NEWS

14 The Sunday Times MOTORING FEBRUARY 19, 2012

Paris classic car auction makes history

Harleyunveilsstunningnew 72 A stunning new retro

custom bike has beenrevealed by Harley-David-

son – the Sportster 72.The 72 is based on the Sport-

ster XL1200 series, but with moreof an emphasis on styling fromyesteryear, including spectacularflaked paintwork and slim, white-wall tyres.

It harks back to the glory daysof the 1970s ‘custom chop’ stylethat originated from WhittierBoulevard, a street in East LosAngeles otherwise known asRoute 72.

The paint, called Hard CandyBig Red Flake, is created by ap-plying a black base coat, followedby a polyurethane system thatcarries hexagon-shaped flakesthat are more than seven timesthe diameter of metal flake usedin typical production paint.

Each flake is coated with a thinaluminium film and thentinted red. Four applications ofclear coat, combined with hand-sanding, create a smooth finishover the flakes for an amazingfinish.

“In creating the 72, we werevery much inspired by the vibe ofthe early chopper era,” FrankSavage, Harley-Davidson man-ager of Industrial Design, said.

“Those bikes were colourfuland chromed, but also narrowand stripped down to the essen-tials. You look at period examplesand they are almost as simple asa bicycle. The 72 reflects the cre-ative urge of riders from yester-year in a thoroughly modernpackage.

The 1200cc, fuel-injected V-twin engine is familiar from exist-ing Sportster bikes.

The two staggered, chromedexhausts are beautiful, adding toan extremely well-proportionedbike. The fuel tank is as small asit looks, however, measuring just7.9 litres. That means fill-ups costlittle over €15. (PA)

H istory was made last Friday week as the biggest-ever sale of collectors’ cars in France tookplace.

In a five-hour auction that saw €14.5 million of clas-sic cars change hands, the star attraction was the Fer-rari 250 GT California bought new by Roger Vadim. Thefamous French filmmaker’s old car sold for its top esti-mate of €4 million before fees and taxes were added,making a final sale price of just over €4.5 million.

Also under the hammer at the Artcurial auction wasa 1913 Delauney Belleville Type 06 8-litre, dismantledand hidden during World War II and only rediscovereddecades later. It sold for €471,800.

Ninety per cent of more than 100 cars offered weresold in front of a crowd of over 1,000 people. Amongthe stranger of the lots was a Citroen 2CV from 1965,with just 116 miles from new. Its new owner paid amildly shocking €59,600 for it.

The auction is further proof that classic cars are avery sound investment in economically challengingtimes. While banks can print more money, cars likethese can never be made again and the double-whammy of scarcity and heritage makes these cars verytempting to investors.