Bonhams’ £3.1m Members’ Meeting auction

Lacking any true headliners, it’s unsurprising that the Bond St firm’s latest outing at Goodwood failed to trouble the scorers, totalling just £3,098,705 for motor cars, the smallest figure on record. But the sell-through of 75 percent was healthy, and bidders had the opportunity of snapping up affordable everyday classics at figures often 25 per cent off values seen only a few years ago. 

Top selling car was the relatively modern (2002) Lamborghini  Murciélago a rare beacon of hope on an otherwise quiet afternoon. It achieved an above-estimate £264,500 with 15% premium. An even more recent (2014) Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-2 50th Anniversary Coupé went for £103,500, nearly doubling its £50k to £60k estimate.

Regular British auctioneer Richard Stafford (top) opened proceedings before handing over to Briony Harford.

At a glance:

* Gross: £3,098,705 (2025, £4,884,050)
* Percentage sold by number, motor cars: 75% (2025, 73%)
* Top-selling car: 2002 Lamborghini  Murciélago Coupé £264,500 gross, £230,000 net (est. £175k to £225k)
* Well sold? Who doesn’t like a 1960s Mini Cooper? Someone did yesterday, paying £33,350 gross for what looked like a clean and well-restored Mk I 998cc car with some period mods such as Cooper S front discs. Est. £18k to £26k

* Well bought? At £218,500 all-in, the 1939 SS 100 Jaguar 3½-Litre Sports (above) from the estate of notable motor racing and aircraft artist, the late Michael Turner, who had owned the car since 1955

A significant proportion of the sale came from deceased estates and was offered without reserve. The event was the first of two Goodwood auctions for Bonhams this year after the decision was made not to hold one at the Festival of Speed, an expensive gig with only so-so results in recent times. 

Other results of note (all prices gross):

* 1970 Volkswagen Beach Buggy, £10,350. It’s a UK original rather than a sexier California car – more Brentwood, Essex, than Brentwood, Los Angeles – but look at the price.  
* 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL, £48,300. Original wing-and-spoiler CSL coming out of long-term ownership requiring “some sympathetic restoration". Which does not come cheap.
* 1966 Maserati Sebring Series II, £98,900. RHD South African car. Bought at auction for £269,920 in 2017 when described as “fully restored to immaculate condition throughout.”
* 1938 Aston Martin 15/98 2/4 Seater Tourer, Not Sold. Early one-and-a-half litre Aston Martins have a certain vintage charm, elegant lines and significant history on the race-track. The  Two Litre lacks any of these and looks like a generic small late-1930s tourer that could be from Singer or Riley.
* 1966 Morgan Plus 4 Plus Coupé, £14,750. What price affordable weirdness?
* 1962 Jaguar E-type Series 1 3.8-Litre Fixedhead Coupé, £44,850. ‘Upgraded’ but a pointer to where the E-type market is today.
* 1990 Ferrari 348tb, £67,850. RHD, ca. 45,000 miles covered, and red, but a healthy result for the poor man’s Ferrari. 

Bonhams next outing is this Friday at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix Meeting. Then the Miami Auction on 3 May in conjunction with the Miami Grand Prix. There’s some serious firepower on offer in Florida, including a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, Ferrari LaFerrari and two Dino 246 GTSs.

Bonhams at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting, 19 April 2026 – results (2025)

Gross: £3,098,705 (£4,884,050)
Number of cars not sold: 19 (23)
Number of cars withdrawn: 2 (0)
Total number of cars: 75 (84)
Number sold: 56 (61)
Percentage cars sold by number: 75% (73%)
Percentage by value average low/high estimate: 51% (48%)
Number of cars met or sold below low estimate: 30 (37)
Percentage of cars met or sold below low estimate: 54% (61%)
Percentage of cars sold below avge of estimates: 68% (77%)
Percentage of cars sold met/exceeded top estimate: 14% (13%)
Average price of cars sold: £55,334 (£80,066)
Average year of cars offered: 1961 (1963)
Percentage of cars offered at No Reserve: 32% (23%)

Photos by James Brown for K500