The Cliveden House auction is just around the corner, and to mark the occasion we wrote RM Sotheby’s Head of Sales UK, Sholto Gilbertson, a cheque for £2,000,000, with the simple aim of filling a seven-car fantasy garage from this year’s auction catalogue. But with everything from pre-war greats like the 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Cabriolet to stunning sixties grand tourers such as the 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso, the task wasn’t as easy as you may think. Read on to see his selection.

1. 1961 Lotus Elite Series 2 - £70,000 - £100,000 

Between a 1948 Land-Rover Series I and 1969 Austin Mini 1000 Mk II, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to innovative and groundbreaking British designs in this year’s Cliveden House sale—but my eye will always be drawn to Colin Chapman’s inspired glassfibre monocoque Type 14 Lotus Elite. It may not have proven a commercial success (Chapman actually lost £100 for each car sold), but it must be one of the most beautiful cars of the era and is an absolute delight to drive. 

This particular example caught my eye for a different reason though. It was one of a small handful of cars exported to Japan and, incredibly, wound up being bought new by Soichiro Honda—visionary founder of the Honda Motor Company. It stayed in the family for many years and lived a colourful life, being driven by the legendary Tetsu Ikuzawa and at one point becoming the first car to ever crash at the Suzuka Circuit. 

Don’t worry though, it’s now been beautifully restored by Bushell’s Restorations—complete with a fizzing 1216-cc Coventry Climax FWE courtesy of Rawlson Racing and a stunning repaint in Honda’s Grand Prix White. Find me a better-looking car for the money and your next eye test is on me! 

2. 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Custom by Chieftain - £80,000 - £120,000

 Some cars are just so ridiculous you can’t help but love them: enter the JIA Chieftain. If it passed you by the first time around, the recipe is fairly simple: take a 2004 Land Rover Discovery 3 chassis, shorten it to the tune of 335 millimetres, then drop on a 1993 Range Rover Classic body. And while you’re at it, why not chuck in a 556-horsepower, 6.2-litre V-8 from a Corvette? Why not indeed. 

Unlike the endless modified Defenders skulking about the King’s Road that look like they’ve been crashed backwards through a branch of Halfords, the Chieftain is actually a fabulous looking thing. The bodywork is true to Spen King’s iconic design and it sits beautifully on purposeful three-spoke rims. Best of all, there are no drug dealer-spec blacked-out windows, just period correct Sundym glass that gives the car a real air of class.   

This car has great history, having served as the company’s demonstrator. That meant it starred in a number of period reviews, including in Autocar. Perhaps best of all, the sometimes-troublesome air suspension was replaced by adjustable Öhlins in 2023, so it should handle beautifully and be much more reliable.   

3. 1930 Aston Martin 1½-Litre International 2/4-Seater - £80,000 - £100,000

When it comes to pre-war marques, it’s hard to look beyond Bentley—particularly if you plan on using your car in historic tours and events—but there’s something deeply appealing about Aston Martins of the same era. Take the 1.5-litre International for example, which was launched in 1929, right in the midst of Bentley’s dominance at Le Mans. The model quickly became a favourite for hillclimbs and sprints, but it’s the look of the thing that has me hooked. 

There is no shortage of similar vintage cars in the Cliveden sale, but very few have the same visual appeal of the little Aston. And while it might not have the road presence of an Ulster, there’s no denying the beautiful proportions and outright charm of this car. I can already feel the call of the local pub on a warm summer evening!

It’s a sound proposition, too, having been fully rebuilt by Roos Engineering (aka Emil Frey) and Ecurie Bertelli between 2006 and 2010. In fact, more than £200,000 was spent, surely making this Aston Martin one of the standout bargains of the sale. 

4. 1996 Ferrari F355 GTS - £180,000 - £220,000

I don’t think any fantasy garage would be complete without at least one space given over to the Prancing Horse, and you could do much worse than filling it with probably the quintessential nineties Ferrari: the F355. Maranello turned out more than 11,000 F355s over its production run making this model the most successful until the arrival of the 360, and it isn’t hard to see why. 

