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Prestige Classic Car collection to be auctioned in New Zealand

1 March, 2019

 

 

On Sunday, 17 March, Auckland-based auction house Webb’s will offer one of the most distinguished personal collections of Classic Cars to be auctioned in New Zealand: the Roy Savage Collection.

The auction follows the successful sale of the first part of the Roy Savage Collection in 2016. This auction focused on British post-war classics and achieved multiple auction records, such as a 1955 Jaguar XK140 selling for $258,750, and the 1972 Rover P5B, 1966 Jaguar MK II, and 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SL selling for $149,500, with total sales of nearly $1.5 million.

This time around, the auction will feature some of the most prestigious marques ever to come on the market in New Zealand, with seven Rolls-Royces offered, including a New Zealand–new 1951 Silver Dawn and an ultra-low mileage 1978 Corniche Convertible. Further highlights include a rare 1955 Allard Palm Beach Mark 1 Convertible (only 74 of this model ever manufactured), a 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Manual, and 1953 Bentley R-Type.

For buyers whose need is more fundamental, there are two 5-Series BMWs, and for those who favour the rural pursuit, there’s the 1964 Land Rover, which carries a cult-classic status due to its enduring and iconic look. Also up for auction is what was often Roy’s daily driver, a Rover 3500 that he owned since 1973 and has just 62,623 on the clock.

Following Roy’s passing in 2017, the Savage family have again entrusted Webb’s to market the balance of their father’s passion. The collection is not the disposal of a static museum, but every car is registered, warranted, and has detailed service records.

The auction is set to take place at the Southward Car Museum in Paraparaumu, one hour north of Wellington, on Sunday, 17 March at 2pm. Prior to the auction the vehicles can be viewed at the museum 14—16 March, 10am–4pm and 17 March, 9am–11am. To view the full catalogue of 18 cars, visit webbs.co.nz.

Chrysler’s classy cruiser

22 May, 2026

I first saw our feature car, a 1970 V8-powered Regal 770 hardtop, towing a trailer carrying the tidy Ford Anglia classic racing saloon in Broadspeed racing colours that has featured in these pages. The coupe is comparatively rare here, which means anyone contemplating purchasing one of these big two-doors is sure to see prices continue to climb. The latter Charger has claimed much of the Aussie Chrysler limelight, but the simpler and classier lines of this car, which appeared dated soon after its introduction, now have a more timeless appeal.
Former owner, Balclutha motor engineer, Mike Verdoner, remembers the car well. He believes it came from Dunedin originally.
“I’m not sure about the car’s history, but I bought it off its owner at Kaitangata. Unusually, it was advertised in the local newspaper, the Clutha Leader, which was a surprise as these usually go for a lot more money on the internet. I had it for quite a few years. It needed a little bit of work to tidy it up, so I had to decide whether to spend the money on it to do it up, which could have been twenty grand. Its value at the time was not like it is now, so I sold it to Ewan. It’s probably now worth three or four times what I sold it for.”

The Pininfarina 230 SL

14 May, 2026

It’s October 1964, and imagine you’re an automotive journalist covering that year’s Paris Auto Show (Mondial de l’Automobile). As you approach the Pininfarina booth, you come across a car that looks a bit like the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL introduced the previous year at the Geneva Auto Show, a car then arriving at Mercedes-Benz dealerships around the world.
But looking closely, its styling and proportions seem to be a bit different. And it has a fixed roof, unlike the Pagoda-style greenhouse of the removable hardtop seen on the production 230 SL. While today, the styling of the W113, under the supervision of Head of Styling Friedrich Geiger, with lead designers Paul Bracq and Bela Barenyi, is considered a mid-century modern masterpiece, acceptance in-period was not universal. Some critics called out the concave design of its removable roof, which ultimately gave the car its “Pagoda” nickname.