Tag Archives: Bonhams

Force India VJM01

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2008 Force India VJM01

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 2024

Photo – Bonhams

The Midland F1 team was what Jordan Grand Prix became for the 2006 season. At the end of ’06, they sold out to Spyker, who produced one car for F1: the Spyker F8-VII. During the 2007 season, Spyker was bought by Vijay Mallya, who was going to rename it Force India for 2008.

The first Force India race car chassis were actually slightly updated Spykers from the year before. They built a couple of chassis on their own too, which is what this is, apparently (chassis VJM01-05). It would’ve been powered by a 2.4-liter Ferrari V8 making 750 horsepower. Now it’s just a rolling show car with a Dexter Brown “art car” livery that was created for a 2011 charity auction.

The actual competition history for this chassis consists of:

  • 2008 Australian Grand Prix – 21st, DNF (with Giancarlo Fisichella)
  • 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix – 12th (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 Bahrain Grand Prix – 12th (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 Spanish Grand Prix – 10th (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 Turkish Grand Prix – 20th, DNF (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 French Grand Prix – 18th (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 British Grand Prix – 17th, DNF (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 German Grand Prix – 16th (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 Hungarian Grand Prix – 15th (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 European Grand Prix – 14th (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 Belgian Grand Prix – 17th (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 Italian Grand Prix – 20th, DNF (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 Singapore Grand Prix – 14th (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 Japanese Grand Prix – 16th, DNF (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 Chinese Grand Prix – 17th (with Fisichella)
  • 2008 Brazilian Grand Prix – 18th (with Fisichella)

The estimate here is $100,000-$150,000. Click here for more info.

British-Market Mercedes-Benz S-Type

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1928 Mercedes-Benz 36/220 S-Type Four-Seat Sports Tourer by Sindelfingen

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 2024

Photo – Bonhams

The Mercedes-Benz 26/120/180 S-Type was produced between 1927 and 1928, with just 146 examples completed. It was a sporty car available in a variety of body styles, with the Sindelfingen-built sports four-seater being the only “factory” body style. We’ve featured one of these before.

But what makes this car different is that it is a right-hand-drive example built for the British market. And they measured things a bit differently there, so the “26/120/180” name was dropped in favor of “36/220,” which represents the RAC horsepower rating (36) and the brake horsepower output with the supercharger engaged on the 6.8-liter inline-six (220). Well, Mercedes rated it at 120 horsepower in standard tune, and 180 with the supercharger.

This car has a pretty well confirmed line of ownership back to new and has been with its current owner since 1991. It now has an estimate of $2,000,000-$3,200,000. More info can be found here.

Mercedes 10/40/65 Sports

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1924 Mercedes 10/40/65PS Sports

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Mercedes didn’t team up with Benz until 1926. But before that, Emil Jellink’s Mercedes produced some fine cars. Finer than most Benzes. Mercedes launched the 10/40hp in 1921 and would update it to the 10/40/65hp in 1924, the model’s final year of production.

Power is provided by a 2.6-liter inline-four that was rated at 65 horsepower with the supercharger engaged. This car was sold new in Germany and remained in Romania from essentially new until 1989, with about 30 years of that on museum duty.

It was 1989 that it came back to Germany and then the U.S., where it was restored in 1991. It was originally bodied as a cabriolet and now wears “SSK-lite” sports bodywork. It has an estimate of $100,000-$180,000. Read more here.

Lancia Astura by Pinin Farina

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1939 Lancia Astura Series IV Convertible by Pinin Farina

Offered by Bonhams | Cheserex, Switzerland | June 2024

Photo – Bonhams

The Astura was one of two V8-powered cars Lancia sold during the 1930s, outlasting the Dilambda by an extra four years. It was produced from 1931 through 1939 across four series. This is a Series IV car, which were around from 1937 through the end of production.

Just 423 examples of the Series IV were built, each with power from a 3.0-liter V8 that made 82 horsepower. All 423 were long-wheelbase cars, and they also featured hydraulic brakes. These were coachbuilt cars, and this one was completed two weeks before the start of WWII and is an early example of Pinin Farina coachwork.

The rumor is that the car was owned by Mussolini at some point. It was later owned by Bernie Ecclestone. So… draw your own comparisons. It was restored in 2020 and has an estimate of $310,000-$450,000. Click here for more info.

OSCA 1600 Cabriolet

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1963 OSCA 1600 GT2 Cabriolet by Fissore

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 2024

Photo – Bonhams

OSCA was founded by the Maserati brothers and produced some pretty cool cars during its short existence between 1947 and 1967. Around 1960 they introduced the 1600, which was a home-grown car powered by OSCA’s own 1.6-liter version of Lampredi’s Fiat inline-four.

Between 1960 and 1963, the company would build just 128 1600 GT models. This is one of only three cabriolets, and only two of those three had a tubular chassis. In this car, the OSCA inline-four made 105 horsepower.

This car was on Fissore’s stand at the 1963 Turin Motor Show, and it spent decades at a time across multiple collections in the U.S. and Europe. It now carries an estimate of $370,000-$430,000. More info can be found here.

