Tag Archives: Bonhams

January 2020 Auction Highlights

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We kick off in January with RM Sotheby’s in Arizona where the top sale was this 2018 Pagani Huayra Roadster that sold for $2,370,000.

Photo Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

All of our feature cars sold, with the V-16 Cadillac leading the way at $1,105,000. Following that was the Hispano-Suiza at $445,000 and the Shelby Series I at $91,840. Other sales included the Chalmers for $61,600, the Locomobile for $58,240, and the Kaiser for $10,080. Click here for complete results.

Next up, Gooding & Company, also in Arizona. This auction proved that bedroom wall car posters are key indicators of what’s going to skyrocket in value. In this case, it was a 1995 Ferrari F50 that outsold a Tucker at $3,222,500. It also way outsold the 250 GT Cabriolet that brought $1,462,500.

Photo – Gooding & Company

The Hispano-Suiza J12 Dual-Cowl Phaeton sold for $2,425,000. The Model A Duesenberg, and a previously-featured Model J, both failed to sell. More results are available here.

We move on to Barrett-Jackson, where the top sale was a charity lot: the first mid-engine Corvette. A 2020 Stingray that hasn’t even been built yet. This red pre-production car crossed the block, but the actual first one will be black.

Photo – Barrett-Jackson

I couldn’t even tell you what their overall top sale was that wasn’t a charity lot because the results page isn’t sortable :(. I have strong feelings on these moonshot charity auctions, but I will keep them to myself.

Every car we featured sold, which is no surprise because this entire sale is 99.9% reserve-free. The Superbird brought $313,500, the L88 Corvette $330,000, and the Kuzma-Offy $165,000. The Aerocar went for a lot less than I anticipated, bringing only $275,000. I think, had it sold 15 years ago, it would’ve gone for much more.

On the other side of things were the Lawil at $12,100 and the Bremen Sebring at $7,700. Click here for all of the results.

Across town was Russo & Steele, who managed to move this 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster for $1,045,000. The Rambler Marlin we featured went for $8,800. A great buy. Final results can be found here.

Photo – Russo & Steele

Finally, we have Bonhams at Retromobile. The top overall sale was this 1931 Bugatti Type 55 Supersport that sold for $5,045,740.

Photo – Bonhams

Other big-dollar sales among our feature cars included the Pegaso for $782,089, a previously-featured Delahaye for $227,058, a previously-featured Talbot racer for $964,997 (less than half of what it sold for in 2014), and a BMW-Glas prototype for $229,581.

Other sales included the Devin D for $100,914 and the Toyota F1 roller for $90,823. No sales were the Bugatti 39, Zagato Mostro, and the previously-featured Miller Shooting Brake and Brasier saloon. More results can be found here.

Toyota TF108 Roller

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2008 Toyota TF108

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 6, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Toyota competed as a constructor in Formula One between 2002 and 2009. And it did not go well. Despite dumping an untold fortune into the endeavor, they never won a race. They finished second five times, however, including once in 2008 using a TF108 chassis.

Not this chassis, though, because it is an engine-less show car. It was the fifth TF108 chassis built and, had it been a race car, it would’ve been powered by a 2.4-liter V8. Toyota’s 2008 drivers were Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli.

This show car is from Toyota’s penultimate year in F1 and would be a cool piece in any collection. It would also make for a great simulator base. It is expected to fetch between $67,000-$89,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $90,823.

Pegaso Z-102 Cabriolet

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1952 Pegaso Z-102 Cabriolet

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 6, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

The Pegaso Z-102 is Spain’s most dramatic automobile. Produced between 1951 and 1958, the car sold just 84 copies, many of which ended up with beautiful coachbuilt bodies. We’ve featured three of them to this point, including a convertible.

This drop-top Z-102 looks a little more restrained, and that’s probably because it was bodied by the factory. And that is because this is a factory prototype that was displayed at the 1955 Paris Motor Show. It is powered by the earliest of Z-102 engines: a 2.5-liter V8 that makes 165 horsepower. The 2.8-liter version was more popular, and later cars had a 3.2-liter unit.

This is one of five factory prototypes and the only prototype cabriolet. The current owner purchased the car in 2019 and is the car’s third owner from new. The factory body, while more plain than the Saoutchik cars, is still fantastic. This car should bring between $890,000-$1,300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $782,089.

Bugatti Type 39 Grand Prix

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1925 Bugatti Type 39 Grand Prix

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 6, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

The Bugatti Type 39 is part of the Type 35 series and is very similar to the Type 35C. The main exception was the engine, which in this car was a 1.5-liter straight-eight. The cars were successful in competition upon their debut, taking the top four spots in their first race (this one was third).

This particular car was a factory racer that went to Australia under a privateer banner in 1926. It suffered a series of engine failures in the 1920s and then bounced between a number of owners leading up to and after WWII. It has since been completely restored.

I’ve always thought that Grand Prix Bugattis were too cheap. This car carries an estimate of $1,200,000-$1,600,000… which is a little less inexpensive. After all, only 10 Type 39s were built. You can see more about this one here, and see more from Bonhams here.

Update: Not sold.

December 2019 Auction Highlights

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Not a lot of action in December, but Mecum did wrap up a sale in Kansas City that saw this 2005 Ford GT sell for $247,500. Gotta love it when the consignor of this car couldn’t be bothered to provide halfway decent photos (these are extremely pixelated). Hopefully, the car fared better during that ownership than the pictures show.

