Gullwing looks to fly at Charterhouse Car Auction


The Charterhouse auction of classic cars and automobilia at Sherborne Castle on Sunday 17th July includes an ultra rare Ostermeier Mercedes 300SL Gullwing.

“We have had a great start to the year with our classic car auctions and have now been instructed to sell this Mercedes Gullwing re-creation at our next auction in the wonderful grounds of Sherborne Castle” Commented Matthew Whitney. “It has been consigned for sale by a West Country collector and has been much admired at recent outings, with the only real giveaway being the tax disc shows the car is not tax exempt. The quality of the Ostermeier re-creations is legendary and it even comes complete

with custom made fitted luggage in red leather matching the interior of the car.”

This Ostermeier 300SL Gullwing is just one of about 250 made and although it is estimated at £150,000-180,000, is offered for sale at a fraction of the cost of an original 300SL Gullwing. Built in 1998 it comes with full Mercedes history and speedometer records just 4,700 kms from new. Also entered into this important auction of classic cars are an Austin Healey 3000 £27,000-30,000, a Jaguar MkII 3.4 litre £17,000-19,000, a Jaguar E Type convertible £30,000-35,000, a Ford Zephyr 6 convertible £12,00014,000, a Porsche Carrera replica £10,000-12,000,  a Jowett Bradford van £7,500-8,500 and for someone looking for a restoration project there is a rare Bristol 408 at £3,200-3,500.

For more information regarding this auction, or to enter a car into the sale, please contact Matthew Whitney, Head of Classic Cars  at Charterhouse, The Long Street Salerooms, Sherborne on 01935 812277 or via email  mw@charterhouse-auctions.co.uk




Matthew Whitney and the Ostermeier re-creation Mercedes 300SL Gullwing going under the Charterhouse hammer in their auction on Sunday 17th July at Sherborne Castle, Dorset £150,000-180,000
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The Origin of Car Insurance

One of the most widespread types of insurances in the world, car insurance is a legal requirement for car owners in almost every country on earth. Car insurance may cover not only all types of physical damage to any vehicles involved in an accident but also the medical expenses of any persons involved in an accident. It may also cover damage inflicted to property in any accident involving a vehicle.
Marine Insurance

The ancient Chinese were the first to come up with the idea of insuring a traveling unit. When the Americas were first being settled, Chinese merchants would often ship huge amounts of valuable merchandise across the Atlantic Ocean. These were dangerous trips with great risks involved and occasionally entire ships would disappear, either having sunk in a fierce storm or having been captured by pirates.

A group of Chinese entrepreneurs began offering insurance policies on ships undertaking these dangerous voyages. In return for a small fee, these entrepreneurs offered to take the risk off the merchants and put it on themselves. They would earn the small fee if nothing happened to the ship, but they would have to pay for any damages inflicted on the ship while under their insurance policy. This became known as marine insurance and is still in practice in many of today’s commercial ports.
The Evolution of Car Insurance

As the use of cars became more and more widespread, policymakers began to adapt the idea of marine insurance to land-based motor vehicles. The government soon decided that it was a risk as well as a privilege to operate one’s motor vehicle on public property. Laws were passed that legally required car owners to purchase car insurance both to protect themselves and others in case of an accident. The first state to mandate car insurance was Massachusetts who, in 1927, made insurance mandatory for all vehicles on their roads. Today, car insurance is mandatory in all 50 states.
The First Car Insurance Policies

The very insurance policy to be issued in the United States was in the early 1800s - nearly a hundred years before motorized vehicles became widespread. In 1895, a company owned by English investors issued the first policy with liability coverage included. Liability coverage was introduced to the United States three years later in 1898. Today, although every state has a different minimum amount of required obligations in their car insurance laws, liability coverage is mandatory in all 50.

Miles Walker is a freelance writer who normally writes feature articles for carinsurancecomparison.org. He recently wrote about California car insurance.

100 Mile an Hour Man






















Charterhouse Auctioneers have been instructed to sell the highly important collection of photographs, trophies, Brooklands badges and ephemera belonging to the great late Claude F Temple, the motorcycle manufacturer, Brooklands racer and motorcycle speed world record holder. The collection is expected to sell for over £5,000 when it goes under the hammer.

“Rarely do such historically important motorcycle items appear on the open market, as the majority is held by museums, institutions or is in private collections.” Commented Matthew Whitney. “He was the first person to cover 100 miles in less than one hour on a motorcycle at Montlhery in 1924, when he covered 100 miles in 58 minutes and 50.6 seconds which is equivalent to 101.982 mph. Just a couple of years later, in 1926, he became the fastest man on two wheels when he took the world speed record on a motorcycle at 121.3 mph. This is a fantastic collection from a golden age of motorcycles, when men were men and health and safety had not been invented.”

This is the first time the collection has appeared on the open market. It comes direct from a close family friend who lives on the Isle of Man, home of the famous motorcycle races. The collection will be auctioned at the Footman James 32nd Bristol Classic Car Show on Sunday 17th April together with other interesting items of automobilia, motorcycles, vintage and classic cars, including a 1948 Bentley Mk VI Special, at £48,000 – 52,000 and a 1960 Jaguar Mk II 2.4 litre manual overdrive saloon, with only three owners all living within 10 miles of each other in Devon estimated at £10,000 -12,000. Perhaps more fittingly however, there is monster of a motorcycle in the form of a Suzuki GSX-R 1000. This has been extensively modified by Harris Racing as their show bike and demonstrator. Painted in Barry Sheene racing colours, this bike is capable of over 200 mph, and estimated at £7,500-9,000.

For more information regarding this auction or to consign a single item or a complete collection, please contact Matthew Whitney at our head office in Sherborne on 01935 812277 or via email  mw@charterhouse-auctions.co.uk and please visit our website www.charterhouse-auctions.co.uk to  view the regularly updated Classic Car preview pages.

Making history on a motorcycle – a group of photographs of Claude Temple from his own archive.Quick Links
Forthcoming Sale Previous Sale Sale PreviewTel: (01935) 812277
For further information regarding this article, please contact Richard Bromell, Partner
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