The First Lotus F1 Car

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1957 Lotus-Climax 12

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Lotus’s track-focused cars built prior to this were mostly of the sports racing/prototype variety. The 12 was unveiled at the 1956 London Motor Show but wouldn’t hit the track until 1957. That first year it contested three F2 races, one each at Silverstone, Goodwood, and Oulton Park. Drivers Henry Taylor and Graham Hill split driving duties.

After a few more F2 outings in 1958, the car was ready to step up to F1. It was Lotus’s – and Graham Hill’s – first Formula One appearance when the car appeared at the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix. The competition history for this chassis, 353, includes:

  • 1958 Monaco Grand Prix – 9th, DNF (with Graham Hill)
  • 1958 Dutch Grand Prix – 14th, DNF (with Hill)
  • 1958 Belgian Grand Prix – 13th, DNF (with Hill)

Then it was back to F2 for some events in 1958 and 1959. And don’t think the 12 was an F1 dud. Hill’s teammate in ’58 was Cliff Allison, and Allison finished 6th, 6th, and 4th, respectively, in the same outings Hill had.

Power in the car is from a Coventry Climax inline-four. The car was purchased by its current owner in 1991 and was later restored. Quite the specimen of F1 and Lotus history, the car could fetch between $310,000-$420,000. You can read more about it here.

Drogo-Bodied 250 GT Coupe

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1960 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe by Carrozzeria Sports Cars

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 2024

Photo – Bonhams

If you’re thinking that this car looks vaguely 250 GTO-ish (or vaguely like an Iso Grifo from the cowl back), well, you aren’t crazy. What we have here is a Ferrari 250 GT that was sold new as a Pinin Farina-bodied coupe.

That coupe, powered by a 3.0-liter Colombo V12, was crashed in Switzerland in 1965. It was sent back to Modena, where the chassis was shortened and the car was subsequently rebodied by Piero Drogo’s Carrozzeria Sports Cars. In the 1970s it was crashed again, this time in France, with repairs carried out by Sbarro.

There are definite GTO influences, but the design is a one-off. More modern re-bodied 250 GTs tend to barely break into the seven figures, depending on what they’ve been re-bodied as. Yet this one, because of its period rebody, has an estimate of $2,700,000-$3,200,000. More info can be found here.

Touring Sciadipersia Cabriolet

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2015 Touring Sciadipersia Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Much like the coupe version of this car, you can really see the Maserati influence in this car. Well, not really influence, I guess. The car is based on a Maserati GranCabriolet. A 2015 example, specifically.

But the conversion performed by Carrozzeria Touring was not performed until 2020. The car retains the underlying Maserati 4.7-liter V8 that was rated at 454 horsepower. The Touring conversion was mostly limited to exterior styling inspired by the three Touring-bodied Maserati 3500 GTs built for the Shah of Iran (Persia).

Just 14 of these convertibles were produced, with this Belgium-based car having covered just 135 miles since completion. It now has an estimate of $380,000-$490,000. Click here for more info.

Touring Aero 3

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2015 Touring Aero 3 Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera has been around since the 1920s and became quite famous in the 1930s and ’40s with their coachbuilt bodies. Touring would later body some of the most famous Ferraris, Aston Martins, Maseratis, and Lamborghinis of the 1950s and 1960s. They closed up shop in 1966.

In 2006, the company was resurrected under new ownership and started producing limited-run vehicles based on existing cars. One such vehicle is this, the Aero 3. It’s based on the Ferrari F12berlinetta. It shares the F12’s 730-horsepower, 6.3-liter V12. This particular car utilized a 2015 F12 as a starting point and was converted by Touring to Aero 3 spec in 2020.

These are limited-run cars. A maximum of 15 Aero 3s will be built, but it’s unclear how many have been completed thus far (or if they will ever even get to 15). It has an estimate of $640,000-$960,000. Click here for more info.

Delahaye 175 S

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1950 Delahaye 175 S Coach by Motto

Offered by Bonhams | Monaco | May 2024

Photo – Bonhams

Delahaye’s post-war bread and butter was the prewar 135 line of cars. It was kind of late in the game when they introduced the 175 model in 1949, as they company only had a few years left in it. These were luxury cars, usually built to order.

The model came to be after Delahaye gave up on its ultra-expensive 165 model. The 175 was joined by the 178 and 180 models, and the three really just differed in wheelbase. Power was provided by a 4.5-liter inline-six that in 175 S spec (which meant triple carburetors) made about 160 horsepower.

Just 51 examples of the 175 were built, and most were optioned into a 175 S with a three-carb setup. This particular car was built with a racing engine that made 200 horsepower as well as Motto coachwork. It has racing history:

  • 1951 Monte Carlo Rally – 1st (with Jean Trevoux and Roger Crovetto)
  • 1951 Carrera Panamericana – 37th, DNF (with Louis Chiron and Andre Mariotti)

After that race, the car remained with a serious of Mexican owners, and it was restored more recently. But this is a Monte Carlo-winning race car that was one driven by one of the legendary prewar Grand Prix racers. It now has an estimate of $480,000-$700,000. More can be found here.