Bonhams Chantilly auction on September 5, 2015 - valuable Maserati one-offs sold at high prices

Name: Maserati Mexico Coupé Frua 1968
Brand: Maserati

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Created on September 6, 2015

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Bonhams

Simon Clay - Courtesy Bonhams

Bonhams

Simon Clay - Courtesy Bonhams

Maserati Boomerang (1971) - design sculpture

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Maserati Boomerang (1971) - still impressive 34 years after its creation

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Jaguar E Type S1 3.8 Litre Coupé (1962) - as lot 03 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Alfa Romeo 1900 C Super Sprint Coupé (1959) - as lot 06 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Citroën DS 19 Cabriolet (1961) - as lot 07 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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AC ACE Bristol (1959) - as lot 08 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Bentley Continental S2 Flying Spur (1961) - as lot 09 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Osca 1600 GT Coupé (1961) - as lot 10 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Maserati Boomerang (1971) - even flatter than the Maserato Bora

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Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Cabriolet (1939) - as lot 12 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Aston Martin DB 2 Sports Saloon (1951) - as lot 14 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Ferrari 250 GT (1959) - as lot 15 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Maserati Mexico 4.7 (1968) - as lot 16 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet (1938) - as lot 17 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Mercedes-Benz 500 K Cabriolet C (1934) - as lot 18 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Aerofoil Sports Saloon (1937) - as lot 19 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Lancia Aurelia B52 Coupé Bertone (1951) - as lot 20 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6 Le Mans Torpédo Sport (1925) - as lot 21 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Cabriolet (1937) - as lot 22 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Citroën 11 BN Traction Avant Cabriolet Roadster (1937) - as lot 24 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - the radiator was much more integrated into the pontoon body than on other Type 101s

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - no other Type 101 looked even remotely similar to this Antem Coupé

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - cockpit set far back, tribute to the long inline eight-cylinder engine

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - front view

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Bugatti Type 101C Antem Coupé (1954) - rear view

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Aston Martin Sportsman Shooting Brake (1996) - as lot 26 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 (1976) - as lot 27 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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Rolls-Royce Corniche Cabriolet (1972) - as lot 31 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

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We were asked to dress in black for the Bonhams auction on September 5, 2015 on the occasion of the Concours d'Elégance "Chantilly Arts & Elégance". Small but mighty was the motto, with 28 vehicles on offer, including many special one-offs and rarities, worth over EUR 13 million.

Citroën DS 19 Cabriolet (1961) - as lot 07 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

The prices of the 15 vehicles sold amounted to around Euro 7.3 million (CHF 8 million), but this still meant Euro 488,900 (CHF 530,000) per car. On average, the highest price offered including 15% bidder surcharge/commission leveled off at 104% of the average estimate.

Wedge worth millions

The flagship of the auction was the Maserati Boomerang, which Giorgetto den Giorgietto Giugaro showed for the first time in Turin in late fall 1971 (without engine) and in its entirety at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show.

Maserati Boomerang (1971) - design sculpture

The car is drivable, which is not a matter of course for a concept car, and can certainly be considered one of his most famous creations, which influenced the entire vehicle design of the 1970s.

Estimates of between 3 and 4 million euros had been made in advance, but 3,335,000 euros (CHF 3,614,806) was ultimately quoted as the selling price (incl. 15% surcharge/commission).

Maserati Mexico 4.7 (1968) - as lot 16 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

The second most expensive vehicle was also a Maserati, in this case also a one-off by a famous designer. The coachbuilder's name was Pietro Frua and his Mexico version impressed with clean lines and references to the Sebring, 5000 GT and Quattroporte, which obviously convinced the highest bidder, as he put down Euro 621,000 (CHF 673,101) for it, which was just below the median estimate, but still a considerable amount.

Valuable Mercedes-Benz

Two Mercedes-Benzes were on the lot list, both of which were sold. 35% above the estimate (including surcharge/commission) was offered for the 500 K as a Cabriolet C from 1934, which amounted to Euro 609,500 (CHF 660,637).

Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 (1976) - as lot 27 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

And the Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 from 1976 with a musical background (former owner: Claude François) also achieved a high price of EUR 92,000 (CHF 99,718).

Beloved French convertibles

Friends of the Francophile could strike several times and they did, because the Citroën 11 BL Roadster from 1937 was sold for Euro 172,500 (CHF 186,972), as was the early Citroën DS 19 Cabriolet (pre-series) from 1961, which was worth Euro 230,000 (CHF 249,297) to its new owner.

