Every year in December, Bonhams invites customers to its beautiful headquarters on New Bond Street to auction off some exclusive cars just before the turn of the year. On December 7, 2019, it was that time again on Saturday afternoon and the 35 vehicles on offer certainly made collectors' mouths water. After around an hour and a half, the show was over.
Ferrari, Aston Martin and other
Almost half of what was on offer was dominated by two car brands: Ferrari and Aston Martin with eight and seven sports cars respectively. Four Porsches and three Mercedes-Benzes and Bentleys completed the larger contingents. Really exotic brands were missing, unless you count Auburn or FMR/Messerschmitt in this category.
The average age of almost 39 years only told half the story, as the cars actually covered a wide spectrum. As many as five cars were from the pre-war era, while 13 of them were from the current millennium. The new cars sold significantly better than the very old ones, as all the pre-1960 vehicles remained without a new owner.
One of nine Aston Martin DB4 GT Lightweight
The highlight of the auction was undoubtedly the Aston Martin DB4 GT from 1961 in "Lightweight" specification. Only nine such cars were built for racing at the time. These cars were driven by the likes of Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Roy Salvadori and Innes Ireland.
One of the buyers was Phil Scragg, a wealthy industrialist who raced hillclimbs as an amateur and therefore demanded a short rear axle for chassis DB4GT/0169/R. Only three owners and largely original condition make this DB4 a truly special car.
This was also recognized by the bidders, who did not hold back, although the car was even offered without a reserve price.
James Knight opened the bidding at half the lower estimate, i.e. one million pounds sterling. Ten bids were needed to reach £2.1 million. And the sports car was also knocked down for this, which meant a sales price of € 2,816,730 or CHF 3,077,100.
The RS from Jay Kay
Only 200 genuine lightweight RSs of the Porsche Carrera 2.7 RS were built. Chassis 9113601097 is one of them and has been in the possession of musician Jay Kay (Jamiroquai) since 2008, although he only drove it 1000 kilometers and paid bills of around 8000 pounds for maintenance services.
Two years ago, this car would probably have fetched a seven-figure sum, but no one was willing to offer more than £620,000. Jay Kay obviously didn't want to give it away for that.
After all, he got rid of the Ferrari F12tdf from 2016 with just 895 miles for €719,950, or CHF 786,500 (after renegotiations), while his Porsche Carrera GT from 2004 with just 2400 miles on the clock also remained well below its estimated value at £560,000.
Well, Jay Kay should be able to get over it, as the successful showman and musician shouldn't be short of money.
The virage of Prince Charles
Prince Charles is known to be an Aston enthusiast, so it comes as no surprise that he also ordered a special Virage Volante, which was delivered without a wide body but with plenty of engine power.
Although the bids did not quite reach the estimated price, the open-top Aston was sold for € 280,542 or CHF 306,475, which is likely to have set a new record for the Virage Volante.
New cars more in demand
In general, the newer cars guaranteed bids for today than the earlier cars. On average, the highest bid for cars built after 2000 was 83% of the median estimate, while the earlier cars were at 77%.
In addition to the aforementioned F12tdf, a 2017 Ferrari 512, a 2013 Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, a hand-shifted ("this is the specification you want" 2009 Aston Martin DBS and two Ferrari 550s, one of which was a Zagato- GTZ Barchetta) were also successfully snapped up by new owners.
Spurned hyper-cab scooter
The FMR Tiger Tg500 can hardly be compared with the other, low-engined cabin scooters, even though its body is largely identical to the normal Messerschmitt. But in the "Tiger", the engine was 500 cm3 instead of 200 cm3 and speeds of well over 100 km/h were possible. In fact, the powerful Tigers outpaced many a sports car.
Chassis 20655, freshly and elaborately restored, was to change hands for £ 120,000 to £ 160,000.
However, the bidders present showed surprisingly little interest, no one wanted to bid more than £ 90,000, a meagre yield when one remembers that such vehicles have also changed hands for over a quarter of a million.
The unsuccessful BMW 328 from England
Frazer Nash concluded a license agreement with BMW in 1934 and began importing BMW models to England. Some of these received factory bodies and some received bodies from British craftsmen.
The Frazer Nash-BMW 328 Roadster from 1939 with chassis 85411 was one of these cars and it was now to find a new owner for £ 650,000 to £ 850,000.
However, the bids were stuck at £610,000 and the owner obviously did not want to give the interesting car away for that.
Even more money was expected for a 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato with supercharger and chassis number 0312931/0332931 from a long-standing owner. But here, too, the bidding ended at £ 740,000, well below the estimate of £ 800,000 to £ 1.2 million.
The magnificent Auburn 851 Supercharged Boat-tail Speedster from 1935, which once belonged to Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton, fared no better. At £580,000, the car remained unsold.
Although every car had interesting aspects, over two thirds of the 35 vehicles remained unsold. On average, the bids reached 79 percent of the median estimate, a figure that does not fall below that of other auctions. However, the vendors had probably set relatively high reserve prices, which is perhaps understandable in view of the expected Brexit and the upcoming elections in the UK. After all, who wants to bet on the British pound at the moment?
Offered and Sold Vehicles
The following table lists all offered and sold vehicles with estimated prices, highest bids, and sale prices. The price conversion was made at the exchange rate valid on the auction day. All information is provided without guarantee.
| Lot | Car | Year | £ Est from | £ Est to | £ HP | £ SP | CHF SP | EUR SP | % Est | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaguar Mark II 3.8-Litre 'Coombs Evocation' Sports Saloon | 1965 | 48'000 | 58'000 | 45'000 | 51'750 | 67'275 | 61'582 | -2.36%
|
V |
| 2 | Rolls-Royce 20/25hp Foursome Drophead Coupé | 1933 | 110'000 | 130'000 | 85'000 | N | ||||
| 3 | Aston Martin DB5 Sports Saloon | 1965 | 470'000 | 550'000 | 440'000 | N | ||||
| 4 | Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Supercharged Super Sport Spider | 1929 | 800'000 | 1'200'000 | 740'000 | N | ||||
| 5 | Ferrari 550 Maranello Coupé | 2001 | 90'000 | 120'000 | 105'000 | 120'750 | 156'975 | 143'692 | +15%
|
V |
| 6 | Aston Martin Virage Volante | 1994 | 225'000 | 275'000 | 205'000 | 235'750 | 306'475 | 280'542 | -5.7%
|
V |
| 7 | Dino 246 GTS | 1974 | 380'000 | 460'000 | 350'000 | N |
All information is provided without guarantee.
Legend: Column S = Status (V = Sold, N = Not sold, Z = Withdrawn, U = Under reserve)
Est = Estimate, HP = Hammer Price, SP = Sale Price
