Bonhams auctioned 60 cars and a large number of automobilia at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 11, 2025.
Together, the vehicles were worth around £11.6 million and were on average 40 years old. A fifth of the cars were offered without a reserve price, including a Bugatti Veyron 16.4.
While a whole pack of racing and sports cars raced up the hill at Goodwood Manor, James Knight and his colleague swung the gavel for almost 3.5 hours in front of a manageable number of local bidders.
The who's who
With seven Aston Martin, seven Jaguar, six Ferrari, five Bentley and four Mercedes-Benz, the crème-de-la-crème of car manufacturers was well represented. While the Ferrari cars were relatively young at 37 years on average, the British cars were built much earlier.
More exotic brands were also represented with Bugatti, Spyker and Wiesmann.
Good result overall
With a total vehicle turnover of £9.03 million, the auction came close to 78% of the total estimated values. In fact, the average bid was 84% of the mean estimate. However, only 63% of the cars were sold. The fact that the auction still worked out was mainly due to the fact that three cars went to new owners at a very high price.
Among them was the most highly valued Mercedes-AMG One from 2023, which found a new garage for £ 2.46 million (EUR 2.83 million, CHF 2.63 million).
A record price for The-Fast-and-the-Furious-Mazda
At £250,000 to £300,000, the estimate for the 1992 Mazda RX-7 was actually quite high.
However, it was one of two surviving vehicles from the 2006 film "The Fast and the Furios - Tokyo Drift". The Mazda had been extensively modified by Japanese specialist Veilside Co Ltd. for its role as a hot tuning object. Apparently the filming didn't do too much damage to it, as the car was in good condition.
The bidders were obviously keen on it, as the film car finally sold for £911,000 (EUR 1.048 million, CHF 0.975 million) with a top bid of £800,000 (267% of the median estimate).
Bugatti well above expectations
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 from 2007, which was newly delivered to Switzerland and has now changed hands for the first time, had only 770 km on the clock.
In view of a last service in 2012 (at 690 km) and the recommendation that the car should definitely be given a fresh maintenance service, the Bonhams specialists set the estimate for the car, which was one of 253 built and finished in the rare color combination "Mocca Brown Metrallic and White Coffee" color combination, the Bonhams specialists cautiously set the estimate for the Veyron at £ 500,000 to £ 800,000 and even took the liberty of sending the car into the bidding war with "no reserve".
The interested parties did not let themselves get carried away and bid up to £ 1.35 million, meaning that the Veyron found a new owner for £ 1.527 million (EUR 1.756 million, CHF 1.634 million), more than twice as expensive as expected.
The Force India-Mercedes VJM10 F1 racing car from 2017 and a right-hand drive Ferrari F355 F1 Spider from 1998 also sold for more than the estimated value.
A left-hand drive Ferrari Testarossa from 1991, originally delivered to Japan, also sold for £ 92,000 (EUR 112,413, CHF 104,953), which was more expensive than expected.
Interesting bargains
Not all cars were as popular with bidders as expected, which is why some buyers were able to take their cars for surprisingly little money.
For example, a Morgan 4/4 Sports from 2010 cost just £10,925.
For a Datsun 240Z racing car from 1972, you only had to pay £ 32,200.
A Bentley Continental GT from 2004 was available for £ 16,100, a Ford Escort RS 2000 as a racing car from 1974 for £ 27,600.
The Lotus Elan +2S from 1969, which was the first car to be auctioned, found its way into a new garage for £9775. More is often paid for the Twincam engine.
Selective bidders
Of the most strongly represented brands, only around 50-60% of the vehicles on offer were sold, and in the case of Porsche only one in three. Of the two ACs, only one found a new owner, and it was no different for other brands. The prospective buyers obviously had a clear idea of what they wanted to buy at auction. But when they wanted something, they did so quite consistently and without regard to the estimates.
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 | GBP Est from | GBP Est to | GBP HP | GBP SP | CHF SP | EUR SP | % Est | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Lotus Elan +2S Coupé | 1969 | 15'000 | 20'000 | 8500 | 9775 | 10'459 | 11'241 | -44.14%
|
V |
| 102 | Bentley Continental GT Coupé | 2004 | 25'000 | 35'000 | 14'000 | 16'100 | 17'227 | 18'515 | -46.33%
|
V |
| 103 | Morgan 4/4 Sports | 2010 | 35'000 | 55'000 | 9500 | 10'925 | 11'689 | 12'563 | -75.72%
|
V |
| 104 | Ferrari 360 Modena F1 Coupé | 2002 | 50'000 | 70'000 | 48'000 | 55'200 | 59'064 | 63'479 | -8%
|
V |
| 105 | Aston Martin DB6 Automatic Sports Saloon | 1969 | 70'000 | 90'000 | 80'000 | 92'000 | 98'440 | 105'799 | +15%
|
V |
| 106 | Bentley S2 Flying Spur Saloon | 1962 | 68'000 | 76'000 | 60'000 | N | ||||
| 107 | Porsche 911 Type 997 Turbo Cabriolet | 2008 | 50'000 | 60'000 | 48'000 | 55'200 | 59'064 | 63'479 | +0.36%
|
V |
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