With its timeless styling, gated manual transmission, and a 375 brake-horsepower 3.5-litre V-8 engine, you could argue that the F355 is the Goldilocks Ferrari—just enough power, all the benefits of modern technology, but without the hassle of hybrid drivetrains and deteriorating batteries. By comparison, today’s models produce so much power that the only place you can really push the envelope is on track—assuming you can sweet-talk your local dealer into selling you one in the first place. 

This car is pretty special, too. Not only is it one of the much rarer F355 GTS variants with removable targa roof, but it was once owned by Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson. His verdict? "And then there's the engine, and the engine, and the styling, and the grip, and the badge—it's still the best car I've ever driven." Endorsements don’t come much better than that. 

5. 1957 Aston Martin DB4 Prototype 'DP114/2' - £385,000 - £425,000

If you stumble across something you’ve never seen before, my advice would usually be to buy it. The market will always have its ups and downs and changes in tastes and fashions, but there will always be something special about a totally unique car—particularly if it was a factory-sanctioned project. This Aston Martin DB4 Prototype is exactly that, featuring one-off factory coachwork that make it unlike any other of its type. 

After showing it to Touring Superleggera, Aston Martin ultimately went in a different direction for the DB4 and the car was noted as being a “prototype abandoned”, but rather than heading for the scrap yard it became the personal car of company boss David Brown’s wife. She kept the DB4 until 1962, concluding its fascinating early history with the factory. 

Too often, special cars like this never again see the light of day, so it’s always a delight to find a prototype that hasn’t just been spared an untimely demise, but been beautifully restored. It’s testament to the Brown’s enthusiasm for the car that they kept it despite a rather jazzy white-and-blue period colour scheme. It’s now finished in Almond Green over Fern, which I think suit its elegant lines much better. 

6. 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti- £450,000 - £550,000

 I reckon the budget is just about big enough to fit in another of Maranello’s finest, this time something a bit more suited to long distance driving than Clarkson’s old F355. 

Everyone agrees that the Lamborghini Miura is a looker, but for crossing continents in speed and style, it’s difficult to pass up the keys to a Ferrari Daytona. With that big V-12 slung over the front axle and that long, sloping bonnet, the 365 GTB/4 is delightfully no-nonsense, owing nothing to the mid-engined Lambo and everything to its predecessors. I can just imagine the look of satisfaction on Enzo’s face when it was revealed to the world. If they didn’t know what he was about before then, they certainly did after. 

Compared with the F355, the cabin of the Daytona is a supremely relaxing place to be. Big and airy, with those incredible seats and a fantastic view over the bonnet, it’s no chore to spend hours behind the wheel of a 365 GTB/4. The open road is where these cars truly excel, and there’s little to touch the Daytona for a flat-out cruise down to the south of France.

Between a 1948 Land-Rover Series I and 1969 Austin Mini 1000 Mk II, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to innovative and groundbreaking British designs in this year’s Cliveden House sale—but my eye will always be drawn to Colin Chapman’s inspired glassfibre monocoque Type 14 Lotus Elite. It may not have proven a commercial success (Chapman actually lost £100 for each car sold), but it must be one of the most beautiful cars of the era and is an absolute delight to drive.

7. 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster - £700,000 - £900,000

This year’s Cliveden House auction catalogue is packed with tempting propositions in the ‘serious money’ category, so I’m glad I held back some budget for something truly special. After much wringing of hands, my big-ticket purchase would be this lovely 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster—probably the most glamourous, usable, and down-right beautiful sports car of its generation. 

You could make a sound argument for the 300 SL Gullwing being the world’s first true supercar, but as groundbreaking as that model was, the updated Roadster variant that arrived in 1957 took things up a notch. There’s just something about an open-topped car that gets the heart racing faster, even if you do have to sacrifice those magnificent doors in the process. Whisper it, but the soft-top is actually a better drive, too, thanks to revised rear suspension that makes it much more planted in high-speed corners. 

This particular car wears both a lovely colour and an attractive estimate, and will be well bought if it comes in under the £1,000,000 mark. Better yet, it also comes with a factory hardtop, giving you the best of all possible worlds. Just imagine pulling away from Cliveden House in this. The only question: do you head for home, or set the crosshairs on St Tropez?