Bonhams Australian motoring division has been entrusted with the sale of a rare 1949 Jaguar XK120 alloy-bodied Roadster from the highly esteemed collection of The Late The Hon. John Dawson-Damer.
On Saturday 13th November Bonhams Australia will hold their first collectors’ motor car auction as a wholly owned subsidiary of the international company. Early entries for the sale indicate that a mouth watering array of cars will go under the hammer not least of which is the aforementioned Jaguar.
This rare car is the 17th Jaguar XK120 made and is one of only 58 right hand drive alloy-bodied roadsters produced. Chassis number ‘660017’ was sold new in Australia and carries extensive local race history including a number of appearances at the world famous Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst, NSW. Having passed through a number of local owner/racers the car was purchased by world famous Lotus collector/historic racer and rally ace John Dawson-Damer in the late 1970s. Having been fully restored by Dawson-Damer in the mid-late 1990s the car has seen little use since and is offered for sale on the open market for the first time in over three decades. It is estimated to fetch at least AUD $140,000.
Robert Glover head of collectors’ motor cars at Bonhams Australia comments “Having overseen the successful sale of John’s exceptional collection of Lotus racing cars in late 2008, we feel both privileged and honoured that Bonhams have been entrusted with the sale of further motor cars from one of the most highly regarded collections in Australia and indeed the world.”
Also offered for sale from the same collection will be a 1979 Lotus Esprit JPS Edition. Purchased new from the factory by John Dawson-Damer, this single owner from new car is offered for sale without reserve. It will give collectors’ an affordable opportunity to purchase a part of the Dawson-Damer Lotus legacy not to mention a rare example of Lotus’s first true super car.
The Late Honourable John Dawson-Damer was an expatriate Englishman who spent most of his life in Australia. During his life John became heavily involved in motorsport mainly through rallying but also became famous throughout the worldwide motoring enthusiast group by amassing the most significant collection of Lotus Single-Seater racing cars in the world outside of that owned by the family of Lotus founder Colin Chapman. John, a much loved and highly revered historic motor racer and enthusiast did a huge amount for the motor racing movement both in Australia and Europe. Tragically he was killed whilst competing in England in one of his beloved Lotus Formula 1 car in 2000. Since then his family have continued to maintain some of his superb collection. In 2008 6 of the 7 Lotus racing cars from the collection were sold in Sydney. His children retain and race a significant Formula 1 Lotus racing car in memory of their late father.
www.bonhams.com/carssydney
