2020-02-09 16:06:30 | pauls writes:

Car was at auction 2/20
www.bonhams.com/auctions/26005/lot/219/

Auction description:
Lot 219*
1961 Jaguar Mk2 3.8-Litre
Chassis no. 217687
€ 180,000 - 200,000
US$ 200,000 - 220,000
Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais
6 Feb 2020, 14:00 CET
Paris, The Grand Palais

Ex-Bernard Consten; 1961 Tour de France Automobile Class-winning
1961 Jaguar Mk2 3.8-Litre
Chassis no. 217687
•Specially prepared by the Jaguar factory for the 1961 Tour de France Automobile
•Delivered new to France
•Known ownership history
•Present ownership since 1990
•Well maintained
Footnotes

Bernard Consten is a household name when 1950s and 1960s motor sport comes up in conversations both in France and around the world. Motor sport - specifically rallying - played an important role in Bernard's life from an early age when, as a student of the renowned HEC (École des Hautes Études Commerciales) in the early 1950s, he would sneak off in order to listen to the results of the Tour de France Automobile on the radio. Bernard would go on to win that event's Touring Car Class no fewer than five times (1958, 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1963). He was also French national rally champion in 1958, 1961, 1962 and 1967); a six times Le Mans 24 Hours participant; and winner of the Coupe des Alpes and Liège-Rome-Liège, the extraordinary 95 hours non-stop rally of 1958. He has also participated in the Targa Florio, Mille Miglia, Nürburgring and Paris 1,000km races, and the Sebring 12 Hours to mention just a few.

Following a successful professional career, Bernard Consten was president of the FFSA (Fédération Française des Sports Automobiles) from 1968 to 1973 and organised the Tour de France Automobile from 1969 to 1980. He participated in numerous events including acting as route planner and 'opening car' on the Tour Auto Retrospective. A modest and passionate former champion, he died aged 85 in 2017.

Bernard Consten had won the Touring Car Class of the 1960 Tour de France Automobile driving a factory-prepared Jaguar Mk2 saloon registered '5 KG 75'. For the following year's event he asked the Jaguar factory to prepare another 3.8-litre car and asked if he could have a third fuel tank installed in addition to the main tank and the auxiliary tank in the spare wheel emplacement. The factory said it was not possible, so one can imagine how upset Bernard was when he discovered that all the British-entered factory-prepared cars had an additional auxiliary tank in the boot! This resulted in Consten preparing his own Jaguars for future TdF events, of which he won a further two. All of which makes the Mk2 offered here the last car the Jaguar factory prepared for Consten, a letter from Jaguar France confirms. The car was registered just in time for the 1961 TdFA as '777 LL 75' and still carries its 1961 TdFA participant's badge. A letter from Jaguar on file dated October 1969 confirms that '217687' was specially prepared for the Tour de France.

Its next owner, a Mr Dubois from Lille, kept the Jaguar from 1962 until 1968, during which period it was registered '926 DN 59'. He was followed by another Lille resident, a Mr Danjou, who owned the car, still registered '926 DN 59', from 1969 until 1981. The current vendor, enthusiastic historic car collector and owner of the Bridgehampton raceway Long Island, Robert Rubin, acquired the ex-Consten Jaguar from the next owner, a Mr Teboul from Meudon, in 1990. During Mr Teboul's ownership the Jaguar was registered '4158 SB 92', although the numberplates were not changed and the car hardly ever used.

Never involved in any accidents while in the vendor's care, the Jaguar remains highly original and has been maintained with no expense spared by Northumberland Enterprises Corporation, automobile engineers and coachbuilders of Southampton, New York, USA. There are 28 pages of invoices on file covering the period 2006 to 2017 for various works including a complete engine rebuild in 2011/2012 (close inspection recommended). Always a strong performer, albeit used sparingly over the last couple of years, the car was recently back at Northumberland Engineering for servicing and a thorough check over to make sure that everything works prior to shipment.

Please note this motor car is subject to the reduced local import tax should it remains in the EU. Bonhams is the guarantor of the customs duties and taxes clearance: consequently, this motor car cannot be released to the buyer or his transporter immediately after the sale.