Back to back: Stellina or 700 Sport?

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Classic car dealer Gallery Aaldering in The Netherlands is in the position of actually having too many cars to display, all of them in their three-storey showroom. And now that even their warehouse is full, it’s time for some sweeping measures. They call it their trade-in auction, and they’ve had one last year. For this time some 190 cars and bikes are offered for sale, of which we have just picked out two.

First there’s an Autobianchi Stellina of 1963-vintage. Designed by Luigi Rapi of Fiat 8V fame, this is a lovely little roadster with its headlights hidden behind Pespex covers and a sloping rear. The car’s body was made of fibreglass while the mechanicals were all purely Fiat 600D, with its miniature 767cc four-cylinder. That didn’t make its performances perhaps catch up with its looks, as a top speed of just over 110 is not quite what you’d expect from this sporty little roadster. It’s quite rare, though, with just 502 made between ’63 and ’65. This one looks splendid in Bianco Ghiaccio and black leather. The odometer reads out only 5.350kms, but that may well be after the car was restored. The estimate is certainly not a snip at 21- to 26.000 Euros, but it may prove a challenge to find a similarly good example.

That a car with a miniature engine could do well in motor sports, was proved by BMW’s 700. With only a two-cylinder of 697cc it pumped out 40bhp but topped 140kmh, which owed it the ‘poor men’s Porsche’ title in some circles. The car seen for sale here was sold new to Italy in 1961, only to be race prepared some years later and entered in the Italian Turismo 700 championship from ‘64 to ’67. It supposedly made it to a whole string of events on Monza, Imola, Vallelunga and Sanremo, with ‘carefully documented race history and historical photographs’. Still on its Italian plates and with 55.730kms on its clock, it is estimated to make 27- to 33.000 Euros. Over to you: which one to go for?

(Words Jeroen Booij, pictures classiccar-auctions.com)

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