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The Long Weekend: Bonhams and Artcurial go head-to-head

The Long Weekend: Bonhams and Artcurial go head-to-head 26th June 2017

It's a rivalry that goes back centuries. Over the period 30 June to 2 July the Brits will once again take on Les Bleus, this time in the saleroom. Bonhams will hold its traditional Friday Goodwood Festival sale, and only two days later Maâtre Hervé Poulain will take to the rostrum in Monaco. May the best men win.

The catalogues, though, are heavily weighted in favour of the Frenchmen. Out of 211 motor cars in total, the split is 123 Artcurial, 88 Bonhams. Should every car sell at the average of its estimate, the tally is €24.4m vs £14.8m.

Bonhams at the Goodwood Festival, 30 June 2017

At a glance:

* 88 motor cars, two at No Reserve (2.3%)
* Headlining entries: 1962 300 SL Roadster with hardtop and disc brakes at £850k to £950k, £900k to £1m 1957 Porsche 356A Carrera Speedster
* Ones to watch: ex-Peter Sellers Porsche 911 Turbo, Bentley 8 Litre Sedanca de Ville, ex-Maharana of Udaipur Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost

Bonhams' Festival sale catalogue is arguably its least inspiring for years. The (infamous) Ferrari 375 Plus, eventually sold after much legal wrangling for £10.75m, the £19.6m Mercedes-Benz W196 and £8.2m George Daniels Collection seem from a different age.

In the red: Bonhams' 300 SL Roadster
In the red: Bonhams' 300 SL Roadster
Baby-blue XK 120 FHC is our pick
Baby-blue XK 120 FHC is our pick

All understandable in today’s times, perhaps, but with just two cars at No Reserve we aren’t expecting fireworks. The 300 SL Roadster is a late car with discs. At around $1.2m all-in it’s there and thereabouts – though original-spec all-red paintwork won’t be for all. The Porsche 356A Carrera Speedster is rare in RHD; like so many of its ilk, its original engine has gone MIA, and it’s been restored as a GT with various racy upgrades such as a roll bar.

Gooding sold the even rarer (ex-Seinfeld, lovely in pale green) 356A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster for $1.54m in March 2016. Bonhams’ car works out a little cheaper – will a quintessentially West Coast car sell big in West Sussex? They broke records with the 550 Spyder last September, so let’s see.

Elsewhere, the catalogue throws up the odd gem such as the LHD 1974 Ferrari 246 Dino GTS in vibrant Rosso Dino (£230k to £260k, non-original motor) and the 1953 Jaguar XK 120 FHC, a fine light-blue car described as in “exceptionally original, unrestored condition” for £90k to £120k. The ex-Peter Sellers 911 Turbo could do with some TLC, but we are fans of both the car-fanatic comic genius and early Turbos. Black on black looks good, £60k to £80k will buy you the car.

You’ll have to flip through 250 or so pages to discover real variety and quality: and then it’s the company’s house ad for its forthcoming Quail Lodge sale. Fabulous, No Reserve collection of Gp. B rally cars, ex-Cunningham Lightweight E-type and metallic brown ‘Daytona’ Spider: now you’re talking.

Interesting project: Artcurial barn-find DB2
Interesting project: Artcurial barn-find DB2
Early 'E' at €150k to €180k in Monaco
Early 'E' at €150k to €180k in Monaco

Artcurial in Monaco, 2 July 2017

At a glance:

* 123 motor cars, 32 at No Reserve (26%)
* Headlining entries: Ferrari Pininfarina Cabriolet Series 2, Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, 1974 Porsche Carrera RSR 3.0 – all at €1.4m to €1.6m
* Ones to watch: 1989 Ruf CTR ‘Yellow Bird’ at €500k to €800k, original paint and interior 1953 Aston Martin DB2, No Reserve for €100k to €150k

Where do they get them from? On the face of it, Artcurial knocks Bonhams out of the park with a catalogue packed with interesting cars from Ferrari, Lancia, Maserati and Porsche. None are cheap, and to the punchy estimates one must add Artcurial’s even harder-hitting buyer’s premium, the biggest in the business.

But over a quarter are without reserve, critical in today’s market.

“How can one fail to be tempted by the exceptional, and work of such high quality?” says Artcurial of its 250 GT Pininfarina Cabriolet S2 (pictured, top). With premium, the Grigio Conchiglia car is knocking on the door of $2m, a price not seen since 2014-2015. It better be good.

Ruf CTR ‘Yellow Bird’ – track-day mods were pricey when new and might prove an expensive mistake today
Ruf CTR ‘Yellow Bird’ – track-day mods were pricey when new and might prove an expensive mistake today

Unfettered by the need to keep entries back for other events, Matthieu Lamoure’s team has hoovered up cars that would feature strongly in British provincial sales: Porsche 959 and 924 Carrera GT; Maserati Mistral Spyder and 3500 GT Vignale Spyder; Lancia Aurelia B24S Cabriolet and Flaminia Sport Zagato; Lamborghini 350 GT ‘Interim’ and Islero.

The 1974 Porsche 3.0 RSR is probably one for the racers, while the iconic Ruf CTR ‘Yellow Bird’ would be more saleable without the heavy modifications (by Ruf) for track days.

The sale will be held at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, a happy hunting ground for RM’s first auctions in the Principality and a short walk from the port. It’s also not far from Casino Square – is Artcurial taking a gamble by offering so many cars without an associated event, on the same weekend as the famous Festival of Speed? We’ll see. Expect to hear the news first from K500.

Photos by the auction houses