Every year in December, Bonhams invites its customers to its beautiful office building on New Bond Street to auction off some exclusive cars just before the turn of the year. On December 7, 2019, the time has come again and the 35 vehicles on offer are sure to make collectors' mouths water.
Ferrari, Aston Martin and others
Almost half of the range is dominated by two car brands: Ferrari and Aston Martin with eight and seven sports cars respectively. Four Porsches and three Mercedes-Benzes and Bentleys complete the larger contingents. Really exotic brands are missing, unless you count Auburn or FMR/Messerschmitt in this category.
The average age of almost 39 years only tells half the story, as the cars actually cover a wide spectrum. As many as five cars date from the pre-war period.
One of nine Aston Martin DB4 GT Lightweight
The highlight of the auction is sure to be the Aston Martin DB4 GT from 1961 in "Lightweight" specification. Only nine of these cars were built for racing at the time. These cars were driven by the likes of Stirling Moss, Jim Clark, Roy Salvadori and Innes Ireland.
One of the buyers was Phil Scragg, a wealthy industrialist who raced hill climbs as an amateur and therefore requested a short rear axle for chassis DB4GT/0169/R.
Just three owners and largely original condition make this DB4 a certainly special car, now set to find a new garage for £2m to £3m.
The RS from Jay Kay
Only 200 genuine lightweight RSs of the Porsche Carrera 2.7 RS were built. Chassis 9113601097 is one of them and has been owned by musician Jay Kay since 2008, although he has only driven just 1000 kilometers and paid bills of around £8000 for maintenance.
The left-hand drive sports car is now said to be worth £750,000 to £850,000 to its new owner.
Young sports car with low mileage
Jay Kay seems to have lost the joy of some of his cars. In any case, he obviously didn't drive them too much.
A 2004 Porsche Carrera GT with just 2400 miles on the clock goes under the hammer for an estimated £650,000 to £750,000.
A 2016 Ferrari F12tdf with 895 miles is expected to fetch £670,000 to £740,000.
The convertible of Prince Charles
Prince Charles is known to be an Aston enthusiast, so it's no surprise that he also ordered a special Vantage 6.3 Litre Convertible, which was delivered without a wide body.
The green Aston with chassis number 60107 is now set to find a new owner for £ 225,000 to £ 275,000.
The hyper cabin scooter
The FMR Tiger Tg500 can hardly be compared with the other, low-engined cabin scooters, although its body is largely identical to the normal Messerschmitt. But in the "Tiger" the engine was 500 cm3 instead of 200 cm3 and speeds of well over 100 km/h were possible. In fact, the powerful Tigers outpaced many a sports car.
Chassis 20655, freshly and extensively restored, is now set to change hands for £ 120,000 to £ 160,000.
The BMW 328 from England
Frazer Nash concluded a license agreement with BMW in 1934 and began importing BMW models to England. Some of these received factory bodies and some received bodies from British craftsmen.
The 1939 Frazer Nash-BMW 328 Roadster with chassis 85411 was one of these cars and it is now expected to find a new owner for £ 650,000 to £ 850,000.
A little more money is expected for an Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato from 1929 with supercharger and chassis number 0312931/0332931.
And the 1935 Auburn 851 Supercharged Boat-tail Speedster, once owned by Woolworth heiress Barbara Hutton, is expected to go for £650,000 to £750,000.
