The inaugural H&H Kelham Hall sale, held near Newark, Nottinghamshire in the UK on September 10, 2025, saw an estimate-busting 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster ‘Rallywagen’, plus other fascinating cars, go up for grabs.
Chassis 198042-10-003167 was completed on November 14, 1962, according to its factory vehicle data record. Supplied new to America, it was among the 11 percent built with an alloy cylinder block and four-wheel disc brakes. First registered in 1963, the car left the factory in Horizon Blue with Cream leather upholstery. By 1989 it belonged to Manhattan resident Sidney Bier, who kept it until 1995. That year it was purchased at Kruse International’s Auburn auction on September 3 by Dick Van Dijk, joining his private museum of more than 100 vehicles in the Netherlands. The original alloy block had already been replaced in the US with a cast-iron unit (number 198.980.7500616).
After some use on the road, in 2003 the decision was made to convert the car into a rally-style machine by Van Dijk. He consulted Niemoeller and HK-Engineering, selecting the latter to support the work. With help from his son, who had prepared vehicles for the Paris-Dakar Rally, the 300 SL was given a new wiring loom, an overhauled injector pump and new window channels and rubbers. The oil-pressure gauge was refurbished and auxiliary instruments added in a bespoke centre console. Ride height was increased with taller-sidewall tyres and discreet spacers, the exhaust was rerouted, underbody guards were fitted and the factory differential replaced with a limited-slip unit from HK-Engineering.
In 2005 Holger Ratgeber carried out an alternator conversion, and further attention was given to the braking and ignition systems. European-specification headlights were fitted. In 2010 the car was refreshed with work to the fuel tank, injectors, steering joints and water pump, and it was repainted in 2011. The seats were improved in 2012 with new internal components.
Fuel-system seals were replaced in 2016 and CKL Developments adjusted the timing chain and choke mechanism in 2019. The upholstery is thought to be period, suggesting it was either fitted very early in the car’s life or replaced at the factory without being noted in the records. In 2020 the rotary-shaft seals were renewed, the front suspension rebuilt and fresh brake hoses fitted. A new cold-start thermostat and four-wheel alignment followed in 2021.
Martin Cushway Engineering serviced the car in 2022 at a cost of £3,187.20. Since then it had covered fewer than 200 miles, and was offered for sale for the first time in 30 years. Against an upper estimate of £750k, with fees applied it sold £761,875. The question is – will it continue as is, or be restored to original condition?
The H&H Kelham Hall sale 2025 was filled with Rolls-Royces and Bentleys; the next highest-value sale – although the figure hasn’t been released – was this 1957 Bentley S1 Continental Park Ward Drophead Coupé Adaptation. Bodied by Park Ward as a Fixed Head Coupé to its Design Number 701, the car was delivered in November 1957 to A Beatty and first registered as ‘UXF 100’. The owner is understood to have been Sir Alfred Chester Beatty, the American-British mining magnate who moved from New York to London in 1911. Known as the ‘King of Copper’, his donations were central to the foundation and survival of what is now the Institute of Cancer Research.
Little is recorded of the car’s early history until 1990, when the then owner commissioned A&B Price to restore it and convert it to Drophead Coupé specification. Using an original Design Number 700 Drophead as a guide, A&B Price undertook a small number of such conversions at the time, noted for their accuracy and finish. At the request of the last keeper, a taller man, the rear hood line was raised slightly to allow him to travel comfortably in the back if not driving. The seller had owned the car since 2008 and spent £200,000 on its upkeep.
One of the brightest-coloured cars at the H&H Kelham Hall sale 2025 was this 1976 Ferrari Dino 308 GT4. In 1986 the car was acquired by Kerry Adams of Windsor, a Formula 1 mechanic who had worked during the 1970s and 1980s for Williams, Brabham and McLaren before establishing the Historic racing preparation business Adams McCall Racing. Adams carried out a full restoration over a period of 20 years, undertaking all the work himself apart from the gearbox and upholstery. On retiring to the South of France he sold the car, which subsequently passed through two further owners before being offered for sale. It sold for £50,625.
Owned for two decades by the late 16/80 specialist Brian Savill, this 1932 Lagonda 16/80 Tourer underwent a full restoration after he bought it in 2003. Originally built with T5 bodywork and first registered in London in November 1932, its recorded ownership begins in 1951 with Geoffrey Lovell Auty of BAC Ltd, a Bristol test pilot involved with the Brabazon project.
Several owners followed through the 1950s and 1960s, before the car was exported to New York in 1969. An unfinished restoration attempt there preceded its repatriation by Savill. Over six years he rebuilt the Lagonda from the chassis up, recording that no component escaped repair, renewal or replacement where necessary. The work included a rebuilt engine with new camshaft, Carillo rods, J&E pistons and improved lubrication, plus new hubs, drums, wheels, gears and upholstery. It sold for an undisclosed fee.
There were some notable no sales at the H&H Kelham Hall sale 2025, however. In addition to the Blow-up 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III DHC we brought you details of here, the above 1937 Aston Martin 15/98 2-Litre ‘Team Car’ Evocation failed to sell against a £120k-£150k estimate, as did a late-chassis-number 1962 Triumph Italia 2000 GT (est £80k-£100k), a recently restored 1968 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage (est £220k-£240k), a one-of-52 UK-spec 1966 TVR Griffith 200/400 (est £55k-£65k) and the 164th right-hand-drive 1961 Jaguar E-type Series I 3.8 Roadster flat-floor (est £80k-£100k), a matching-numbers, restored car.
More details on the H&H Kelham Hall sale 2025 are available here.
