To Be OFFERED AT AUCTION WITHOUT RESERVE at RM Sothebys' Munich event, 23 November 2024.

• Delivered new to Belgian racer and Équipe National Belge founder, Johnny Claes
• Raced by Claes in the 1948 12 Hours of Paris and the 1949 Brussels Grand Prix
• A very early example of the Veritas RS, based on a BMW 315/1 chassis
• Excellent period competition history in 1950s SCCA West-Coast events
• Owned by Californian racer Walter ‘Watsie’ Roach from 1954 to 1986
• Subject to a complete nut-and-bolt restoration from 1991 to 1993, when it gained a new body; accompanied by its period-fitted body that is left untouched since its last race in 1957

Manufactured in 1948, this early example of an RS was built by Veritas around a pre-war BMW 315/1 chassis that was originally numbered “51181”. As new cars could not be built in the immediate post-war years, many Veritas cars were often identified by either their BMW or Veritas chassis numbers, with this car stamped by the latter as chassis “5042”. Clad with a lightweight alloy body, it was powered by a 2.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine sourced from a BMW 328 and that was subject to Ernst Loof’s improvements.

Sold to the Belgian racer Johnny Claes, a Veritas distrubtor, and founding member of Équipe National Belge, the historian Georges Maître noted the car was painted in the Belgian national colour of yellow. Claes made his debut with this RS alongside Emilie Cornet in the 1948 12 Hours of Paris. Numbered “28”, the pair finished 8th overall and 4th in their class. The next known outing was in the 1949 Formula 2 race at the Grand Prix de Brussels, in which Claes drove the car.

Claes sold the Veritas to Marcel Balsa, a BMW specialist in Paris, in 1951. The American racer John Biehl, who was on a European tour with his wife, purchased chassis 5042 and used it on their tour of the racing calendar. In 1952 he sent the car to the United States.

Biehl raced at Palm Springs on 22 March 1953, with the car featured in a period race report. His next outing was at the SCCA National March in November 1953—fabulous photographs of the car in action and in the pits can be viewed in this car’s history file. Biehl last raced in 1954 at Palm Springs, sporting race number 171.

He sold the car to Walter ‘Watsie’ Roach, who is known to have competed in SCCA Californian events in 1956 and 1957. A photograph depicts Watsie shoehorning a Siata 8V engine into the Veritas just before the 1957 SCCA National Palm Springs race. This was the last race for chassis 5042, and the contemporary body still bears the Palm Springs race number “62” with remnants of the original yellow paint still found on some parts of the bodywork.

Following the National Palm Springs race, chassis 5042 was placed in Watsie’s garage in La Jolla, California. The car was reportedly seen in 1980 by Bob Engberg, still wearing its period bodywork and accompanied by a Veritas 2.0-litre engine. Veritas Club Member Walter Jewel bought the car in 1986 and removed the Siata 8V engine. The car changed hands twice more, remaining untouched before Dieter Aumann heard of this early significant Veritas and purchased it in January 1991. A wonderful photo album on file details the condition of the car as it was found, having remained in storage for some 30 years.

Returned to Germany, Mr Aumann embarked on a nut-and-bolt restoration, with no expense spared. Intending to race chassis 5042, he chose to remove the older body to preserve it and have an identical new one made. With the restoration finished in November 1993, Aumann used this Veritas RS in the 1994 Mille Miglia and the 2006 Silvretta Classic. As part of his three-car Veritas collection, it was one of the most important cars he owned.

With wonderful period competition history, a stunning restoration and accompanied by its period-correct body, chassis 5042 is very much a once-in-a-lifetime chance to acquire an early Veritas RS with fascinating known provenance from new.

DateEventDriverEntrantRace NumberResultSeptember 12, 194812 Hours of ParisJohnny Claes/Emilie CornetJohnny Claes288th (4th in 2-litre Class)May 21, 1949Brussels Grand PrixJohnny ClaesJohnny Claes34UnknownMarch 22, 1953Fifth Palm Springs Road RaceJohn BiehlJohn Biehl1007th (2nd in Class E)November 8, 1953SCCA National MarchJohn BiehlJohn Biehl2313th (3rd in Class EM)February 7, 1954Sixth Palm Springs Road RaceJohn BiehlJohn Biehl171UnknownNovember 4, 1956SCCA National Palm SpringsWalter 'Watsie' RoachWalter 'Watsie' Roach43UnknownNovember 3, 1957SCCA National Palm SpringsWalter 'Watsie' RoachWalter 'Watsie' Roach62DNS (overheating)To view this car and others currently consigned to this auction, please visit the RM website at rmsothebys.com/auctions/mu24/.