{"id":369624,"date":"2011-12-20T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2011-12-20T12:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportscardigest.com\/?p=38734"},"modified":"2024-12-06T03:34:36","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T03:34:36","slug":"daniels-collection-at-bonhams-goodwood-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.supercars.net\/blog\/daniels-collection-at-bonhams-goodwood-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed (2012) – Daniels Collection"},"content":{"rendered":"

The George Daniels Collection of motorcars and motorcycles will headline the 2012 Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed auction, scheduled for Friday 29th June on the Tapestry Lawn at Goodwood House in Chichester, Sussex. The seven automobiles and two motorcycles consigned to the Bonhams Goodwood sale are expected to realise in excess of \u00a38,000,000.<\/p>\n

George Daniels CBE, DSc, FBHI, FSA (1926-2011) was one of the few modern watchmakers who could conceive, design and hand-make a complete watch from blank sheet of paper to finished, ticking, utterly supreme timepiece. Daniels is perhaps most famous for creating the co-axial escapement (the device that drives a timekeeping mechanism) which has been described as the most important horological development for 250 years.<\/p>\n

As a specialist watchmaker, during his lifetime he created less than 100 pocket watches and wristwatches, each of which would typically involve 2,500 hours of work. His love of engineering also led to his abiding interest in fine motorcars and he accumulated an impressive collection over the years. He took part in numerous vintage car races until he was politely \u2018warned off\u2019 by the RAC Motor Sports Association on grounds of age. In 2010 he was awarded the CBE, and he is the only watchmaker ever to receive the honour of \u2018Master Watchmaker, for services to Horology\u2019.<\/p>\n

The jewel in the crown of the George Daniels Collection is the ex-Sir Henry \u2018Tim\u2019 Birkin 1929-32 Bentley 4\u00bd-Litre Supercharged Single-Seater which set the Brooklands Outer Circuit Lap Record at more than 137 mph in 1931. Daniels once wrote that, “For all its inconvenience it is a most exhilarating car to drive both on the road and track.”<\/p>\n

George Daniels was a huge fan of the legendary \u2018Bentley Boy\u2019 and \u2018tween-wars boy\u2019s hero \u2018Tim\u2019 Birkin, and enthusiastic bidding is also expected for another Birkin car, the 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Long Chassis Touring Spider. It formed part of the 1932 Le Mans Team Car entries with Birkin sharing driving duties with his great friend Earl Howe for the endurance race. Once its competition career came to an end this stylish Italian classic \u2013 which has a supercharged straight-8 cylinder twin-overhead camshaft engine – was subsequently re-bodied in period by Pinin Farina and owned by the Mussolini regime\u2019s Air Force Minister and \u2018heir apparent\u2019 to Il Duce, Marshal Italo Balbo, who is reputed to have delivered rousing political speeches while sitting on its bonnet. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t have the thundering majesty of the Bentley at speed nor the sweet burbling exhaust note when idling, but one has to concede that when introduced in 1930 its technical specification was much in advance of the Bentley,\u201d said Daniels.<\/p>\n

George Daniels Collection – Additional Highlights:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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