Bonhams European operations returned to Goodwood on 15 September 2012, for the annual Goodwood Revival festivities. Following on the heels of the company’s successful Festival of Speed sale earlier this summer, in which a Bentley Blower set a record as the most expensive British car ever sold at auction, Bonhams continued to record impressive results. In all, £13.4M were recorded from the sale of 66 of the 84 motorcars on offer (79%). This figure exceeded the past three years’ collective total.
Top sale was the 1928 “missing Mercedes” 36/220 6.8-litre S-Type Four-Seat Open Tourer that sold for £2,801,500. The supercharged car was in unrestored original condition and had been owned by the same family from new. It generated significant interest on the block and sold to an anonymous phone bidder. The third highest sale went to a 1939 Lagonda V12 Le Mans team car, which set a record as the most expensive Lagonda ever sold.
A 1953 Bentley R-Type Continental fastback sold for a surprising £639,970. The last R-Type Continental that sold at auction achieved nearly $1m more.
Top 10:
- 1928 Mercedes-Benz 36/220 6.8-litre S-Type Four-Seat Open Tourer sold for £2,801,500
- 1930-31 Maserati Tipo 26 Sport Road Racing Four-Seater sold for £1,681,500
- 1939 Lagonda V12 Le Mans Team Car sold for £1,289,500
- 1929 Alfa Romeo 1750 SS Competition Tourer sold for £1,099,100
- 1930-31 Maserati Tipo 26 Sport Road Racing Two-Seater sold for £533,500
- 1929-30 Type Maserati V4 Sedici Cilindri By Hartley FormuleLibre Grand Prix Racing Two-Seater sold for £432,700
- 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS Spyder sold for £400,000
- 1953 Bentley R-Type Continental Sports Saloon sold for £393,500
- 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24 Spider sold for £365,500
- 1966 AC Cobra 289 Mark III COB Roadster sold for £249,020
Bonhams’ next European motorcar sale will be held 2 November 2012, in London. The company’s next automotive sale is scheduled for 8 October 2012, in Philadelphia, Pa.
