Ian Fleming's sports car sells for £80,000 at auction

A rare sports car once owned by James Bond creator Ian Fleming has gone under the hammer in West Sussex for £80,000, reports Kenilworth Weekly News.

The 1962 AC Aceca Coupe, one of only six surviving Ford-powered Acecas in the world, was sold by Bonhams at the Goodwood Revival racing festival near Chichester on Friday.

The two-seater vehicle, which is dark blue with a red leather interior, is recorded as having left the Thames Ditton factory in Surrey in August 1962 for delivery to the author, the same year he completed The Spy Who Loved Me.

Another car once owned by a high-profile figure - a 1988 Jaguar XJ-S V12 convertible that once belonged to the Duchess of York - was sold for £23,000.

Top prices were also paid for a 1949 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Cabriolet, which sold for £188,500, a 1938 Lagonda V12 Drophead Coupe, which went for £186,300, and a 1959 Aston Martin DB4 Series 1 Sports Saloon, the 26th ever produced, which made £145,600.

A 1953 Jaguar C-Type, the same make and model that won the Le Mans 24-Hours race twice in 1951 and 1953, was auctioned with a guide price of between £800,000 and £1 million but failed to make its reserve.

Bonhams said it was involved in discussions to conclude a sale.

Managing director of Bonhams' motoring department James Knight said: "The UK motoring team have experienced an incredibly busy period and emerged with very positive statistics.

"Only Bonhams could handle this type of sale schedule and it is a testament to the calibre and enthusiasm of my team and our support departments to deliver these results."

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