American built Excalibur sports car modelled on a 1929 Mercedes-Benz SSK, sold for an unprecedented $89,000 at Shannons Melbourne Spring Auction on 4 September after some intense bidding. The new owner will return home to Perth with one of 148 Phaeton Series V models hand-built in Milwaukee, USA between 1985 and 1990, and one of five Excalibur cars believed to exist in Australia.

Another intriguing lot was a genuine 1946 Plymouth ‘Woody’ wagon. Sydney surfer Dick Ash once owned the car and other famous surfers Midget Farrelly, Nat Young and Bob McTavish also drove it. Post-war Plymouth Special DeLuxe station wagons with white ash framing and dark maple exterior wood panelling became the favoured beach transport for young surfers in the late 1950s and ‘60s. The wagon at the auction featured updated running gear for modern driving, but all bodywork was still original. Dick Ash used the Woody as a promotional vehicle for his Okanui brand in the 1980s. Later in the 1990s, a local surf shop took it over. It brought $50,000, no boards included, and will remain on the Victorian coast.

Still other cars with unusual stories emerged. A replica of a 1930s Grand Prix Austin 7 Special built in Australia in the 1970s and raced until 1981, rejoined the son of its original builder, who paid $22,000, and a rare 1967 Nissan Silvia SP311 coupe, sold unreserved for $7,500 will now return to Japan for restoration as part of a car collection.

A large number of muscle car lovers competed hard for an original 1972 Falcon XA GT coupe before stopping at a generous $46,000. Other big American cars also sold well, a 1964 rhd Cadillac Coupe De Ville for $23,500 and a 1974 Cadillac Eldorado convertible at $18,500. Shannons reports 32 of their 42 vehicle lots sold on the night.

If the smell of burning rubber gets you fired up, then Charles Leski’s auction of Le Mans and related memorabilia might be the place for you on 28 September. With 150 lots up for sale - books, posters, programs, tickets, limited edition prints and thousands of photographs covering the history of the famous race - it may be the largest collection of its type in Australia.

Le Mans has been at the pinnacle of motor racing since the 1920s and is also remembered for the ‘Le Mans 1955 Catastrophe’ that claimed 80 lives. As a result of the incident Mercedes-Benz withdrew from motor racing for over 30 years. One of the drivers who narrowly avoided injury was legendary Juan Manuel Fangio. The collection’s owner is a passionate motoring aficionado who aimed to compile one of the most significant collections of Le Mans memorabilia in the world. Leski expects keen bidding from Europe, Asia and the USA as well as Australia.

Among the notable items for sale are over 300 Le Mans newspapers and supplements from 1938 – 2000, including a detailed section on the 1955 disaster, and the rare 1927 Le Mans Program. Pre-sale estimates are between $1,000 and $1,500. There are also a huge number of photographs of the cars and races from 1969 to 2000 and a collection of 1982 posters. All should bring $400 to $800 each.