Car collection left to benefit charities including RNLI
| The late Robert Furniss – riding, classic car collector and yachtsman – has left 16 cars to benefit the RNLI and other charities.
Headed by a selection of Rolls-Royce and Bentley models, 16 cars are being offered for sale without reserve by H&H Classics at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford on 19 October. Paul Cheetham who consigned the collection for H&H Classics, said: “This fabulous selection is evidence of Bob Riding’s wide-ranging taste in classic cars with a bias towards Rolls-Royce and Bentley, spanning nine decades of the 20th century. They are a marvellous cross section of some of the best of the last century’s most sought after cars. And their sale will benefit one of Britain’s most beloved institutions, the RNLI.” The distinguished collection comprises the following cars, largely British marques: 1924 Bentley 3 Litre Vanden Plas Tourer |
| Robert ‘Bob’ Furniss Riding (8 May 1940 – 11 May 2022)
Born in 1940 as an only child, Bob was educated at Stockport Grammar School then read natural sciences at Christ Church, Oxford. He joined William Deacon’s Bank, and had a stellar ascent through it and its subsequent iterations ending up as Group Treasurer of the Royal Bank of Scotland. He grasped the opportunity of early retirement in 1990 and moved to the Isle of Man where he had been left a house by an aunt. But Bob was far from being inactive, throwing himself into the local community and taking on the turnaround of a local private bank as its Executive Chairman. Sailing had been a preoccupation during his time in the City, but on coming to the Isle of Man, Bob switched his energies and focus to collecting cars – principally the products of Cricklewood, Derby and Crewe, but with some maverick exceptions such as Maserati and Caterham. Daimlers and Lanchesters also featured, and he had to move to a large country house to find garaging for the ever-growing collection. His cars were regularly campaigned at rallies for the appropriate marque and were often deserved winners of various trophies. |
| 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sedanca Coupe
One of just 279 Phantom II Continentals ever made and bought from Jack Barclay Ltd by the celebrated dance band leader and violinist, Bert Ambrose. Original and very stylish Sedanca Drophead Coupe coachwork by H. J. Mulliner. The private property of renowned marque dealer Ivor Gordon (of Frank Dale & Stepson) for twenty-five years, the Sedanca Coupe also spent time as part of New Zealander Roy Southward’s collection. A past winner of the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club’s Peter Blond Trophy whilst in Bob Riding’s care. |
| 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sports Limousine
Bodied by H.J. Mulliner as a Sports Limousine complete with a wind-up glass division and, intriguingly, separate radios for the front and rear compartments. Supplied new to City businessman Anthony Hornby who became a leading light at the stockbrokers Cazenove and one of the UK’s foremost private art collectors. Part of two prominent Rolls-Royce collections, those of Stanley Barraclough and Bob Riding, for the past forty-four years. Subject to £88,000 worth of work between 2010 and 2012 (much of it by Phantom III specialist M.J. Pickles) and subsequently awarded ‘Car of the Show’ at Gawsworth Hall |
| 1956 Bentley S1 Continental Coupe
Supplied new to Mrs. Dermot Daly of Little Compton Manor in the Cotswolds who had previously been part of the Singer Sewing machine family. One of just 45 right-hand drive Bentley S1 Continentals bodied to its Design Number 701 by Park Ward. Resident in America for several years and notable for finishing second-in-class on the 1998 Louis Vuitton Rally of China. Much improved since joining the Bob Riding collection during 2001 with some £34,000 spent at marque specialist Frank Dale & Stepson in 2019 including the fitment of power steering. |
| 1924 Bentley 3 Litre Vanden Plas Tourer
Featured in marque books by Johnnie Green and Brian Smith this 1924 Bentley 3 Litre Vanden Plas Tourer has been the beneficiary of an engine overhaul c.1,000 miles ago by marque specialists Hofmann’s of Henley, costing over £30,000. It has been in the custodianship of just three individuals since the late 1980s with current ownership for almost twenty-years. It is one of just 765 Bentley 3 Litres to be built on the Long Standard wheelbase and is a wonderful, imposing and unusually correct Vintage Bentley. “It was not the means whereby the 3-Litre Bentley performed, but the manner in which it did it, that endeared the car to sportsmen who took pride in their driving. The engine was remarkably flexible, strong and reliable, the gear ratios were admirably chosen, the handling excellent and the quality unremittingly high. So, also, was the price, but an ever-growing reputation, augmented by striking racing victories – including the Le Mans 24 hours of 1924 and 1927 – ensured its success” (‘Classic Sports Cars’ by Cyril Posthumus and David Hodges). |
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