RM/Sotheby's has been organizing an auction in London (almost) every year for almost 20 years. On November 1 and 2, 2024, in the run-up to the London to Brighton Run at the Peninsula in London, over 100 automobilia (including vehicle documents, trophies, photos, tools and other items) and 61 vehicles, including a motorcycle and a historic tricycle, came under the hammer with a value of £33.6 million. No reserve price was set for 39% of the vehicles.
There was no shortage of interested parties and bidders, as could be seen in the almost epic bidding battle for an old racing helmet once worn by Graham Hill at the Indy 500.
The battle for the Buco helmet lasted almost a quarter of an hour before the hammer finally fell at £ 120,000 (well above the estimate). Malcolm Barber (ex Bonhams), who conducted the first part of Saturday's auction, commented laconically: "And I must say, that I sold Ferrari 250 GTO in a shorter time than this ...". (I have sold Ferrari 250 GTOs in less time than this helmet).
Especially Aston Martin, Bentley and Ferrari
Vehicles from 20 brands with an average age of 66 years went under the hammer in London on November 2, 2024. 14 Aston Martin, 13 Bentley and seven Ferrari (as well as one Dino) made up well over half of the offer.
While all four Mercedes-Benz cars were sold, the sales rate for Aston Martin was 86%, for Bentley 92% and for Ferrari 86%.
The highest bids were well below expectations, especially for the Bentleys, but this was also due to the large proportion of restoration objects, which will be discussed later.
The Jaguar XKSS did not live up to expectations
According to the estimate of £ 9 to 11 million, the 1957 Jaguar XKSS with chassis number XKD 540 should have been the most expensive car at the auction. According to RM/Sotheby's, it is a particularly important XKSS. The car was born as a D-Type and was not sold until 1957, when it was converted into an XKSS in October 1958. The car has a racing history and complete documentation.
However, none of this quite convinced the bidders, who stopped at £8 million and the consignor was obviously not prepared to let the car go for that.
But it wasn't just the Jaguar that failed, the bidding for a 1973 Dino 246 GTS also ended at £300,000, the bidders were unwilling to sell a 1971 Ferrari Daytona for more than £380,000 and the 1963 Aston Martin DB4 Convertible failed at USD 680,000 despite its special specification with DB4 GT six-cylinder engine.
It should be noted, however, that the highest bids for all the cars mentioned here were 80% or more of the median estimate and that three of them were right-hand drive vehicles.
Other cars were more disappointing, such as the 1994 Honda NSX-R with the steering wheel on the right, which fell at £180,000 (Estimate 230,000 to 290,000), or the 1952 Bentley Mark VI as a Drophead Foresoume Coupé, which only elicited £160,000 from bidders instead of the £275,000 to 325,000 they had hoped for.
300 SL convinced the most
With an estimate of £ 1.05 to 1.3 million, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing from 1954 came out on top. This is a very early left-hand drive coupé that was on display at the Earls Court Motor Show in 1954 and always belonged to the same family from 1956 onwards.
The bidders honored this good story with £ 1.28 million, which meant that the car changed hands for £ 1.445 million (EUR 1.72 million, CHF 1.62 million) including surcharge/bidding commission.
Even more expensive was a Ferrari F40 from 1989, left-hand drive and without catalytic converter, which was sold with around 22,000 kilometers on the clock for £ 1.974 million (EUR 2.35 million, CHF 2.2 million).
The highest bidder paid £ 1.75 million (EUR 2.08 million, CHF 1.96 million) for the Ferrari 275 GTB from 1965, which was also left-hand drive, while another left-hand drive Ferrari, a 250 GT Lusso from 1964, went for £ 1.145 million (EUR 1.365 million, CHF 1.285 million).
Famous racing cars sold below estimate
The Delahaye 135 S from 1936 also sold for a seven-figure sum. In 1939, the car finished eighth at Le Mans, later the open-top car belonged to Rob Walker for a long time and was also driven by Prince Bira, among others. It was expected to fetch £ 1 to 1.5 million, but the highest bid of £ 970,000 was slightly lower.
The final sale price was listed at £ 1.096 million (EUR 1.305 million, CHF 1.228 million).
Bidders were even more cautious with the MG K3 from 1934. Chassis number K3016 belonged to the works team at the 34 Mille Miglia and is considered one of the most original K3s in existence. £ 600,000 to 800,000 was expected to change hands in exchange for this car, but £ 522,500 (EUR 612,775, CHF 585,200) was enough to come into possession of this legendary car.
Restoration objects sometimes cheaper than expected
RM was also able to offer some Aston Martin and Bentley restoration objects in London. Apparently, however, the estimates were somewhat misjudged. On average, the highest bids for these cars were only around 43% of the median estimate.
An Aston Martin DB2 from 1950 could be bought for £ 39,100, a DB6 for £ 85,100 or a Bentley 4 1/4 Litre Sports Saloon with bodywork by Park Ward from 1938 for just £ 17,250.
The oldest vehicle was a positive surprise
More than a quarter of the vehicles were from the pre-war period, six of them even from before the First World War.
In fact, the oldest vehicle performed the best. The De Dion-Bouton 2¼ HP Tricycle from 1899, which had taken part in earlier London to Brighton Runs, sold for £ 77,050 (EUR 91,690, CHF 86,296), well above the estimate, which had been expected to be £ 50,000 to 60,000.
The Haynes-Apperson 4/6 Seater Surrey from 1902 and participant of the Run on November 3, 2024 also achieved a good price at £ 134,550 (EUR 160,115, CHF 150,696), while a potential participant vehicle for the London to Brighton Run could also be bought for £ 34,500 (EUR 41,055, CHF 38,640) with an Oldsmobile Model R "Curved-Dash" Runabout from 1903.
Some bargains
Off-road models stood out among the classics sold at surprisingly low prices.
Two Land Rovers and a Ford GPW with trailer only just reached half their estimated value with their highest bids, while the fully restored 1951 Land Rover Series 1, a "reborn" model, was sold for just £ 59,800 (EUR 71,162, CHF 66,967).
Overall, however, the auction did not go badly with a sales rate of 82% and a total turnover of £17.5 million for the vehicles, especially as auctions in the UK have become rather more difficult in the international environment due to Brexit.
The average bid was "only" 76% of the median estimate, but this was largely due to the poor performance of the restoration objects.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | De Dion-Bouton 2¼ HP Tricycle | 1899 | 50'000 | 60'000 | 67'000 | 77'050 | 86'296 | 91'689 | +40.09%
|
V |
| 302 | Oldsmobile Model R 'Curved-Dash' Runabout | 1903 | 30'000 | 40'000 | 30'000 | 34'500 | 38'640 | 41'055 | -1.43%
|
V |
| 303 | De Dion-Bouton Vis-à-Vis Voiturette (Jg. Ca) | 1900 | 65'000 | 85'000 | 68'000 | 78'200 | 87'584 | 93'058 | +4.27%
|
V |
| 304 | Haynes-Apperson 4/6 Seater Surrey | 1902 | 130'000 | 150'000 | 117'000 | 134'550 | 150'696 | 160'114 | -3.89%
|
V |
| 305 | Wolseley 16/20 HP C6 Torpedo Tourer | 1914 | 75'000 | 80'000 | 50'000 | N | ||||
| 306 | Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII | 1915 | 250'000 | 280'000 | 230'000 | 263'750 | 295'400 | 313'862 | -0.47%
|
V |
| 307 | Brough Superior SS100 | 1936 | 220'000 | 250'000 | 180'000 | 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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