An auction at which the average age of the vehicles on offer is almost 120 years is unusual. However, this was true of most of the Bonhams auctions held in recent years in the context of the London to Brighton Run.
Although Bonhams has no longer been an official partner of the veterans' event, which is organized from London to Brighton with cars built before 1905, for around two years, it has held on to the auction of suitable vehicles, while competitor RM/Sotheby's offers much younger cars at the "official" auction.
Long-forgotten brands
Only a few of the many brands that roll up to the starting line at the Bonhams auction are still known today, such as Renault and Rolls-Royce, while Benz, De Dion Bouton, Oldsmobile, Talbot and Daimler are still reasonably familiar.
But when Marot Gardon, Augé, Givaudan, Dürkoop or Gladiator are mentioned, these brands are unlikely to mean anything to many people.
From two to four wheels
The majority of the vehicles on offer, and many automobiles will also go under the hammer on November 3, 2023, have four wheels, but there are also two-wheelers and three-wheelers for sale.
Around two-thirds of the vehicle lots, estimated at an average of £124,032, pre-date 1905, so are at least potential London-to-Brighton candidates.
Valuable minimalism
The vehicles at the Bonhams auction, held at the Bonhams headquarters on New Bond Street, cannot be brimming with technical superlatives. At least one of the cars is steam-powered, the rest have internal combustion engines. The simplicity of the cars should lead one to expect that they are therefore cheap.
The Isotta-Fraschini Tipo RM Roadster from 1912 is estimated at around £ 400,000 to £ 450,000, while the Panhard et Levassor Type A2 from 1902 is expected to cost £ 340,000 to £ 380,000.
A further nine cars are also set to change hands for six-figure sums.
However, you can also buy a really old car for more manageable sums, such as a Searrs 14 HP Model K Motor Buggy from 1910 for £ 20,000 to 25,000 or an Orient 4 HP Type A Buckboard from 1904 for £ 20,000 to 25,000, here even without a minimum price.
The steam mobile, a Stanley 20 HP Model SV252-A from 1925, is expected to cost £55,000 to £65,000.
It's worth taking a look at the auction catalog, which documents a lot of automotive history. Further information and many pictures are also available on the auction house's website.
Offered Vehicles
The following table lists all offered vehicles with estimated prices. The price conversion was made at the exchange rate valid at the time of publication. All information is provided without guarantee.
| Lot | Car | Year | NoR | £ Est from | £ Est to | CHF Est from | CHF Est to | EUR Est from | EUR Est to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 201 | Orient 4hp Type A Buckboard | 1904 | Yes | 20'000 | 25'000 | 21'800 | 27'250 | 23'000 | 28'749 |
| 202 | Milwaukee Racer 6hp Steam Car | 1901 | 28'000 | 38'000 | 30'520 | 41'420 | 32'199 | 43'700 | |
| 203 | Benz Patent Motorwagen Replica | 1886 | 20'000 | 25'000 | 21'800 | 27'250 | 23'000 | 28'749 | |
| 204 | Oldsmobile Model R 'Curved Dash' Runabout | 1903 | 35'000 | 40'000 | 38'150 | 43'600 | 40'250 | 46'000 | |
| 205 | Lanchester Model 25 Tourer | 1912 | 145'000 | 160'000 | 158'050 | 174'400 | 166'750 | 184'000 | |
| 206 | De Dion Bouton 4½hp Type G Vis-à-Vis | 1901 | 65'000 | 75'000 | 70'850 | 81'750 | 74'750 | 86'250 | |
