Tag Archives: Bonhams

Mathilda. A Lagonda LG45 Rapide

Posted on by
Reply

1936 Lagonda LG45 Rapide

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 12, 2013

1936 Lagonda LG45 Rapide

Although it has had a long association with Aston Martin (after being purchased by them in 1947), Lagonda was once an independent manufacturer. Lagonda car construction goes back to 1907, but it wasn’t until the inter-war period where their design and fame really took off.

In 1935, the company was going through hard times. But it was saved and W.O. Bentley was brought aboard to help build some fantastic cars. And in 1936, the LG45 was launched. It uses a 4.5-liter straight-six. The cars were heavy and beautiful but a little removed from sportier Lagondas of earlier days.

And thus the Rapide was conceived – it was to be a four-seat sports car based on the LG45. The car was lighter and featured a “Sanction 3” engine (the motors were available as Sanction 1, 2 or 3 – the higher the number, the more tweaks applied by W.O. Bentley). Total output was about 133 horsepower. The cars were attractive and all shared the same Lagonda-built bodywork. Only 25 were built – 24 remain.

This particular car was owned originally by the chairman of Lagonda at the time, a Mr. Alan P. Good, who nicknamed the car “Mathilda.” He sold it in 1938 and the next owner  after that acquired the car in 1954 and owned it until 1997 in the U.S. It spent the following two years in Canada before the present owner acquired it in 1999. The restoration is at least as old as 1979 and has been well cared for since. The engine was freshly rebuilt in 2009. “Mathilda” is expected to bring between $860,000-$940,000 at auction. Check out more here and more from this sale here.

Update: Sold $932,942.

Maserati 300S

Posted on by
Reply

1955 Maserati 300S

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 11, 2013

1955 Maserati 300S

The Maserati 300S was a development of the Maserati 200S – a competent sports racing car in its own right. The 300S was introduced for 1955 and produced through 1958. In all, 28 were constructed.

The cars use a 3.0-liter straight-six making about 245 horsepower. This car was ordered by and delivered new to Briggs Cunningham. He brought it to America so his driver Bill Spear could campaign it. It’s race history includes (but is not limited to) the following:

  • 1955 12 Hours of Sebring – 3rd (with Bill Spear and Sherwood Johnston)
  • 1955 SCCA National Sports Car Championship – 2nd, in Round 4 (with Spear)
  • 1955 SCCA Nationals (Road America) – 5th (with Spear)
  • 1955 Watkins Glen Grand Prix – 2nd (with Spear)

The car left Spear’s ownership at the end of 1955 and the next owner campaigned it at various SCCA events, although less competitively. In the 1970s, it was used in some historic races before being sold to a collector who preserved it. The current owner acquired it around 2006.

The car is offered in “race-prepared” condition. This is one of the premier racing models from the very competitive mid-1950s: the era of Jaguar D-Types, Porsche 550 Spyders, Ferrari Monzas and the like. It’s one of the finest racing cars from some of the golden years of post-war sports car racing. And it’s in all-original condition. It is expected to sell for between $5,500,000-$7,000,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $6,093,965.

The Only W196 Mercedes in Private Hands

Posted on by
1

1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R

Offered by Bonhams | Goodwood, U.K. | July 12, 2013

1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R

There’s been a lot of talk about this car and its forthcoming auction held at Bonhams’ sale at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. There’s talk of it breaking all kinds of auction records. It seems every time a car comes with that kind of talk, it mysteriously disappears and is never auctioned because it cannot be authenticated. Well this one can.

The W196 was Mercedes-Benz’s entry for the 1954 and 1955 Formula One seasons. Their drivers included Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss – two of the biggest names in the history of motorsport. Mercedes withdrew from competition of all kinds in 1955, and they went out on top with this car.

This is the only W196 that is not owned by Mercedes themselves or housed in a mega-museum. It is the only surviving W196 to have won multiple Grands Prix. Fangio clinched his second Drivers’ title driving this car. And it remains in nearly that state today – unrestored, original and complete. Mercedes has inspected the car and said that, with the exception of a few pieces, this is exactly how the car was prepared for its final race in 1955. That’s amazing.

