On May 19, 2021, Bonhams invites car enthusiasts to the auction house's New Bond Street headquarters in London to bid on 26 exquisite vehicles.
Together, the cars are worth around £4.74 million and are on average 60 years old. 31 percent of the vehicles are offered without a reserve price.
British dominance
A good two thirds of the cars on offer come from British manufacturers, with Aston Martin over-represented with 11 cars, followed by Rolls-Royce and Bentley with 3 and 2 cars respectively. One car each from AC, Jaguar and MG will be up for auction.
Non-UK brands are only represented by individual cars, with only De Tomaso entering with two sports cars.
Aston Martin phalanx
Only older sports cars are on offer from Aston Martin. The oldest of them is a 1 1/2 Litre International from 1930, which is expected to go for £ 120,000 to £ 160,000, while the youngest is a V8 Volante from 1986, which will go under the hammer for £ 60,000 to £ 90,000.
A DB6 Volante from 1968 was estimated to be the most expensive overall at £400,000 to £500,000 and is one of four DB6s on offer, cars from the David Brown era. Of course, this also includes the two DB4s from 1960 and 1962, which have low estimates of £ 180,000 to £ 280,000, especially as they are also being sold without a reserve price.
The BD4 Series II with chassis number DB4/266/L from 1960 should be of particular interest to Swiss and German bidders, as it is left-hand drive and still has Swiss papers. However, Bonhams recommends "recommissioning" after a longer period of ownership.
A Bugatti 35B
At £300,000 to £500,000, the Bugatti Type 35B with chassis BC43 from 1927 does not appear to be an overpriced car. However, the chassis was built by Alan Wragg and the engine by Crosthwaite & Gardiner.
According to Bonhams, however, the fast pre-war sports car is registered for the Monaco Grand Prix Historique and has been a well-known car since the 1970s.
Rare MG NA
MG actually built the NA to NE model without a supercharger at the time because they were no longer allowed to be used in motorsport with a supercharger. However, the MG NA on offer with roadster body, in-line six-cylinder engine and chassis number NA0431 has a Marshall supercharger and a reinforced rear axle.
A lot is known about the history and the car was restored around 2000. Unlike many racing MGs of the time, the car is not fitted with a Wilson pre-selector gearbox but with a normal four-speed box. £65,000 to £75,000 seems an attractive price for what is on offer, especially as a service has just been carried out.
Only two young cars
Only two cars in the Bond Street auction were built after 2000.
There is a BMW Z8 from the year 2000, estimated at £150,000 to £180,000, and a Superperformance GT40 from 2012 with Gulf paintwork and just 853 miles on the clock. With its seven-liter V8 engine and 550 hp, it should be a lot of fun to drive, but the buyer should also pay £ 100,000 to £ 140,000 for it.
More information and many pictures of the vehicles on offer can be found on the Bonhams 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Aston Martin V8 'Oscar India' Sports Saloon | 1980 | Yes | 50'000 | 70'000 | 63'500 | 88'900 | 57'999 | 81'200 |
| 04 | Aston Martin DB6 Mark 2 Vantage Sports Saloon (Jg. Ca.) | 1971 | 200'000 | 300'000 | 254'000 | 381'000 | 231'999 | 348'000 | |
| 05 | BMW Z8 Roadster with Hardtop | 2000 | 150'000 | 180'000 | 190'500 | 228'600 | 174'000 | 208'800 | |
| 06 | Aston Martin DB4 'Series V' Sports Saloon | 1962 | Yes | 240'000 | 280'000 | 304'800 | 355'600 | 278'400 | 324'800 |
| 07 | Bentley 4¼-Litre Brougham Saloon | 1937 | 70'000 | 100'000 | 88'900 | 127'000 | 81'200 | 115'999 | |
| 08 | Bentley 3-Litre Speed Model Tourer | 1924 | 200'000 | 300'000 | 254'000 | 381'000 | 231'999 | 348'000 | |
| 09 | Aston Martin 1½-Litre International 'Short Chassis' Sports Tourer | 1930 | 120'000 | 160'000 | 152'400 | 203'200 | 139'200 | 185'600 | |
| 10 | Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Tourer | 1920 | 100'000 | 130'000 | 127'000 | 165'100 | 115'999 | 150'800 | |
| 11 | Maserati Khamsin Coupé | 1976 | 120'000 | 150'000 | 152'400 | 190'500 | 139'200 | 174'000 | |
| 12 | Superformance GT40 Coupé | 2012 | 100'000 | 140'000 | 127'000 | 177'800 | 115'999 | 162'400 | |
| 14 | Aston Martin DB6 Mk2 Sports Saloon | 1970 | Yes | 140'000 | 180'000 | 177'800 | 228'600 | 162'400 | 208'800 |
| 15 | Aston Martin DB4 'Series II' Sports Saloon | 1960 | Yes | 180'000 | 240'000 | 228'600 | 304'800 | 208'800 | 278'400 |
| 16 | AC Ace 2.6-Litre Roadster | 1961 | 240'000 | 280'000 | 304'800 | 355'600 | 278'400 | 324'800 | |
| 17 | Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix Two-Seater | 1927 | 300'000 | 500'000 | 381'000 | 635'000 | 348'000 | 580'000 | |
| 18 | Aston Martin DB6 Sports Saloon | 1967 | Yes | 120'000 | 150'000 | 152'400 | 190'500 | 139'200 | 174'000 |
| 19 | Aston Martin V8 Vantage Sports Saloon | 1981 | Yes | 60'000 | 80'000 | 76'200 | 101'600 | 69'600 | 92'800 |
| 20 | Bentley 3/4½-Litre Speed Model Sports | 1927 | 280'000 | 340'000 | 355'600 | 431'800 | 324'800 | 394'400 | |
| 21 | Jaguar E-Type Series 1 3.8-Litre Semi-Lightweight FIA Competition Roadster with Hardtop | 1964 | 160'000 | 200'000 | 203'200 | 254'000 | 185'600 | 231'999 | |
| 22 | De Tomaso Mangusta Coupé | 1969 | 200'000 | 250'000 | 254'000 | 317'500 | 231'999 | 290'000 | |
| 23 | Rolls-Royce Phantom III Four-Light Cabriolet | 1938 | 100'000 | 130'000 | 127'000 | 165'100 | 115'999 | 150'800 | |
| 24 | Aston Martin V8 Volante | 1986 | Yes | 60'000 | 90'000 | 76'200 | 114'300 | 69'600 | 104'400 |
| 25 | MG NA Magnette Supercharged Sports | 1934 | 65'000 | 75'000 | 82'550 | 95'250 | 75'400 | 87'000 | |
| 26 | Aston Martin DB6 Volante | 1968 | 400'000 | 500'000 | 508'000 | 635'000 | 463'999 | 580'000 | |
| 27 | De Tomaso Pantera GT5 Coupé | 1982 | 120'000 | 160'000 | 152'400 | 203'200 | 139'200 | 185'600 | |
| 28 | Lancia Flaminia Sport 3C 2.5-Litre Coupé | 1962 | 280'000 | 340'000 | 355'600 | 431'800 | 324'800 | 394'400 | |
| 29 | Aston Martin DBS Sports Saloon | 1968 | Yes | 40'000 | 60'000 | 50'800 | 76'200 | 46'400 | 69'600 |
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
