FOR SALE VIA PUBLIC AUCTION
Sunday 27 June, 2.30pm

ASB Showgrounds, Auckland
All lots are subject to a buyer’s premium of 15%+GST

Further info available on our website.

The history of Hooper coachbuilders began in 1805 with the creation of Adams & Hooper, who specialised in high end carriages for the gentry. In 1830, Adams left the firm and it was re-christened ‘Hooper & Co Coachbuilders Ltd’. They received the first of their many Royal Warrants in the same year. Post WWI, coachbuilding commenced again in 1919. In 1933, a move to a larger factory was necessary, such was the relentless demand for their work. The London Times declared Hooper, “unequalled by any other coachbuilder in the world”, a reputation specific to the Rolls-Royce and Bentley brands. In 1938 competitor Barker was purchased from a receiver, though little use was made of this acquisition. Hooper itself succumbed to economic pressure, and sold to the Birmingham Small Arms Group (BSA) during World War II. In 1981, Hooper was purchased by Colin Hyams, an Australian businessman who assumed their debts and set about building the business. By this stage, the workshops were very rundown, and Hyams spent a million pounds employing circa 100 people before he departed in 1988. By 2005 the company had pretty much done its dash; its affiliation with Bentley and Rolls Royce had concluded also.

The car presented here by Webb’s went through a process of conversion or embellishment. The car was delivered to Hooper from the Bentley Works at Crewe in a finished state as if to any dealer or showroom. It was then disassembled for Hoopers to work their magic.

It appears from our research that this car was ordered from London dealer H.R Owen on 29 December 1987. It passed to Hooper’s in March 1988, and was then purchased by Mr Raymond Edward ‘Chick’ Murphy, a show business agent resident in Windsor, who along with Bob and Chris Herbert would help form The Spice Girls! On or about 1 May 1988. Between 1982 and 1994 a total of 31/4 door conversions were undertaken by Hooper of which seven were completed in 1988.

The following comprises the work on this specific example:

Factory features

· Fire extinguisher
· Badge bar
· Opening rear seat armrest · Front fog lamps

Hooper conversion

· Hooper front spoiler
· Colour keyed front and rear bumpers and polished stainless steel inserts

· Stainless steel sills and narrow type arches
· Badge bar (also supplied by the factory)
· Stainless steel finishers to tail lights
· Flying 'B' badge to boot lock
· Chrome plate alloy wheels with Bentley Eight centres
· Exhaust outlet to nearside
· Colour key supplied telephone handset
· Double width front armrest with roll-top to house telephone · Centre console trimmed in colour to match interior

The exterior colour is Windsor Blue with a Magnolia leather with blue piping interior. Costs of the above modifications totalled in excess of £26,000.

This wonderful iteration of the Bentley marque arrived and was registered here on 4 February 2015, after it was purchased by its sole local owner when in Majorca. Since its arrival it has been used very sparingly and always kept under cover. The odometer reads just 6,500 miles.

Note. The dates referenced above should not be taken as completely authoritative. They have been deduced from copies of copies, which were difficult to read with true finality. We are also not privy to the order process exercised by both Bentley, its dealers, and Hooper. However, every effort has been made to provide as much clarity and comprehension as is practically possible.