Rare cars worth millions on show | CNN

Hong Kong Classic —

The Hong Kong Classic showcased 100 different rare and classic automobiles. The Napier Railton, illustrated above, was one of the stars of the show. It features a 24-liter Napier aircraft engine and is part of the Brooklands Museum collection in England.

courtesy hong kong classic

Hong Kong Classic —

The event was located at the city's Central Harbourfront.

Chris Lusher/Chris Lusher

AC Cobra / Shelby Cobra —

Based on the AC Ace two seater roadster, American Carroll Shelby asked the British marque if they could modify the car to accept a V8 engine. They agreed, and after being declined by Chevrolet, Shelby made a deal with Ford and the very first MkI cars were produced between 1962 and 1963. The car became wildly successful in motorsport and helped to put American performance cars on the map, proving that stuffing a big V8 into a small and light European chassis had its merit.

Chris Lusher/Lusher Photography

Alfa Romeo GT 1600 Junior —

Designed by a young Giorgetto Giugario for Bertone as one of his first major projects for the Italian company, the original design was considered ground-breaking. Introduced in 1972, the GT Junior only weighed 930kg and would often lift the inside rear wheel when driven 'enthusiastically.'

Kyra Campbell

Silver Cloud II Drophead —

One of the most elegant designs from coach builder H.J Mulliner and is considered an 'adaptation' as they were adapted from the steel saloon bodies by removing the roof and fitting two doors instead of the usual four. A fully custom body, all cars were available with a range of bespoke options, anything the client requested was available for a price. 107 of the Silver Cloud II Dropheads were produced.

kyra campbell

Rolls Royce Phantom II —

The third and last of Rolls-Royce's 40/50 hp models, which replaced the Phantom I in 1929 and was built up until 1936. Only the chassis and mechanical parts were made by Rolls-Royce themselves, with the body constructed and fitted by a coachbuilder that was selected by the owner. These included, Park Ward, Thrupp and Maberly, Mulliner and Henley and Hooper.

annette chan

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia —

Combining the mechanicals and chassis from a VW Beetle with styling by, Luigi Segre, of Italian Carrozzeria Ghia and bodywork from German coach-builder Karmann made the car a success, becoming the most imported car into the United States of America.

annette chan

Alfa Romeo Spider —

The Alfa Romeo spider was an Italian roadster, produced for almost three decades and was the last rear wheel drive Alfa Romeo for almost 15 years. Designed by famed Italian firm Pininfarina, the Spider was first launched at the 36th Geneva Motor Show in March 1966. The car was famously featured in the 1967 film, The Graduate, and even received a special edition in the United States in the 1980s.

Annette Chan

Aston Martin DB2 Drophead by Graber —

While the 'regular' DB2's body was all aluminium, the coach built version by Carrosserie Graber of Wichtrach, Switzerland, had everything ahead of the windscreen in aluminium while the rest of the body was in steel, so they could weld it directly onto the chassis. The doors were made using a panelled oak frame attached to oak door posts. An incredibly rare car, with the DB2 being one of the only models from Aston Martin that could be sent out to coach builders.

Chris Lusher/Chris Lusher

Aston Martin DB5 —

The DB5 luxury grand tourer was designed by Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera and was made iconic by 007 in the James Bond films. Just over 1,000 were produced from 1963-65 and shipped with a high level of equipment as was expected of the luxurious 2+2 GT.

Annette Chan

Aston Martin DBS —

The Aston Martin DBS was a GT car produced by the famed British marque from 1967-62 and was the last model to be built under David Brown's control, the man in which the DB series is named after.

Kyra Campbell

Aston Martin DBS —

An intended successor to the DB6, the DBS was a larger coupe with four full sized seats and incorporated a more modern design style that was in vogue at the time.

Annette Chan

Bentley S1 Continental Fastback —

Replacing the R-Type, the S1 was Bentley's foremost luxury car. The fastback featured iconic H.J Mulliner styling and is one of only 120 examples made in both right and left hand drive.

Annette Chan

BMW E30 M3 —

A modern classic, the first BMW M3 was built for Group A Touring Car Racing, but went on to race and win in numerous racing disciplines, solidifying BMW's in house tuning maestros, BMW M, as one of the great sports car producers. Produced from 1985-1992, the M3 was built in left hand drive only from the factory and has been praised as one of the greatest driver's cars of all time.

Kyra Campbell

BMW 1973 CSi —

The E9 series 3.0-litre Csi is a door coupe coachbuilt by Karmann and was developed form the BMW 200 CS coupe. The car was most famous for spawning the 3.0-litre CSL (Coupe Sport Lightweight"), a homologation special to allow BMW to race in the European Touring Car Championship. The final version of the CSL was fitted with an aggressive aero package, earning it the nickname "Batmobile". Only 207 RHD 3.0-litre CSi's were produced from 1973-1975, this being one of them.

Annette Chan

Corvette C2 Stingray —

The Stingray was Chevrolet's second generation Corvette and was produced between 1963 and 1967, with the first ever production Corvette coupe featuring a futuristic fastback with a split rear window. This was an unusual design element for its time but one that would make a lasting impression and prove to be the most popular example with collectors.

