Tag Archives: Bonhams

Lagonda Rapide

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1963 Lagonda Rapide

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 6, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Lagonda was an automobile marque that was founded in 1906 by Wilbur Gunn and acquired by Aston Martin in 1947. It disappeared after 1958 and then re-appeared in 1961 for this four-door sedan called the Rapide. The model lasted through 1964 and the marque disappeared again. The name was then used on a few Aston Martin models up through the the 1980s. It appeared as a marque again in 2014.

This very British-looking sedan is powered by a 4.2-liter straight-six while the original engine was a 4.0-liter straight-six making 236 horsepower. This one was enlarged during restoration. The chassis is a stretched version of the one used under the Aston DB4. The body is aluminium and was designed by Touring.

These cars cost 25% more than a contemporary Aston Martin DB4. Perhaps this incredible price is why a mere 55 of these were built. Aston Martin bought this example at a Bonhams auction in 2010 and restored it themselves – so you really aren’t going to find one in better shape. It should bring between $530,000-$610,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

Maserati Mistral Spyder

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1966 Maserati Mistral Spyder by Frua

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 6, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Mistral was a grand tourer built by Maserati between 1963 and 1970. It was Maserati’s true two-seater for the period. The convertible Spyder model was introduced in 1964 (and also lasted through 1970).

Three different engines were offered in this car. This car has the smallest, a 3.5-liter straight-six making 235 horsepower (only 20 less than the largest, 4.0-liter engine). This car is thought to be one of the cars shown at the 1966 Turin Motor Show.

The restoration on this car dates back to the mid-1990s with significant work having been completed in 2012. It has covered 88,000 miles in its life. This car has a removable hardtop and is one of 125 Spyders built. Only 12 Spyders were fitted with the 3.5-liter engine and only 20 Spyders were right hand drive, like this car. It should sell for between $610,000-$760,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold for an undisclosed amount.

Aston Martin Lagonda

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1974 Aston Martin Lagonda 7.0-Litre

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 6, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

This is one of the rarest Aston Martins ever built. It’s rarer than the it-won’t-be-sold-to-the-public Bond-only special DB10 that the company built for the new Spectre film. They built 10 of those. They only built eight of these (including the 1969 Prototype that features different styling).

And the styling here is very 1970s Aston. It looks just like a stretched Aston Martin V8, which is essentially what it is. Riding on a longer wheelbase, the Lagonda used the same 5.3-liter V-8 making 320 horsepower. Except for two of them. This and one other car were upgraded to a 7.0-liter V-8 making 480 horsepower. It was tested up to 145 mph before they ran out of room on the test track.

Aston revived the Lagonda name in 1974 for their luxury sport sedan. The model was around for two years before being replaced by the long-running and very boxy Lagonda sedan that people are more familiar with. This car was extremely expensive when it went on sale – perhaps why so few were built.

This car was acquired by Aston Martin 2010 for use on their display stand when they launched a new car (a project which was later cancelled, sending this car to sit in storage since). Interestingly, it was also used on their show stand at the 1974 Earls Court Motor Show. It is being offered from the factory (for the second time) with an estimate of $610,000-$760,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $636,100.

November 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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We’re back with some auction highlights, including Osenat’s sale held on November 8th. Our featured Berliet was hammered away for $11,300. The top sale was this 1961 Porsche 356 Roadster for $169,075. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Osenat

Photo – Osenat

Speaking of Porsche, Coys held an all-Porsche sale back in September. We didn’t feature anything from it, but this 2006 Carrera GT sold for $941,000. Click here for full results.

Photo - Coys

Photo – Coys

Now we move back to November with Mecum’s Anaheim sale. Our featured Franklin sold for $13,500. The top sale was this 2005 Ford GT for $270,000. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Mecum

Photo – Mecum

Silverstone Auctions’ NEC Classic Motor Show kept the trend of mid-engined supercars as the top sale with a 1991 Jaguar XJ220 selling for $478,350.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Our odd, featured Range Rover Convertible brought $51,250. Click here for full results. And finally, on a fun note, Bonhams recently held a sale of entertainment memorabilia and two cars were offered as a part of that. Only one of them sold and it was this 1963 Volkswagen Beetle that was used in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. It brought $86,250.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Bentley High Vision Coupe

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1938 Bentley 4¼ Litre High Vision Coupe by H.J. Mulliner

Offered by Bonhams | Hendon, U.K. | December 10, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

For being the fans of coachbuilt cars that we are, we really don’t feature enough Rolls-Royces or Bentleys. The Bentley 4¼ Litre began life as the Bentley 3½ Litre in 1933. It was the first new Bentley introduced after Rolls-Royce had acquired the company. The engine enlargement occurred for the 1936 model year.

The engine, obviously, is a 4.25-liter straight-six making about 110 horsepower, even though the power was not advertised. All 4¼ Litre Bentleys were coachbuilt and this one features a two-door “high vision” body from H.J. Mulliner.

The original owner of this car also owned five other 4¼ Litre cars from new – the most of anyone. The current owner acquired the car in 1993 and it is not known when the car was last used, so it will require a little work to make it roadworthy, but it shows great. Total production of the “Derby” Bentleys (what the 3½ Litre and 4¼ Litre cars were referred to) measured 2,442 units – 1,234 of those had the larger engine. This one should bring between $91,000-$120,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $144,019.

