Bonhams’ 25th annual collector car auction, held Friday in conjunction with the Goodwood Festival of Speed has reported more than $13.165 million in sales with a 62.5 percent sell-through rate.
A 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster, a 1973 Porsche 911 RS Lightweight and a 1931 Bentley 8-liter Sedanca de Ville each sold for more than $1 million.
“We were delighted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of our Festival of Speed sale with such a fantastic range of motorcars,” James Knight, Bonhams’ group motoring director, said in a post-sale news release.
“The results once again reflect the appetite for special motorcars, whether it be based on condition, originality, rarity, or provenance — or a combination of all of these.
“On some lots,” he added, “I felt like an umpire as the bidders rallied their bids back and forth with pace and commitment.
“We sold motor cars to Australia, Japan, the Americas, Continental Europe and the home nation.”
The 300 SL roadster topped the sale, selling for $1.163 million, with the ’73 Porsche and ’31 Bentley also exceeding $1 million. (Prices include buyer’s fees.)
Next came “the Rolls from Rajputana,” a 1914 Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp Silver Ghost open tourer originally owned by “his Highness the Maharana Sir Fateh Singh Bahadur of Udaipur.” The car finally sold after an intense battle between two bidders for $713,078, well above its pre-sale estimated value, Bonhams reported.
Also drawing much intensity from two bidders was a 1908 Hotchkiss 16/20 hp Type T Roi des Belges, which also well exceeded its pre-sale estimate when it sold for more than $251,000.
In addition to the top-10 sales and the ’09 Hotchkiss, Bonhams noted that sales of particular interest included the ex-Giles/Scott-Moncrieff 1930 Bugatti Type 46 5.3-liter Weymann Sportsman’s saloon going for $364,767, a 1936 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 supercharged special selling for $328,486, and a 1973 Iso Grifo 5.8-litre Series II coupe bringing $270,434.
Top 10 sales, Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed auction 2017
- 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster, $1,163,000
- 1973 Porsche 911 RS Lightweight, $1,075,903
- 1931 Bentley 8-liter Sedanca de Ville, $1,010,595
- 1914 Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp Silver Ghost open tourer, $713,078
- 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta, $698,566
- 1911 Mercedes Simples 28/50 hp ‘Roi des Belges’ tourer, $466,359
- 1957 Aston Martin DB2/4 MkII coupe, $437,333
- 1959 Aston Martin DB4 Series 1 sports saloon, $422,820
- 2010 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, $415,564
- 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster, $393,794
(Prices include buyer’s fees.)
The next auction for the motoring department of Bonhams is scheduled for August 18 at The Quail Lodge in Carmel, California.