A closer look at the auction catalog or the Bonhams website, where more information and pictures can be found, is certainly worthwhile.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaguar Mark II 3.8-Litre 'Coombs Evocation' Sports Saloon | 1965 | 48'000 | 58'000 | 55'679 | 67'280 | 61'440 | 74'240 | |
| 2 | Rolls-Royce 20/25hp Foursome Drophead Coupé | 1933 | 110'000 | 130'000 | 127'599 | 150'800 | 140'800 | 166'400 | |
| 3 | Aston Martin DB5 Sports Saloon | 1965 | 470'000 | 550'000 | 545'200 | 638'000 | 601'600 | 704'000 | |
| 4 | Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Supercharged Super Sport Spider | 1929 | 800'000 | 1'200'000 | 927'999 | 1'392'000 | 1'024'000 | 1'536'000 | |
| 5 | Ferrari 550 Maranello Coupé | 2001 | 90'000 | 120'000 | 104'400 | 139'200 | 115'200 | 153'600 | |
| 6 | Aston Martin Virage Volante | 1994 | 225'000 | 275'000 | 260'999 | 319'000 | 288'000 | 352'000 | |
| 7 | Dino 246 GTS | 1974 | 380'000 | 460'000 | 440'799 | 533'600 | 486'400 | 588'800 | |
| 8 | Aston Martin DBS Coupé | 2009 | 100'000 | 130'000 | 115'999 | 150'800 | 128'000 | 166'400 | |
| 9 | Aston Martin DB4GT 'Lightweight' Sports Saloon | 1961 | Yes | 2'000'000 | 3'000'000 | 2'320'000 | 3'479'999 | 2'560'000 | 3'840'000 |
| 10 | Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina | 2001 | 250'000 | 300'000 | 290'000 | 348'000 | 320'000 | 384'000 | |
| 11 | Frazer Nash BMW 328 Roadster | 1939 | 650'000 | 850'000 | 754'000 | 985'999 | 832'000 | 1'088'000 | |
| 12 | Aston Martin DB6 Vantage 4.2-Litre Sports Saloon | 1966 | 260'000 | 310'000 | 301'600 | 359'600 | 332'800 | 396'800 | |
| 14 | Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7-Litre 'Lightweight' Coupé | 1973 | 750'000 | 850'000 | 869'999 | 985'999 | 960'000 | 1'088'000 | |
| 15 | Ferrari F12tdf Berlinetta | 2016 | 670'000 | 740'000 | 777'200 | 858'399 | 857'600 | 947'200 | |
| 16 | Porsche Carrera GT | 2004 | 650'000 | 750'000 | 754'000 | 869'999 | 832'000 | 960'000 | |
| 17 | Porsche 356B 1600 Super Cabriolet | 1960 | 110'000 | 130'000 | 127'599 | 150'800 | 140'800 | 166'400 | |
| 18 | Ferrari 512 BB Coupé | 1976 | 180'000 | 240'000 | 208'800 | 278'400 | 230'400 | 307'200 | |
| 19 | Auburn 851 Supercharged Boat-tail Speedster | 1935 | 650'000 | 750'000 | 754'000 | 869'999 | 832'000 | 960'000 | |
| 20 | FMR/Messerschmitt Tg500 Microcar | 1959 | 120'000 | 160'000 | 139'200 | 185'600 | 153'600 | 204'800 | |
| 21 | Ferrari 550 GTZ Barchetta | 2001 | 500'000 | 700'000 | 580'000 | 812'000 | 640'000 | 896'000 | |
| 22 | Ferrari F12 Berlinetta 70th Anniversary 'The Scaglietti' | 2017 | 300'000 | 400'000 | 348'000 | 463'999 | 384'000 | 512'000 | |
| 23 | Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Saloon | 1965 | 300'000 | 500'000 | 348'000 | 580'000 | 384'000 | 640'000 | |
| 24 | Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG Brabus B63S-700 Widestar | 2014 | 100'000 | 130'000 | 115'999 | 150'800 | 128'000 | 166'400 | |
| 25 | Ferrari Testarossa Coupé | 1991 | 75'000 | 100'000 | 87'000 | 115'999 | 96'000 | 128'000 | |
| 26 | Bentley R-Type Continental Sports Saloon | 1953 | 900'000 | 1'100'000 | 1'043'999 | 1'276'000 | 1'152'000 | 1'408'000 | |
| 27 | Aston Martin V8 Vantage X-Pack Sports Saloon | 1988 | 300'000 | 340'000 | 348'000 | 394'400 | 384'000 | 435'200 | |
| 28 | Aston Martin Lagonda Series 4 Saloon | 1989 | 70'000 | 120'000 | 81'200 | 139'200 | 89'600 | 153'600 | |
| 29 | Citroën SM 3.0-Litre Coupé | 1973 | 40'000 | 60'000 | 46'400 | 69'600 | 51'200 | 76'800 | |
| 30 | Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Coupé | 2010 | 150'000 | 200'000 | 174'000 | 231'999 | 192'000 | 256'000 | |
| 31 | Porsche 918 Spyder | 2015 | 850'000 | 950'000 | 985'999 | 1'102'000 | 1'088'000 | 1'216'000 | |
| 32 | Ferrari 458 Speciale Coupé | 2016 | 240'000 | 280'000 | 278'400 | 324'800 | 307'200 | 358'400 | |
| 33 | Bentley 3½-Litre Cabriolet | 1933 | 130'000 | 160'000 | 150'800 | 185'600 | 166'400 | 204'800 | |
| 34 | Bentley S3 Two-door Convertible | 1964 | 110'000 | 120'000 | 127'599 | 139'200 | 140'800 | 153'600 | |
| 35 | Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 Coupé | 2006 | 850'000 | 1'250'000 | 985'999 | 1'450'000 | 1'088'000 | 1'600'000 | |
| 36 | Alfa Romeo 8C Spider | 2013 | 175'000 | 200'000 | 203'000 | 231'999 | 224'000 | 256'000 |
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