Chassis #00006/54 can be lightly prepped and run in the condition it is in today. No need to restore it (please don’t!). The mechanicals are described as being pretty complex for 1954 and the engine is a naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter straight-eight making about 290 horsepower. It was a beast and its competition history is as follows:

  • 1954 German Grand Prix (Nürburgring) – 1st, from Pole (with Juan Manual Fangio)
  • 1954 Swiss Grand Prix (Bremgarten) – 1st, with Fastest Lap (with Fangio – who clinched his second title by winning this race)
  • 1954 Italian Grand Prix (Monza) – 4th (with Hans Hermann)
  • 1954 Spanish Grand Prix (Pedralbes) – 12th, DNF (with Hermann)
  • 1955 Italian Grand Prix (Monza) – 11th, DNF (with Karl Kling)

After its final race, the car came into the control of Daimler-Benz’s “Exhibition Department,” which showed the car at events around the world. It was then used for testing in the 1970s before Benz swapped it for another car at a museum in England. When the museum wanted to add on to the their building, they sold the car. The new owner sold it a while later to a man who paid a world record (and undisclosed) price for it. In the 1990s, it was acquired by Friedhelm Loh, a German businessman, who ran the car in a few historic races such as the Monaco Historic Grand Prix and the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Then he sold it. Now it can be yours, if you happen to be wealthy in the most villainous of ways.

Obviously, no estimate was provided for this car because anything that has sold for a “world record price” is unlikely to have an estimate attached to it. It should bring an incredible amount – should it actually meet its reserve. I have to say, this is a very exciting car, as cars of this magnitude so rarely come up for sale. And to think, what could end up being the world’s most expensive car could have plaid seats! Only 14 W196s were built and only nine survived until Daimler decided to restore a written-off chassis. Now there are ten of them – and this is the only one you can buy. Daimler owns seven of them and two are in other museums.

Click here for more information and photos and here for more from Bonhams at Goodwood.

Update: Sold $29,614,692.

Javan R1

Posted on by
Reply

2008 Javan R1 Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | June 15, 2013

2008 Javan R1

The Strathcarron SC-5A was a track-day sports car introduced in 1999. The company folded in 2001. Javan Smith set up Javan Sports Cars in 2002. In 2006, the company debuted the Javan R1 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed – it’s an evolution of the Strathcarron that is aimed at the Ariel Atom, Lotus Elise and Caterham Seven replicas.

This is the second R1 built (which didn’t happen until 2008) and it was the company demonstrator. It uses a 2.0-liter straight-four Honda VTEC making 220 horsepower and screams to a 9000-rpm redline. Acceleration numbers are impressive as 62 mph comes in 3.6 seconds and the top speed is 140 mph.

This was their publicity car and it has only covered about 3,000 miles. It would be a fun track day car for a lot less money than an Elise or an Atom. I’m pretty sure the cars are still available for purchase but I think you have to order one to have it built – but only a handful have been built thus far, so it’s definitely rare. This one should sell for between $11,000-$15,000 – which is extremely affordable for a track day car. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonham’s auction lineup.

Update: Sold $17,068.

Columbia Highwheeler

Posted on by
Reply

1899 Columbia Motor Buggy

Offered by Bonhams | Oxford, U.K. | June 15, 2013

1899 Columbia Highwheeler

I’ll start by saying that this is listed as a “circa 1899” so I’m just going with 1899. The Columbia Automobile Company was founded as a joint venture between the Pope Manufacturing Company and the Electric Vehicle Company in 1899. They offered electric and gasoline powered cars. In 1904, Columbia offered 37 different electric cars and two gas-powered ones. By 1911, there were only two electrics while gasoline cars offered had risen to 10.

In 1911, Columbia came under the control of the United States Motor Company – one of the first major “automotive conglomerates.” It over-expanded and failed in 1912, taking Columbia, one of America’s first manufacturers, down with it.