Citroën 11 BN Traction Avant Cabriolet Roadster (1937) - as lot 24 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

Affordable Lancia Aurelia B52 Bertone Coupé

The Lancia Aurelia Coupé of the B52 type, which Bertone exhibited in Turin in 1951 with a customized body, is also something very special. In view of this exclusivity, 175,000 to 245,000 euros seemed almost like a bargain. However, even this was too much for the bidders and in the end the coupé found a new owner for €172,500 (CHF 186,972) including surcharge/commission.

Lancia Aurelia B52 Coupé Bertone (1951) - as lot 20 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

At least it fared even better than the exclusive Alfa Romeo 1900 C Super Sprint Coupé from 1959, which did not find a new owner.

13 vehicles not sold

The fate of the Alfa Romeo was shared by 12 other vehicles, including a Jaguar E-Type as a 3.8-liter coupé, two Aston Martins, three Bentleys from 1937 to 1961, the two Bugattis, one of which was the Type 101 C once owned by Nicolas Cage, a Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6 Le Mans Torpedo Sport from 1925 and a Ferrari 550 Barchetta from 2001.

Lorraine-Dietrich B3-6 Le Mans Torpédo Sport (1925) - as lot 21 at the Bonhams auction Chantilly 2015

Bonhams cannot be entirely satisfied with the results; the sales rate of 54% (vehicles only) shows that there is still room for improvement. But after all, this was the first auction of its kind in Paris and the man in charge at Bonhams, Philip Kantor, summed it up as follows: "For a first-time auction, the Chantilly sale achieved an excellent result of almost €75 million with only 28 vehicles on offer."

Vehicles offered and sold

The list shows all 28 vehicles offered with estimated prices in euros and sales prices (incl. 15% bidder's premium/commission) in euros and CHF. Vehicles without a sales price were not sold. The %Est column compares the sales price including surcharge/commission with the average estimated value.

All data without guarantee.

The list can be sorted by clicking on the column headings.

Lot	Make	Vehicle	Year	€ Est from	€ Est to	€ VP	CHF VP	% Est
3	Jaguar	E-Type 'Series 1' 3.8-Litre Coupé	1962	130000	160000
4	Jaguar	E-Type 'Series 1' 3.8-Litre Roadster	1962	140000	180000	189750	205670	1.19
5	Ferrari	550 Barchetta	2001	280000	360000
6	Alfa Romeo	1900C Super Sprint Coupé	1959	160000	220000
7	Citroën	DS 19 Cabriolet Pre-Series	1961	170000	230000	230000	249297	1.15
8	AC	Ace Bristol	1959	250000	300000	304750	330318	1.11
9	Bentley	S2 Continental Flying Spur Sports Saloon	1961	200000	250000
10	OSCA	1600 GT Coupé	1961	380000	460000
11	Maserati	Boomerang Coupé	1972	3000000	4000000	3335000	3614806	0.95
12	Bentley	4¼-Litre Drophead Coupé	1939	n.a.	n.a.
14	Aston Martin	DB2 Sports Saloon	1951	350000	450000
15	Ferrari	250 GT Coupé	1959	450000	550000	598000	648172	1.2
16	Maserati	Mexico 4.7-Litre Coupé	1968	550000	750000	621000	673101	0.96
17	Bugatti	Type 57 Drophead Coupé	1938	1400000	1700000
18	Mercedes-Benz	500K Cabriolet C	1934	400000	500000	609500	660637	1.35
19	Bentley	4¼-Litre 'Aerofoil' Sports Saloon	1937	300000	400000	345000	373945	0.99
20	Lancia	Aurelia B52 Coupé	1951	175000	245000	172500	186972	0.82
21	Lorraine-Dietrich	B3-6 Le Mans Torpedo Sport	1925	600000	1000000
22	Bentley	4¼-Litre Drophead Coupé	1937	275000	350000
23	Bugatti	type 101C Coupé	c.1954	1500000	1800000
24	Citroën	11BL 'Traction' Roadster	1937	150000	200000	172500	186972	0.99
25	Bentley	S3 Continental Drophead	1962	150000	200000	178250	193205	1.02
26	Aston Martin	Sportsman Shooting Brake	1996	350000	550000
27	Mercedes-Benz	450 SEL 6.9 Sports Saloon	1976	n.a.	n.a.	92000	99718
28	Jaguar	XK150 3.8-liter Drophead Coupé	1960	120000	150000	128800	139606	0.95
29	Jaguar	E-Type 4.2-Litre 'Series 1' Roadster	1965	120000	160000	128800	139606	0.92
30	Morgan	Aeromax 4.8-Litre Coupé	2009	150000	200000	172500	186972	0.99
31	Rolls-Royce	Corniche Convertible	1972	40000	70000	54050	58584	0.98