Annette Chan

Ferrari 365 GT4 'Daytona' —

The Ferrari "Daytona" received its unofficial name from the media rather than Ferrari itself, commemorating their 1-2-3 finish at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1967, in the 330 P3/4, a 330 P4 and a 412P. Leonardo Fioravanti reportedly designed the car in only seven days and originally featured headlights behind acrylic covers until pop up headlights were fitted to satisfy US regulations. The car was also famed for being used on the first two seasons of Miami Vice, before being replaced by the Testarossa.

annette chan

Jaguar E Type 4.2 —

Called 'the most beautiful car ever made' by Ferrari founder, Enzo Ferrari, the E-type had both style and performance. The ability to hit 60mph in seven seconds and reach a top speed of 150mph (241 km/h) in the 1960's was an astonishing feat. Only 1,942 1.5 series FHC (Fixed Head Coupe as above) were produced between 1967 and 1968 with the series two changes brought on by US safety legislation requirements.

annette chan

Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2 —

Designed by Carrozzeria Touring, the 400 GT 2+2 was first presented to the public at the 1966 Geneva Autoshow. Its larger body shape, different roofline and minor sheet metal changes enabled the +2 seating to be installed. 224 units of the 2+2 were produced, with one belonging to Sir Paul McCartney in the same colour.

annette chan

Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV —

For sheer visual drama, it is hard to beat the Lamborghini Countach and in 5000 QV form it is surely the most dramatic of them all. The V12 had been increased to 5.1-litres and was now given four valves per cylinder -- quattrovalvole in Italian, hence the name. A total of 2,042 cars were built over the Countach's 16 year life span, 676 of those were the 5000 QV.

annette chan

Mercedes 190SL —

Compared with the exclusive 300SL, the 190SL offered a far more affordable alternative while sharing the basic styling, design details and engineering of its more advanced sibling.

Annette Chan

Mercedes 190SL —

Between 1955 and 1963, over 25,000 models were built at the factory in Stuggart Unterturkheim in Germany.

kyra campbell

Porsche 356 Carrera 2 —

The first production automobile produced by famous sports car manufacturer, Porsche. Production originally started in Gmund, Austria in 1948 before moving to Zuffenhausen, Germany where production of 76,000 cars were produced until April 1965, two years after the iconic 911 replaced it. Lightweight and nimble, the 356 also shared the 911's rear engine, rear wheel drive layout that was first seen on the VW Beetle.

kyra campbell

Shelby Mustang GT 350 —

A higher performance variant of the Ford Mustang, originally built by Shelby from 1965 to 1968 before production was taken over by Ford until 1970. The famous nameplate was revived once again in 2007 for new high performance Mustangs.

annette chan

1957 Bmw Isetta 300 —

The Italian designed micro-car became part of the BMW family, after the German brand redesigned so much of the car that none of the parts were interchangeable with the original Iso Isetta. Pictured here in 300 form, just over 160,000 were produced between 1956 and 1962. Its 298cc engine, hence the name would top out at 85km/h.

Kyra Campbell

Rare cars worth millions on show at Hong Kong Classic

Story highlights

The Hong Kong Classic celebrates exquisite classic cars and motorcycles

British race car, the Napier-Railton was the event's star attraction

Gallery features selection of automobiles found at show

Hong Kong CNN —

This weekend, Hong Kong saw petrol heads from across Asia descend on the city’s harbor front, in a bid to catch a glimpse of some of the world’s most prized automobiles.

With millions of dollars worth of motoring history on display, the Hong Kong Classic – now in its second year – has quickly established itself as among the region’s premier classic car shows.

“We spent a lot of time researching international collections to display in Hong Kong,” says co-creator of the event, Melanie Riach, of the show’s collection of 100 classic cars and motorcycles.

“The star of the show, The Napier Railton from Brooklands Museum in England, was this year’s iconic centerpiece. When it’s 24-liter Napier aircraft engine roared to life, the crowds became so excited! It was amazing for us to see.”

The vehicle, flown in exclusively for the event, was accompanied by a sizable entourage of staff from Brooklands Museum.

BMW E30 M3

kyra campbell

Director and CEO of the museum, Allan Winn, an expert in the inimitable vehicle’s sporting past, ranks the Napier as among the most successful racing cars of all time. “It still holds some international records going back to the mid-1930s,” he explains.

“It is utterly unique, a complete one off and everything is bespoke. So, as a complete entity, it is just so special. It has never been as far east as France, so this was a great opportunity to showcase the car in front of a very knowledgeable audience in Hong Kong.”

As with every motor show of this size and scale, Classic American muscle was flexed with the inclusion of Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Corvettes; cars from Lotus, Austin-Healey and Triumph reminisced the golden era of the British sports car; while premium marques BMW and a variety of Porsche 911 editions ensured the Germans were well represented.

Ferrari 365 GT4 'Daytona'

annette chan

Also present, were Italian favorites Ferrari and Lamborghini. Ferrari, the Maranello-based luxury sports car manufacturer, showed an extensive collection of models from the 60s through to the 80s.

Wandering through the vast fairgrounds provided an opportunity to chance upon the rarer gems – plucked from private collections, and presented with fastidious detail.

With prestigious, luxury saloons and coupes from the colonial era playing a huge role in Hong Kong’s history, it was unsurprising to see a great number of Bentleys and Rolls-Royces featured throughout the show. Their limited build numbers and specialty frameworks further spotlighted how rare each model was.

The Peninsula Hotel Hong Kong, famed for its huge fleet of modern Rolls-Royce Phantoms, brought out their 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. The vehicle has been kept in flawless condition and drew a steady stream of enthusiasts, with its imposing yet elegant design.

As a cavalcade of Ford Mustangs thundered by – permeating the air with the smell of rich, unburnt fuel – it was evident by the look on people’s faces that this is what the Hong Kong Classic was all about.

It’s become a chance to see, hear, smell and drink in automotive nirvana – a celebration of the great tapestry of style, design, substance and innovation in a city which isn’t usually associated with car culture.