This car is possibly from the launch-year of manufacture. It is powered by a 616cc two-stroke vertical twin-cylinder. It hasn’t run since 1986 but it’s still early and interesting. There aren’t many of them left and this is the only one in the U.K. It should sell for between $23,000-$27,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Bonhams’ Banbury Run sale.

Update: Sold $17,966.

Bonhams Greenwich Concours ’13 Highlights

Posted on by
Reply

Bonham’s annual sale held during the Greenwich Concours in Connecticut is the first sale of an active June. The top sale this year went to our featured Bugatti Type 43 for $875,000. Our next highest-selling feature car was the Pierce Great Arrow for $243,100. Among interesting sales was this 1917 Reo Model M Seven-Passenger Touring car for $24,750.

1917 Reo Model M Seven-Passenger Touring

And from the I-Should’ve-Read-The-Catalog-Closer File is this 1974 Bentley Corniche. I would have featured the car but I just glanced at the picture and assumed it was a Rolls. I was wrong. Now I’ll have to wait for one of the other 76 Bentley Corniche’s built to feature one. This one sold for $39,050.

1974 Bentley Corniche

We featured a pair of American Austins. They both sold for an identical $9,350 (each). One of the more unusual cars at this sale was this 1969 Fiat Michelotti Shellette Beach Car – one of only 80 built. It sold for $39,600.

1969 Fiat Michelotti Shellette Beach Car

Our final two feature cars both sold. The Mercer Series 5 Sporting brought $121,000. The ex-Harrah 1909 Mitchell sold for $39,600. And finally, one of my favorite automotive marques of all time was represented at this sale – it’s a 1911 Winton 17b Five-Passenger Touring and it’s big and beautiful and sold for $220,000.

1911 Winton 17b Five-Passenger Touring

Check out complete results here.

May 2013 Auction Highlights Part II

Posted on by
Reply

And for the second week in a row we recap auction highlights for May – easily led off by RM’s spectacular sale at Villa Erba (Lake Como) Italy. The top sale by a long way was our featured ex-Le Mans Ferrari 340/375. It sold for $12,812,800. Feature cars from this sale that failed to meet their reserve and did not sell included the 1905 Fiat Touring car, the Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix and the Bugatti Type 44 Grand Sport. Million dollar sales included this 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB by Scaglietti for $1,456,000.

1965 Ferrari 275 GTB by Scaglietti

Only two of our other feature cars cracked the million-dollar mark. They were the Ferrari 400 Superamerica which went for $2,839,200. The Ferrari 599XX sold for $1,193,920. This 1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster sold for $1,448,720 (it’s not even a Gullwing!).

1962 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

Other sales included this custom Maserati Fastback Bellagio for $152,880. The beautiful Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster sold for $247,520. This 1985 Ferrati 288 GTO sold for $1,252,160. Below the 288 GTO is a gold 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS that sold for $1,033,760.

1985 Ferrati 288 GTO

1965 Ferrari 275 GTS

Three of our five featured Bugatti ended up selling. They were the Type 30 Torpedo for $407,680, the Type 40 Roadster Luxe for $422,240 and the Type 46 Superprofile Coupe for $873,600. Two more million-dollar Ferraris included this 1961 250 GT Series II Cabriolet by Pininfarina for $1,084,720 and this 2004 Enzo (second picture below) for $1,390,480.

1961 250 GT Series II Cabriolet by Pininfarina

2004 Ferrari Enzo

And the two smallish cars we featured also both sold. The Cisitalia 33DF brought $167,440. And the Moretti 750 Gran Sport sold for $174,720. Below, this 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso sold for $1,266,720. You can check out full results here.

1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso

Next up was Bonhams’ sale held at Spa-Francorchamps. The top sale there was this 1964 Ferrari 275GTB for $1,167,977.

1964 Ferrari 275GTB

All four of our featured cars: the Alfa 6C 2500 by Pinin Farina, the 6C 2500 by Diamante, the Koenig Ferrari and the Davies Special all failed to sell (yikes – didn’t do too well picking them this time). Interesting sales were headed by this 1965 Fiat-OSCA 1600S Cabriolet by Pinin Farina. It sold for $22,318. Check out full results here.

