Bonhams auctioned 123 cars on June 3, 2018 in Greenwich, Connecticut, on the occasion of the local Concours d'Elégance. The offer was rich and covered a wide range of brands and prices.
It was a lively auction, with large swings both upwards and downwards. For example, the most competitive car was bid at almost seven times the median estimate, while other buyers were able to purchase their classic for less than a third of the estimate.
US brands to the fore
American manufacturers were widely represented, with Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet and Lincoln alone accounting for well over a third of the vehicles, but a total of 46 brands were represented, including some European exotics, e.g. from AC, Alvis, De Tomaso, Lozier, Maserati, Panhard et Levassor, MG and Sunbeam.
Of course, there were also cars from Ferrari, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, but for once you had to look for them in the wide range on offer.
Mixed results for the most expensive vehicles
Only six of the ten most valuable cars could be sold and the prices were in some cases well below expectations, even for the brokered cars. For example, the new owner of the 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible paid "only" USD 1.45 million instead of the estimated USD 2 to 2.5 million.
The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster from 1959, which was also offered, was bid up to USD 990,000, but this was not enough for the consignor.
USD 412,000 had to be paid for a relatively young 2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition, while the 1954 Cunningham C-3 Coupé was valued at USD 313,000.
Much enthusiasm for Shelby classics
Almost two dozen cars from Carroll Shelby's personal collection went under the hammer (lots 141 to 163). The spectrum was considerable, with pre-war cars such as a Ford Model T as well as almost new cars such as a Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 Super Snake from 2012.
With a few exceptions, the hammer prices already significantly exceeded the communicated estimates, the most extreme being a De Tomaso Pantera GT5-S from 1987, which was used as a prototype test car for the Dodge Viper at the time, equipped with many different drivetrains. Now sold without the drivetrain, the car was valued at USD 226,240, around seven times its original price.
But other Shelby cars also clearly outperformed the estimates, such as the Shelby Series 1 from 1999, the Dodge Shelby RAM Pototype from 1983 or the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Continuation Series from 1966.
Interesting pre-war vehicles
With a total of 32 pre-war vehicles, the proportion of veteran cars was above average, although here too it was American-dominated.
Only five of these cars achieved hammer prices above the median estimate.
On average, 72% of the estimate was bid, with some cars passing into new hands at a fraction of the expected price, which was of course also due to the fact that no minimum price was demanded for many of the pre-1945 cars.
The oldest car, a 1907 Thomas-Detroit Model C Tourer, was sold for just USD 61,600; the estimate had been USD 125,000 to 175,000.
On the other hand, a 1935 Chrysler Airflow achieved a significantly better result than expected at USD 50,400. However, there were no really big upward swings in the pre-war car segment.
Vehicles offered and sold
The following table lists all vehicles offered and sold with estimated prices and highest bids in USD, as well as sales prices (incl. surcharge/commission in USD, EUR and CHF. The conversion is based on the daily exchange rate (1 USD = 0.85 EUR, 1 USD = 0.99 CHF). The %Est column compares the sales price with the average estimated value. All information without guarantee.
The list can be sorted as desired by clicking on the column headings. Registered readers and Premium users can also enlarge the table.
| Lot | Car | Year | USD Est from | USD Est to | USD HP | USD SP | CHF SP | EUR SP | % Est | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Ford Model 78 Deluxe Phaeton | 1937 | 25'000 | 35'000 | 22'000 | 24'640 | 24'393 | 20'944 | -17.87%
|
V |
| 102 | Fiat 124 Sport Coupé | 1972 | 18'000 | 24'000 | 17'000 | 19'040 | 18'849 | 16'184 | -9.33%
|
V |
| 103 | Ferrari 360 Spider | 2004 | 100'000 | 125'000 | 77'000 | 86'240 | 85'377 | 73'304 | -23.34%
|
V |
| 104 | Sunbeam-Talbot 2-Liter Sports Tourer | 1939 | 20'000 | 30'000 | 24'000 | 26'880 | 26'611 | 22'848 | +7.52%
|
V |
| 105 | Jaguar Mk II 3.8 Sports Saloon | 1967 | 30'000 | 40'000 | 39'000 | 43'680 | 43'243 | 37'128 | +24.8%
|
V |
| 106 | Fiat 600D | 1965 | 15'000 | 25'000 | 12'000 | 13'440 | 13'305 | 11'424 | -32.8%
|
V |
| 107 | MG A 1600 Mk II Roadster | 1962 | 30'000 | 40'000 | 32'000 | 35'840 | 35'481 | 30'464 | +2.4%
|
V |
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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
