Last Blast of Summer at Shannons Melbourne Auction

MELBOURNE – Feb 7, 2013: Shannons will celebrate southern Australia’s last blast of sunny weather at its Melbourne Late Summer sale, with 12 of the 40 vehicle lots on offer dropping their tops on February 18.

The standout topless car of the auction is a superb three-owner 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280SL Convertible equipped with both ‘Pagoda’ hardtop and soft top that is believed to have covered just 68,746 miles from when it was sold new in Sydney.

Because of its presentation, original condition and low mileage, Shannons expect this very desirable Mercedes SL to sell in the $85,000-$100,000 range.

The 280SL is one of three classic Mercedes-Benz SLs in the auction. Also offered is a rare high-performance two-owner 2002 SLK32 AMG Convertible that is believed to be one of 28 delivered in Australia ($30,000-$36,000) and a well-presented, three-owner 1972 350SL Convertible with an indicated 130,127 indicated miles since new ($16,000-$20,000).

From the United States, the top drop-top is a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette C1 Convertible finished in red with white coves that is expected to sell in the $60,000-$68,000 range.

The right hand drive car has been in the same ownership since 2000 and comes with the desirable 283-cid V8 and two-speed Powerglide transmission combination, while it has received a front disc brake conversion to make it a more attractive daily driver.

Matching it for desirability is a left hand drive, fully-restored 1967 Mustang ‘S-Code’ 390 GT Convertible that was factory fitted with a four-speed manual gearbox. Because of its excellent condition and rare Big Block/manual transmission combination, the Mustang is expected to sell in the $50,000-$58,000 range.

Also from the United States are a ‘no reserve’ left hand drive 1964 Ford Thunderbird Convertible that has been in its current ownership for 11 years ($26,000-$32,000) and a huge right hand drive 1966 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible that was mechanically overhauled in 2000 and was recently fitted with a new soft top ($24,000-$28,000).

From Britain, there is a beautiful, two-owner from new 1998 Jaguar XK8 Convertible that is showing just 83,000km from new. The concours class-winning Jaguar presents beautifully and has a comprehensive service history, justifying its projected guiding range of $32,000-$38,000.

Other great ‘Britons’ in the auction include a very well presented Signal Red 1971 Triumph TR6 Roadster with 93,518 indicated miles ($20,000-$24,000) and a rarely-seen in Australia 1973 Jensen Healey Mk 1 Roadster that has been in the vendor’s ownership for 12 years ($10,000-$14,000).

There are also two classic 1960s MGs in the auction – a very tidy 1967 MGB Mk I ($8,000-$12,000) and a 1961 MGA Mk I ‘running restoration project’ mechanically upgraded with an 1800cc MGB engine that is being offered with no reserve ($9,000-$12,000).