1965 Fiat-OSCA 1600S Cabriolet by Pinin Farina

1909 Mitchell

Posted on by
1

1909 Mitchell Three Seater

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 2, 2013

1909 Mitchell Three Seater

Mitchell was a short-lived but not extremely rare automobile produced for 20 years from 1903 in Racine, Wisconsin. Sure, it’s not a marque you hear about often – but they are out there and you do see them from time to time.

This is an earlier car and, at the time, the four-cylinder was the largest engine offered (sixes and eights would come later). It’s a 3.3-liter straight-four and power output is not known (but feel free to buy this thing, strap it to a dyno and report back!).

This car was part of the Harrah collection (shocking, I know) and was restored while a part of said collection. It ventured back into the collector car world in the 1980s. Small cars of this vintage don’t necessarily all have highly original coachwork – this is your standard fare, but it’s attractive and would be fun to motor around a small town in. And it has one of the most horrifying early car fads: the so-called “mother-in-law” seat – a single seat behind the rear bench that is just kind of there by itself. It you fell out (seemingly likely) the driver would be none the wiser, because you’re tucked behind the stowed convertible top. Nice.

The pre-sale estimate is $35,000-$45,000. Not bad for something over 100 years old. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Bonhams’ lineup in Connecticut.

Update: Sold $39,600.

Supercharged Bugatti Type 43

Posted on by
1

1930 Bugatti Type 43 Sports 2/4-Seater

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 2, 2013

1930 Bugatti Type 43 Sports

The Bugatti Type 43 was part of the line of cars that spawned off the Type 30. Introduced in 1927, the Type 43 stood apart from earlier models in that it, while it used a similar chassis, it added a supercharger – making it quick and one of the world’s first 100 mph production cars with a top speed of 112 mph.

The engine is a 2.3-liter supercharged straight-eight making 120 horsepower. It was a transplant from Bugatti’s current grand prix car of the day. The history on this car goes back to 1928, when the engine was built. It’s titled as a 1930 because it wasn’t sold until then.

This car spent most of its early life on the French Riviera – which is only about the coolest place you could own and drive an old Bugatti. It came to the U.S. in 1950. The current coachwork on the car was already on the car by 1950 – although it is not original, nor is it certain where the body originated. The car has been restored within the last 10 years and finished 3rd in its class at Pebble Beach.

This is basically a road-going Bugatti grand prix car (running gear, short wheelbase, etc.) and it can be yours for between $1,000,000-$1,200,000. Click here to read more and here for more from Bonhams in Greenwich.

Update: Sold $875,000.

A Car for the Gatsby Generation

Posted on by
Reply

1922 Mercer Series 5 Sporting

Offered by Bonhams | Greenwich, Connecticut | June 2, 2013

1922 Mercer Series 5 Sporting

I recently watched Baz Luhrmann’s take on The Great Gatsby and one thing I noticed was that nearly all of the cars were from the 1930s. The book (and the movie) both take place in 1922 – and are pretty explicit about it. But I guess pre-1923 cars are a lot harder to come by than using things that came later. Plus, to the casual viewer, the cars would pass as period-correct The car you see here wouldn’t have been driven by Gatsby himself, but it’s the type of car that some of his party-goers would have driven.

Mercer invented the sports car in 1911 with the Raceabout. In the mid-1910s, Mercer changed ownership and in 1921, it reverted back to the family of its founders. Along with their sporty raceabouts, Mercer built sporty touring convertibles like this. It uses a 4.9-liter straight-four making 70 horsepower at a rumbling 2,800 rpm. The engine was introduced in 1915 on the second generation Raceabout.

This 1922 Sporting model (“Sporting” referring to the touring car body) has Model 22-70 Raceabout underpinnings and it’s an original survivor (although it has been repainted at some point). This is the first time in the car’s known history that it is being offered for public sale. It should bring between $110,000-$130,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Sold $121,000.