News & Events

• To global interest, Fiskens presents a far-reaching, best-in-class line-up at Salon Rétromobile in Paris this week

• A compelling selection of exceptional historic automobiles spanning two centuries, from both the road and race track, combining esteemed provenance and historical significance

• Fiskens underlines its long-held position as the company where the world’s greatest automobiles come to be sold

The ultimate season opener, classic motoring enthusiasts recognise Salon Rétromobile in Paris as the go-to international show of its kind. Fiskens cross the Channel every February to present their latest consignments to the motoring cognoscenti. This year, examples range in age and character from an early American 1912 Mercer Raceabout to a 1982 Brabham Ford BT49D grand prix contender.

Unveiled earlier today, the Fiskens collection (Stand N071 in Pavilion 1) attracted serious levels of interest from collectors, the motoring media and enthusiasts alike. The motorsport laurels represented within the collection are momentous, with important period contenders from Le Mans, a string of Grands Prix, the Coupes Des Alpes and the Tulip Rally all on offer.

A highlight of the ensemble must be the very rare and coveted Jaguar E-Type Lightweight '49 FXN'. One of 12 Lightweight Jaguar E-types and one of only two ‘low-drag’ examples, 49 FXN was modified by aerodynamicist Dr Samir Klat for the 1964 Le Mans 24 Hours and heroically campaigned by famous UK privateers Peter Lumsden & Peter Sargent. Its exhaustive period competition history includes the Goodwood Tourist Trophy & Nurburgring 1000km and it boasts a host of other more recent successes in historic motorsport. As arguably the most important and famous Jaguar E-type Lightweight, this heroic car has already received a lot of well-deserved attention in Paris.

49 FXN is perfectly complemented on the Fiskens stand by other great sports racing cars of different eras. The Edwardian period is adroitly covered by the mighty 1912 Mercer Raceabout, the ultimate pre-World War I American playboys' road racer, the thirties by a magnificent 1931 Bugatti Type 50, one of only two surviving fabled Molsheim factory bodied Roadsters, and the sixties by a mighty period American drag racer, a 1963 AC Cobra 289 and a very beautiful short nose 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB/2. For the ultimate sports rally car, look no further than the 1954 Jaguar XK120, a highly original, ex-Works, sports racing Jaguar, prepared and modified for competition use by the Jaguar Works Department and a 1954 Coupes de Alpes victor in the hands of Eric Haddon and Charles Vivian.

For single seater devotees, the delectable 1982 Brabham Ford BT49D, driven by Ricardo Patrese at the 1982 Canadian Grand Prix, is a veritable slice of Formula One History. Believed to be the first time that a BT49 has ever been offered for public sale, this F1 Historic Championship-winning example is no less than the BT49 gifted to its legendary designer Gordon Murray and one of only two not retained by Bernie Ecclestone. The Brabham is joined by a 1954 Maserati 250F, double 1955 Grand Prix winner in the hands of Jean Behra and the 250F driven by Juan Manuel Fangio in his biopic, ‘FANGIO’. Perhaps one of the most beautiful Grand Prix cars ever created, it is the stuff of every post-war schoolboy’s motoring dreams. The 1958 BRM P25 needs little introduction as the only surviving example and victor of the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix driven by Jo Bonnier. A winner and multiple podium finisher at the Goodwood Revival, it remains a highly competitive car.

Whilst competition cars are a hallmark of Fiskens, the company also specialises in the very best road-going sports cars. This year, the journey starts back in the early 1900s with a sporting 1914 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost fitted with its original torpedo Kellner coachwork. Moving forward a few years to the 1920s, Fiskens offers a fine trio of Cricklewood Bentleys – a 1929 Speed Six Bentley Le Mans, which is a matching numbers Speed Six reincarnated in ‘Old Number One’ guise of 1930 Le Mans fame, a 1929 Bentley 4.5 Litre by Maythorn, which is the most sporting original 4.5 litre saloon surviving and a 1930 Bentley Speed Six by Gurney Nutting that is an amazing time capsule vintage Bentley from long-term ownership. Fast-forward to the 1960s and a rare, exceptionally presented 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Short Chassis Volante is available, registered from new to the Montague Burton family; one of the UK’s greatest retail families of the last century.

For more information about Fiskens and to view the current selection of stock, please visit: www.fiskens.com