On January 25, 2025 at Bonhams at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, 77 vehicle lots, including two scooters, two motorcycles and a three-wheeler (Ape) worth USD 17.74 million, went under the hammer alongside a number of automobiles. 60% of the vehicles were offered without a reserve price. Despite this, the sales rate only leveled off at 68%.
Four cars had already been withdrawn before the auction. Online bidding was not possible for the expensive lots. Bad omens?
European-influenced offer
With 15 Porsches, 10 Rolls-Royces, eight Mercedes-Benz and five Jaguars, European brands dominated the attractively presented offer. No American brand was represented with more than one car.
On average, the vehicles coming under the hammer were 51 years old and valued at USD 230,416. The estimate spectrum was broad and ranged from USD 8000 to 2.8 million.
Many expensive cars remained unsold
Of the ten most expensive cars, only two could be sold, and of the 25 most expensive cars (valued at over USD 200,000), only six found a new owner.
Lamborghini was hit particularly hard, with all three cars (with an average age of 26 years) remaining unsold. Porsche was also not "en vogue" at Bonhams, with only a third of the cars being sold.
By contrast, Jaguar and Austin-Healey fared much better, with all of the cars on offer finding new owners. And 90% of the Rolls-Royces and 88% of the Mercedes-Benzes also found a new garage.
Not enough interest for the Miura
The Miura P400 on offer with chassis number 3057 from 1967 was the 37th of the 275 early Miura P400s built. The coupé was extensively restored and presented itself in Rosso Miura and with a black interior.
However, instead of the expected USD 2.2 to 2.8 million, only USD 1.8 million was offered, which meant that the Miura was withdrawn.
The last Ferrari 250 Europa GT remained unsold
According to Bonhams, chassis 0427 GT is the last Ferrari 250 Europa GT with Pininarina bodywork. It was shown at the Brussels Motor Show in 1956. After several changes of ownership, the coupé was offered by Albrecht G. Guggisberg (in Bern) in 1998, then went to the States for a second time. The car was restored a few years ago. It was raced both "in period" and later (e.g. at the Mille Miglia Storica).
No enthusiast was prepared to go as high as the USD 1.8 to 2.3 million asked, with the highest bid of USD 1.5 million the car remained unsold.
Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Fiat exceed expectations
Four Rolls-Royces, including three Silver Cloud II/III saloons from 1963-1965 and a Camargue from 1979, were all sold for more than estimated.
However, it was a somewhat sad-looking Bentley Mk IV Standard Steel Saloon from 1950 that sold for the most, with the highest bid exceeding the median estimate by 100%. USD 22,400 was paid for the Bentley, which was equipped with a Chevy small-block V8 and three-speed automatic transmission and is certainly not very original, described by Bonhams as a "mild hot rod".
The Fiat 127 Dinghy from 1972 also sold for significantly more than expected. The vehicle rebuilt by Pietro Frua came to USD 31,360.
Favorable opportunities
A whole range of cars and all motorcycles were sold for significantly less than expected. For example, the 1961 Land Rover Series II first owned by Arthur Miller, the famous novelist and husband of Marylin Monroe, could be bought for just USD 28,000.
Apparently the very visible "patina" had put off the prospective buyers or they simply no longer remember Arthur Miller?
A Bentley S1 Sports Saloon from 1957 with bodywork by James Young was also available for much less than expected at USD 72,800.
The Fiat derivatives 850 1000 OT Spider (as a replica) from 1965 and Abarth 695 SS Berlina from 1965 were also inexpensive, each selling for less than USD 30,000.
An Aston Martin DBS V8 from 1972 could be bought for USD 35,840, a Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Cabriolet from 1988 for USD 47,040.
A 1955 Jaguar XK140 OTS for USD 56,000 and a 1967 E-Type Series 1 4.2 Roadster for USD 62,720 also changed hands below expectations.
Mercedes-Benz as the most expensive car
The highest price achieved at Bonhams on January 25, 2025 was for a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, which had once been purchased by Karl Anton Henschel in Germany.
Chassis 198.040.6500063 then moved to the USA early on and was extensively restored to a good standard. With a sales price of USD 1.49 million (EUR 1.416 million, CH 1.36 million), the SL only just met expectations.
The 2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR "McLaren Edition" was also knocked down slightly below the estimate. USD 715,000 was quoted as the selling price.
The third most expensive car was a Porsche 911 (964) Turbo from 1992, followed by a relatively modern Ferrari F12 Berlinetta from 2014.
And the fifth most expensive car to change hands was one of the two racing Nissan Skylines, the HR31 GTS-R Group A from 1987, while the other Skyline was left standing.
In total, Bonhams realized USD 5.45 million in Scottsdale, less than a third of the expected sum. Those responsible will certainly have to do some soul-searching, as the consignors could hardly have been satisfied with the result.
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 | USD Est from | USD Est to | USD HP | USD SP | CHF SP | EUR SP | % Est | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Vespa Allstate Cruisaire | 1951 | 15'000 | 20'000 | 5500 | 6325 | 5755 | 6008 | -63.86%
|
V |
| 102 | Lambretta LD 125 | 1952 | 16'000 | 18'000 | 4800 | 5520 | 5023 | 5244 | -67.53%
|
V |
| 103 | Piaggio 125cc Ape Ribaltabile | 1956 | 50'000 | 60'000 | 32'000 | N | ||||
| 104 | Aermacchi Harley-Davidson CRTT350 | 1965 | 10'000 | 15'000 | 7000 | 8050 | 7325 | 7647 | -35.6%
|
V |
| 105 | Knievel Customs Dropseat Softail | 2007 | 12'500 | 17'500 | 6000 | 6900 | 6279 | 6555 | -54%
|
V |
| 106 | Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet | 1967 | 15'000 | 20'000 | 18'000 | 20'160 | 18'345 | 19'152 | +15.2%
|
V |
| 107 | Fiat-Abarth 1000TC Berlina Corsa | 1965 | 50'000 | 60'000 | 38'000 | N |
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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
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