| 207 | Marot Gardon 1.25hp Tricycle (Jg. 1897/1898) | 1897 | 60'000 | 80'000 | 65'400 | 87'200 | 69'000 | 92'000 | |
| 208 | Aster 16/20hp Four-Cylinder Four-Seat Rear-Entrance Tonneau | 1904 | 260'000 | 300'000 | 283'400 | 327'000 | 299'000 | 345'000 | |
| 209 | Brown 490cc Motorcycle | 1905 | 10'000 | 15'000 | 10'900 | 16'350 | 11'500 | 17'250 | |
| 210 | Brown 18/20hp Four-Cylinder Side-Entrance Tourer | 1905 | 50'000 | 70'000 | 54'500 | 76'300 | 57'499 | 80'500 | |
| 211 | Brown 8hp Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau | 1903 | 130'000 | 160'000 | 141'700 | 174'400 | 149'500 | 184'000 | |
| 212 | Daimler 15hp Model TD15 Tourer | 1911 | 60'000 | 70'000 | 65'400 | 76'300 | 69'000 | 80'500 | |
| 214 | Talbot 14hp Model 4 CBX Tourer | 1914 | 30'000 | 40'000 | 32'700 | 43'600 | 34'500 | 46'000 | |
| 215 | Sears 14hp Model K Motor Buggy | 1910 | 20'000 | 25'000 | 21'800 | 27'250 | 23'000 | 28'749 | |
| 216 | Renault 4½hp Type D Rear-Entrance Tonneau with Canopy | 1901 | 75'000 | 85'000 | 81'750 | 92'650 | 86'250 | 97'749 | |
| 217 | Isotta-Fraschini Tipo PM Roadster | 1912 | 400'000 | 450'000 | 436'000 | 490'500 | 459'999 | 517'499 | |
| 218 | Wolseley 7½hp Twin-cylinder Rear-entrance Tonneau | 1903 | 150'000 | 200'000 | 163'500 | 218'000 | 172'500 | 229'999 | |
| 219 | De Dion Bouton 275cc Single-Cylinder Quadricycle | 1900 | 50'000 | 60'000 | 54'500 | 65'400 | 57'499 | 69'000 | |
| 220 | Givaudan 277cc Motorcycle | 1904 | 19'000 | 22'000 | 20'710 | 23'980 | 21'850 | 25'299 | |
| 221 | Richard-Brasier 16hp Type O Four-Cylinder Side-Entrance Tonneau | 1904 | 300'000 | 400'000 | 327'000 | 436'000 | 345'000 | 459'999 | |
| 222 | Dürkopp 8hp Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau | 1901 | 140'000 | 160'000 | 152'600 | 174'400 | 161'000 | 184'000 | |
| 223 | Gladiator 10hp Twin-cylinder Rear-entrance Tonneau | 1903 | 170'000 | 220'000 | 185'300 | 239'800 | 195'499 | 252'999 | |
| 224 | Clément Type B Voiturette | 1902 | 68'000 | 75'000 | 74'120 | 81'750 | 78'200 | 86'250 | |
| 225 | De Dion Bouton 2¼hp Single-Cylinder Quadricycle | 1899 | 50'000 | 60'000 | 54'500 | 65'400 | 57'499 | 69'000 | |
| 226 | Augé 8-9hp Twin-Cylinder 'Cyclope' Dos-à-Dos Phaeton | 1900 | 140'000 | 160'000 | 152'600 | 174'400 | 161'000 | 184'000 | |
| 227 | Panhard et Levassor Type A2 7hp Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau | 1902 | 340'000 | 380'000 | 370'600 | 414'200 | 390'999 | 436'999 | |
| 228 | Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Salamanca | 1914 | 150'000 | 200'000 | 163'500 | 218'000 | 172'500 | 229'999 | |
| 229 | Gladiator 14hp Four-Cylinder Demi-Limousine | 1904 | 300'000 | 400'000 | 327'000 | 436'000 | 345'000 | 459'999 | |
| 230 | Gasmobile 9hp Three-Cylinder Stanhope | 1901 | 70'000 | 90'000 | 76'300 | 98'100 | 80'500 | 103'499 | |
| 231 | Clément-Panhard Voiture Légère Type VCP Two-Seater | 1899 | 60'000 | 70'000 | 65'400 | 76'300 | 69'000 | 80'500 | |
| 232 | Stanley 20hp Model SV252-A Fixed-head Tourer | 1925 | 55'000 | 65'000 | 59'950 | 70'850 | 63'249 | 74'750 |
All information is provided without guarantee.
Legend: Column NoR = No Reserve (no minimum price), Column S = Status (V = Sold, N = Not sold, Z = Withdrawn, U = Under reserve)
Est = Estimate, HP = Hammer Price, SP = Sale Price