Photo – Mecum

The Graham Series 97 we featured sold for $22,550. More results can be found here.

Bonhams’ Bond Street sale saw the Alfa Romeo we featured fail to sell, though the 550 GTZ Barchetta brought $769,393. The overall top sale was $3,167,224 for this 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Lightweight. Complete results can be found here.

Photo – Bonhams

Into 2020 we go with Mecum’s Kissimmee sale. No surprises here that the top sale was the Bullitt Mustang for $3,740,000. The Duesenberg we featured from this sale sold for $522,500. Not too far behind that was the Dodge Charger Daytona that sold for $346,500. I think we have to award Most Interesting to the 1968 Challenger 2 land-speed record streamliner that sold for $561,000.

Photo – Mecum

The Chrysler Prowler we featured sold for $27,500. The L88 Corvette did not sell. Complete results can be found here.

BH Auction had its first sale of 2020 in January, and the Lotus 88B we featured is still available. The top sale was this 1987 Ferrari F187 that sold for $1,717,578. More results are available here.

Photo – BH Auction

Finally, we have Bonhams in Scottsdale, where the top reported sale was a Ferrari we featured a while back, a 1951 212 Inter Cabriolet for $1,930,000. Leading the way among our feature cars was the 1901 Winton at $142,800. This 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America brought $810,000 and is awarded Most Interesting, mostly because it’s beautiful in this color.

Photo – Bonhams

The other Winton brought $140,000, and the Boyer and a previously-featured Kurtis failed to sell. More results from this sale can be viewed here.

Devin D

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1958 Devin D

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 6, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Bill Devin’s Devin Enterprises operated out of California between 1955 and 1964 and specialized in fiberglass kit cars. During their brief existence, they also sold some actual cars. One such model that was available as a complete, turn-key car was the D, which was introduced in 1958.

While it was also available as a kit, the Devin D was offered by the company ready to go with the option of two different engines: one from VW and one from Porsche. It used a custom ladder frame and a fiberglass body. This car is powered by a 100 horsepower, 1.8-liter Porsche flat-four.

Only 46 Devin Ds were produced. With its very Porsche-like design, this D is a more affordable alternative to its period Porsche competition. It is expected to bring between $89,000-$130,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams in Paris.

Update: Sold $100,914.

1901 Winton Runabout

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1901 Winton Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 16, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

It’s great when a catalog lists two great Wintons, including this one from early in the company’s history. Alexander Winton’s company was the first to actually put a gasoline-powered car into “production.” He sold 22 cars in 1898, including one to a guy named James Ward Packard.

New models arrived for 1901, both powered by single-cylinder engines. The horizontal unit in this car displaces 2.4-liters and produced eight horsepower when new. You could only get the Runabout body with this engine, and it cost $1,200 when new.

Almost every early Winton is in a museum or locked in a private collection. This one was in a private collection, for the last 30 years. It’s now on the market with an estimate of $125,000-$150,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $142,800.

Winton Big Six

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1912 Winton Model 17-C Touring

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 16, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

I. Love. Wintons. Alexander Winton is one of the most important figures in the early days of the automobile. He was the first person to formally set up production of cars in the U.S. A Scottish immigrant, Winton switched from bicycle production to experimenting with gasoline engines in 1896.

His first cars were sold in 1897. He sold 100 of them in 1899. By the teens, the company was fighting against the likes of Packard and Lozier near the upper end of the market, selling exclusively six-cylinder cars. Unfortunately, they ceased production in 1924. Cool fact: Winton set up a diesel engine building business that was ultimately sold to GM in 1930. It is still around as part of EMD.

This Model 17-C is powered by a 48 horsepower 7.5-liter inline-six. It was restored long ago and still remains well out of my price range, with an estimate of $200,000-$300,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $140,000.

1902 Boyer

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1902 Boyer 9HP Two-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 16, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Boyer was a French automobile manufacturer based near Paris, and their name is thought to first have appeared on a car in 1899. Sales to the general public were underway by 1901, with one- and two-cylinder cars available.

Boyer was related to Clement/Gladiator, as the head of the company was a director of one of their branches. The Boyer was also sold in the U.K. for a hot minute under the name York. The last Boyers were from 1906.

This car is powered by a 1.3-liter twin good for 10 horsepower. It’s been in the U.S. for many years, having been restored under current ownership. It’s also a multi-time participant in the London-to-Brighton run. It is said that this is the only remaining two-cylinder Boyer, and it should bring between $175,000-$250,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Update: Not sold, Bonhams Amelia Island 2020.

Zagato Mostro

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2016 Zagato Mostro Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | Paris, France | February 6, 2020

Photo – Bonhams

Did you know this car existed? Five examples were built by Zagato between 2015 and 2016 to commemorate 100 years of Maserati and the 1957 Maserati 450 S Coupe Zagato Monster.

It’s designed primarily for the track (look at that big rear wing) and has a very post-2000 Zagato body. Also, it has butterfly-like doors, which is kind of cool. It’s powered by a front-mid-engined 4.2-liter Maserati V8 good for 460 horsepower.

It was over $1 million when new and is now expected to fetch between $670,000-$1,000,000 at auction in Paris. It’s a one-owner example of a car that Zagato only offered to their best customers. You may never get another chance to get your hands on one. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.