Bonhams’ latest Bond St auction grosses £2.6m

Playing to a boisterous saleroom full of Christmas spirit courtesy of Bonhams and Pol Roger, auctioneer Richard Stafford sold two thirds of the firm’s final motor car sale of the year catalogue.

Once a flagship auction, yesterday's event has slipped in importance over the years. In 2014 the gross for motor cars was £12.9m. Juggling dates and timings of other departments’ pre-Christmas sales with rivals Christies and Sotheby’s, and the motor cars team’s traditional aversion to the number 13, meant the gig’s more recent slot of a Friday was moved back one day. The auction started at 5pm and was over little more than 90 minutes later.

The ‘Grand Prix-type’ Bugatti 35 was a typical example of the genre – essentially a ‘road-spec’ 35A updated to a competition-type 2.3-litre 35T in the late 1950s – but came directly from the Conway family. Hugh G Conway was Chairman of The Bugatti Trust until 2023 and a world-regarded Bugatti historian. The family name is synonymous with the marque. In today’s world of ‘matching numbers’, a fantasy when considering most Type 35s, a value of £552,000 all-in was probably fair all round for a very usable and event-eligible car.

At a glance:

* Gross, motor cars: £2,642,700 (2023, £2,872,125)
* Percentage sold by number: 65% (2023, 81%)
* Top-selling car: 1925 Bugatti Type 35A/35T 2.3-litre Grand Prix Two-Seater £552,000 gross, £480,000 net (est. £475k to £675k)

The headlining Koenigsegg CCXR Coupé (above) generated little interest and went home unsold, though the similar to non-expert eyes McLaren 720S GT3X sold for £402,500.

Other results of note (all prices gross)

* 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mk2, £174,800. A great car from Kuwait for restoration only lacking one essential – a manual gearbox. Don’t forget extra duties and registration hassles with these cars.
* 1928 Bugatti Type 44 Grand Touring 4-seater, Not Sold. This looked very, very old and unfashionable.
* 2008 Aston Martin DBS Coupé, £140,875. Much-fancied No Reserve car from UK ownership with only 1,885 miles recorded. Well sold considering the cataloguing: “Stored carefully since 2018, the car will require recommissioning before further road use.” That could be expensive.
* 2008 Bentley Brooklands, £207,000. As above, this time with only 700 miles from new. A fabulous recent Bentley.
* 1974 Porsche 911 3.2-Litre 'Carrera Classic' Coupé, Not Sold. “Well, Singer do these, there must be a market for them and ours is cheaper.” It does not really work like that.

So that wraps up Bonhams’ motor car sales for 2024. It’s been a mixed year with better results in Europe, particularly at Zoute, where the Brits abroad posted a €26.8m gross at an even more impressive 88% sold by number. Next stop for the Bond St firm will be Scottsdale in January, followed by a return to the refurbished Grand Palais in Paris in February during Rétromobile week. Let’s hope they put those heaters on now. No sale is yet scheduled for Amelia Island in March.

At K500, we have some exciting developments for 2025 to celebrate our 10th anniversary, including a magazine-type special early in January and a new take on a classic car index. Until then, we wish all our readers and subscribers Merry Christmas and a successful New Year.

Bonhams in Bond St, 12 December 2024 – results (2023)

Total gross cars: £2,642,700 (£2,872,125)
Number of cars not sold: 8 (6)
Number of cars withdrawn: 1 (0)
Total number of cars: 23 (31)
Number sold: 15 (25)
Percentage cars sold by number: 65% (81%)
Percentage by value average low/high estimate: 44% (50%)
Percentage of cars sold below low estimate: 33% (40%)
Percentage of cars sold not met avge of estimates: 53% (72%)
Percentage of cars sold met/exceeded top estimate: 40% (8%)
Average value of cars sold: £176,180 (£114,885)
Average year of cars offered: 1979 (1979)
Percentage of cars offered at No Reserve: 35% (48%)
Percentage of Astons Martins 26% (55%)
Percentage of ex-Middle East cars 17% (48%)

Photos by K500