The return of the Ancien Régime: Bonhams at Chantilly 2016
Remember when an expensive classic car was something from the 1930s? Endless bonnet, lashings of chrome and a proud radiator topped by an arrogant crest? Certainly not a car that’s just left the showroom…
Welcome to Bonhams’ forthcoming auction at the Château de Chantilly.
Key points:
• 28-car ‘niche’ catalogue
• Pre-War European classics dominate
• 1964 OSCA 1600 GT Coupé by Zagato the sportsman’s choice
For its second auction held at the stylish Richard Mille Chantilly Arts & Elegance, Bonhams has consigned four ‘old-school’ Horch motor cars restored by Horch Classic and, if that’s not enough, a 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500 K Roadster (pictured, top) direct from its first owner’s family: metal-fastening magnates, the Prym dynasty.
It’s almost as if the past few years had never happened. Which, some might say, is no bad thing for a change, and we wish Bonhams well with the effort of selling so many old-fashioned cars in a market obsessed in recent months by low-production modern hypercars such as the LaFerrari and McLaren P1. Not aiding Bonhams’ task will be VAT chargeable on both the hammer price and the premium of the Horch Collection. Expect any buyer to have a few summers under his braces, rather than a Hermès belt.
A sense of normality is restored with the Porsche Classic Brussels-restored 1965 Porsche 911 SWB, surely offered at less than cost for €200k to €250k. And for the second year running at Chantilly, Bonhams has an OSCA 1600 GT – except this time it’s the one that punters really want, a Zagato-bodied berlinetta (pictured, above) for €280k to €330k.
The sale finishes bizarrely, with a 1939 Lincoln Zephyr. A couple of lots before that there’s a 1955 Lancia Aurelia B20 GT. As a Series IV it’s got the right spec, so if you can live with the Rosso Corsa paintwork – and Bonhams Europe’s killer 15% buyer’s premium – at €100k to €150k it’s worth a look.
Photos by Bonhams