gs

The Real Car Co Ltd

sellertype

Trade

Posted

2 days ago

description

A particularly sound and correct example of a desirable & rare drophead, restored in the 1970s to an award-winning standard. In fact, amongst other prizes, B4HR won several awards at Pebble Beach, including 1st place in class in 1978. When new, the car was displayed at the Earls Court Motor Show, before being delivered to its first owner in Gibraltar, later going to the USA and later still to France. Forty-six years after the restoration (thirty-two of which were with one owner), the car is still in very good order, running and driving very pleasantly, excellent structurally, including doors which close with a satisfying 'click' with no up & down movement and a rust-free chassis & underside, due no doubt to the warm dry climates the car has lived in at various stages of its life. Cosmetically, the paint is showing its age & lifting in places, but still mostly presentable, the leather is original, in very good condition with no rips or tears, the woodwork is attractive and the hood & lining are excellent. Looking very handsome in two shades of green with tan leather and a beige power hood. The car is fitted both with original trafficators & flashing indicators, which are incorporated into the existing side and tail lights - very neat. There are even colour co-ordinated inertia reel seat belts fitted and radial ply tyres to which the car is well suited. Wholesome and appealing, a desirable car and good value for money, offered serviced, performing very nicely, and MoT tested until November 2025.

Chassis No. B4HR Reg. No. LLH 236

Snippets: Cars & Owners with Awards

The first owner of B4HR was Douglas Lee Hunter MC OBE, he was awarded the Military Cross in July 1944 in recognition of "his gallant & distinguished services in Burma" and in 1945 he was awarded a 2nd Military Cross as a Bar - in February 1945 Hunter had been dropped by parachute into Perak, Malaysia from where he gathered intelligence on behalf of Army Command, Hunter was, according to Boris Hembry author of "Malayan Spymaster" "ruthless, cold & calculating". During the late 1950s / late 1960s B4HR was with the 16th Earl of Winchilsea - by marriage and blood he is related to the Drexels (US Banking), Vanderbilts (Railroads & Banking) and his uncle Denys Finch-Hatton was the inspiration for the film "Out of Africa" starring Robert Redford & Meryl Streep. In 1964 B4HR was registered to Bernard Hatfield who was the Earl of Winchilea's father-in-law. By the 1980s B4HR was in America with Robert Emery Wanless - in 1954 Capt R. E. Wanless was the Chief Pilot on the inaugural flight of the new Pan Am "Stratocruiser" which flew for 4 hours over the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley before returning to New York over Washington and Baltimore. After retirement Robert Wanless indulged in his passion for classic cars and he entered B4HR 4 times into the Pebble Beach Concours, in 1978 his efforts were rewarded with 1st place. The car had previously been placed 2nd & 3rd in this event. Robert's father was Sir William James Wanless who became a surgeon and in 1889 he emigrated to India where he remained for 40 years. His patients included commoners, princes, rajahs and Mahatma Ghandi - today there is a modern teaching hospital in Miraj named the Wanless Hospital.

Climate Control; V5 Registration Document; Safety Belt Pretensioners; Previously Registered Overseas

About Us:
The Real Car Company was established in 1987 by Ray Arnold & Ian Johnstone. It was a hobby that 'Got out of hand'. Our interest in cars of the type that we now sell goes back to our childhoods, and ownership back to the 1970's. Gradually more cars started passing through our hands, and by 1986 we had decided to make a full time occupation of buying and selling the cars that we love.

We started with a single car (all we could afford) which we sold quickly, and before we knew it we had 4 or 5 on our hands! This was alongside another business that we were involved in at the time. In the Spring of 1988 we gave up the other business, (exhaust systems), rented part of the premises that we still operate from now, and went full time.

We had a good start in the boom years of the late eighties, which set us up well enough for us to ride the storm of recession in the years that followed. As the years went on the number of cars going through our hands increased gradually, we built up a workforce, and we now carry a stock of around 40 to 50 vehicles and there are nine of us here. In 1999 we were awarded 'International Classic Car Dealer of the Year' by Classic Cars Magazine. The market for 'our' kind of cars is nicely stable, generally prices are creeping upwards all the time, and we feel that investing in a car - or cars - of the type that we sell is generally a great place to put your money. Don't do it just for investment, but you can get a great deal of pleasure from these vehicles, prices are - in our opinion - unlikely to drop, and you can't drive a share certificate! Some prices in the last three or four years have moved up considerably, and these cases have shown a tremendous return on investment.

Over the last fifteen years or so we have brought home several hundred cars from the USA, and we are always looking for more. If you know of a Rolls-Royce or Bentley anywhere in the world, in absolutely any condition, please let us know. Distance no object, commissions happily paid. We always particularly enjoy the 'barn finds'.



Opening Hours:
Mo: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Tu: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
We: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Th: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Fr: 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM
Sa: Closed
Su: Closed

Why buy from us?
* Classic Cars
* Over 30 years in business
* Cars are physically at our premises
* Lovely roads to test drive on
* Our reputation

Year

1950

Mileage

0 miles

Body Type

Convertible

Transmission

Manual

Colour

Other

Seats

4

Doors

2

Luggage Capacity (seats Up)

210 litres

location

Bangor, Gwynedd