Barnato/Birkin Le Mans trophy makes treble its estimate at H&H Syon Park auction

Some 325 lots of automobilia were consigned to last week’s (May 24) H&H auction at Syon Park, London. They included works of art, historic photos, models, insignia, paperwork and garage items.

The star lot was, without doubt, the hallmarked silver trophy presented to Woolf Barnato and Sir Henry Birkin for winning the 1929 Le Mans 24-hour race in a Bentley Speed Six. It exceeded all expectations when it was knocked down for £9,280 – some three times its estimate.

A run of bound copies of the weekly magazine Autocar (1946-1957), found a new home for £2700 (over twice the estimate), while a quantity of assorted rally photographs fetched nearly £800 (some four times their estimate).

The next H&H motorcycle, motobilia and bicycle sale is at the National Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham on June 24/25 and the next car and automobilia sale will take place at Buxton, Derbyshire on July 25/26.