Richard Hammond’s Painful Garage Sale
Since you’re reading a car website, I’m going to assume you own or have owned a vehicle that is much more than a point A to B form of transportation. This car has sentimental value, it’s the vehicle you’ve always wanted, or maybe it’s just a reliable ride that you enjoy driving. That’s what makes Richard Hammond’s latest youtube video heartbreaking to watch. The long-time co-host of the BBC’s Top Gear and Amazon’s The Grand Tour is back with his show, Richard Hammond’s Workshop on Discovery. Unfortunately, to fund the new enterprise, he had to sell some of his prized possessions.
Hammond takes four motorcycles, and three cars to a local auction with a goal is to raise $100,000 to buy some equipment and wages. He says his shop won’t make money for the first year, and he has to find other means to fund it.
Hammond Auctioned of Rare Cars
1999 Lotus Esprit 355 sport, chassis number five of 49 ever made. Hammond contorts his face in pain, describing the rare silver beauty. He calls it, “an epic car… the ultimate expression of the Esprit with a flat-plane V8 twin-turbo at the back.”
He also brought a mint 1969 Porsche 911 T produced in the same year and the same month at Hammond was born, “simple as that is why I got that car.” However, it’s a fantastic car with its 2.2-liter flat-six, “it’s a proper, fizzy little engine, and I’ve always had 911s,” explained the car enthusiast.
Next up is a Bentley S2 or, as Hammond calls her, the “old chariot.” It’s another rare beauty with only 2308 made between 1959 and 1962. “My wife and daughters adored that one, that for a Sunday picnic or a nip out for a pub lunch is just epic, sweet old thing. So I hope somebody enjoys that,” said Hammond.
Hammond also Separated with his Motorcycles
The four bikes are equally as awe-inspiring. A Kawasaki Z900, which Hammond calls “the most beautiful Japanese bike ever built.” He also brought a 1929 Velocette KSS and a 1927 Sunbeam Model 2 fire-blade bike. Another rare piece is the Norton Dominator Street motorcycle, Hammond owns the 50th of only 50 ever made, and he bought it for his 50th birthday.
Hammond watched in anguish as the auctioneer dropped the gavel on each sale. He made enough money to get equipment for his shop, but it appears he may have lost a piece of his heart.
This video and this article might seem silly to the non-car person. But, if you’ve ever had to part with your ride when you didn’t want to, you know Hammond’s pain. I still remember selling my 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS because my kids no longer fit in the backseat. I loved that car; the stick shift was like an extension of my hand; it fit perfectly. However, a dad has to make sacrifices. So, please don’t feel too bad for me because I replaced it with a beautiful Dodge Charger SRT – it’s got four doors and lots of room in the back seat for those growing kids.