Sunbeam Tiger Race Car

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1964 Sunbeam Tiger Le Mans Coupe

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | December 6, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured a Sunbeam Tiger before. That car was a road car – a true cousin to the Shelby Cobra. It’s a simple formula: take a nimble British Roadster and shove a big American V-8 under the hood. But this Tiger is a little different.

For starters, it isn’t a roadster. It’s a fastback and it’s one of only three such Tigers built by the Rootes Group. All three were competition specials – prototypes whose sole purpose was the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans. The body was the work of Brian Lister – no slouch at building competition cars. The engine is a 4.2-liter V-8 from Shelby making 275 horsepower.

This car was the prototype. Once it was deemed competitive in testing, two further cars were built that were sent to Le Mans. This car only saw competition once it was sold and used in privateer hands. It’s passed through a number of hands and has recently competed in the Le Mans Classic and other historic events. It’s the rarest Sunbeam Tiger you’re likely to find and it should bring between $460,000 and $610,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

October 2015 Auction Highlights, Pt. II

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Back again for more highlights from October, beginning with H&H Classics’ sale at the Imperial War Museum. They had two high-profile Ferraris on auction at this sale and one of them, a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB, was far and away the top seller at $11,383,680.

Photo - H&H Classics

Photo – H&H Classics

Both our feature cars sold, with the Pope-Tribune bringing $86,240 and the Rally $125,910. Click here for full results.

Next up, from the French Riviera Classic, Stanislas Machoïr’s sale. Our featured Cadillac NART Zagato failed to sell. The top seller here was this 1973 Porsche 911S for $148,700. Click here for full results.

Photo - Stanislas Machoïr

Photo – Stanislas Machoïr

Thirdly, we move to Silverstone Auctions’ Porsche Sale. The top sale was this 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring for $630,340. Click here for complete results.

Photo - Silverstone Auctions

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

Next up, Worldwide Auctioneers’ sale of the Ron Brown Estate Collection in Fredericksburg, Texas, where this 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda was the top seller at $220,000. Complete results are here.

Photo - Worldwide Auctioneers

Photo – Worldwide Auctioneers

And finally, one of our favorite sales of the year, Bonhams’ London-to-Brighton sale. The top seller was this 1903 Clement Model AC4R Rear-Entrance Tonneau for $637,979. Of our feature cars, the MMC sold for $79,383 and the Stanley $61,742. Everything else was over $100k – including a previously-featured Winton for $199,416.

We’ll award “Most Interesting” to one of two sellers we didn’t feature: this 1904 Darracq 8HP Two-Seater that brought $113,947.

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Pope-Hartford sold for $126,000. The Star went for $141,463, the Columbia $121,950, and the Albion $225,647. Click here for full results.

Stanley Steamer

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1903 Stanley CX 6.5HP Steam Runabout

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 30, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

The Stanley is an iconic American automobile. The Stanley brothers built one of America’s largest early automotive manufacturers and they did it on the basis of steam. While the coffin-nose Stanleys are quite famous, it’s these earlier, simpler-looking cars that helped make the company what it became.

1903 was the third year for Stanley production and three models were offered, with the two-cylinder Model CX being at the top of the heap. The CX was an eight horsepower car and the Model C was the 6.5 horsepower car. Both had identical bodies. So take your pick as to what this car really is.

The car is in great shape and has had work done recently to keep it going. It’s a runner and a driver that can be used with pride. Steam cars take a special sort – as well as $54,000-$62,000. Click here for more info and here for more from one of our favorite sales of the year.

Update: Sold $61,742.

1899 Panhard-Levassor

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1899 Panhard et Levassor Type M2E 4HP Two-Seater

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 30, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

If I were handed the photo above with no information and told to guess the year of manufacture, I would probably guess 1902 or 1903. This is what cars looked like in 1902 and 1903, for the most part. But no, this is from 1899. While three to four years might not seem like much, these particular three to four years were light years in terms of automotive development. And Panhard-Levassor was at the forefront of it.

Most pre-1900 cars had a more “horseless carriage” look to them, but René Panhard devised this layout – the now-ubiquitous front-engined, rear-wheel drive car (with a clutch, gearbox, and rear differential). All successful automobiles thereafter adopted this (more or less).

Then again, by 1899, Panhard-Levassor had almost 10 years of automobile production under their belt. This car is powered by a vertical 1.2-liter twin-cylinder engine making four horsepower. The original owner is known, but the car wasn’t restored until its 100th birthday. And now its the perfect car for the London-to-Brighton run. It should bring between $460,000-$540,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

1904 Pope-Hartford

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1905 Pope-Hartford 20HP Model D Two-Cylinder Side-Entrance Tonneau

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 30, 2015

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

We’ve featured a number of Pope-related automobiles lately. The Hartford was one of five Pope-branded automobiles, the others being the Tribune, Waverley, Toledo and the very short-lived Robinson. The Columbia from last week was also originally a Pope-owned company.

This Model D was built at the end of 1904. The Model D was only built for the 1905 model year and uses a two-cylinder engine making 20 horsepower. This was the only body style offered.

The current owner acquired the car in 2005 and restored it that year as well. The paint and interior were refreshed in 2014 when the car took part in the London-to-Brighton run. This car looks great and is a fine example of pre-1905 American motoring. It should bring between $120,000-$130,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams.

Update: Sold $126,000.