George Milligen of Stalham, Norfolk, died earlier this year at the age of 94, and today his collection of 38 cars is to be auctioned by Bonhams. The sale is expected to raise £4 million.
Milligen assembled his collection over 70 years. It includes a 1929 Mercedes Benz 7.1-litre SSK, one of only 30 made. Milligen bought it during the war for £400. It has attracted the interest of buyers all over the world, and could sell for as much as £2 million.
There is also a 1931 S-Type Invicta (my dream of heaven). Milligen bought it for £175 in 1942, from a man he afterwards discovered was on the run for allegedly murdering his wife. It is expected to fetch £160,000 to £220,000.
A 1931 Delage D8 tourer is estimated to sell for £80,000 - £120,000, and a 1957 300SL bought for £1900 in 1966 is valued at £50,000 to £80,000.
If I had won the lottery last weekend, guess where I would be today.
I'm sure many of us had cars that would have become valuable if we had kept them.
Let me open the bidding with a 1939 3.5-litre SS 100 4-seater tourer. I sold it in 1956, in good running order, for £15.
Worth today? £50,000 plus.
Peter
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