It was a runner, but like most VWs of this age, it needed a little TLC. They were looking for a daily driver for Michelle when they first came upon the VW being sold locally on behalf of its owner.
“The owner offered it to his grandchildren, and they didn’t want it, so he got the guy out at Mosgiel in the Mobil petrol station to sell it for him, and he put it on Trade Me for them. We never met the owner, and we were always dealing with the guy at the petrol station. We put a bid on it, and we were the only people that bid on it.”
Their bid was eventually successful, eight years ago. Not knowing much of the history, in situations like that, it’s always a risk buying a car, but they were in for a bit of a surprise.

The other Q car

12 August, 2026

Say the word ‘bond’ to anyone in the street and around 80 per cent straight away think of pop culture’s least-secret secret agent. The other 20 per cent may think of the wad of cash required to secure a flat or hire equipment that one gets back providing the fixtures and fittings stay much as they were.
However, mention ‘bond’ in specialist classic car circles and people will spin a very different yarn. If you dig deep enough, you will find an eccentric British carmaker that, throughout its 23 years in business, spawned some quirky and charming little cars.
The company was founded by Paul Sharp in 1922 under the name of Sharp’s Commercials Limited. However, the company did not start producing cars until 1948. The first car to carry the Bond name was the Bond Minicar. A three-wheeled, soft-top, two-cylinder eco car, the Minicar was a big hit at the time as the desire for an economical urban runabout that didn’t attract four-wheel car tax was strong in post-war Britain. All in all, 34,285 Minicars were produced over 26 years in a variety of variants.