From the 74 auctions that I personally attended on the old world side of the Atlantic pond in 2011, fellow market watchers may like to peruse the top 40 prices from the 3512 results logged. The selling auctioneers are in brackets, whilst, as is custom and practice in the auctions business, the figures listed do include buyers premium, but not VAT or local equivalent charged on the premium element of the price.
1955 Ferrari 375MM (RM) £2,923,200
1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Figoni & Falaschi Teardrop (RM) £2,728,320
1957 Ferrari 500TRC Scaglietti Race-Sports (RM) £2,436,000
1959 Ferrari 250GT California Long Wheelbase Spider (RM) £2,192,400
1967 Lamborghini Marzel Concept Car (RM) £1,315,440
1957 Mercedes-Benz 540L A Cabrio (RM) £1,218,000
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K A Cabrio ex-Ecclestone/Heselden Collections (Coys) £848,500
1953 Austin-Healey 100S Special Test/Le Mans Sports (Bonhams) £843,000
1933 Bugatti T51 GP ex-Lord Raglan (Bonhams) £792,120
1938 Delahaye 135 MS Figoni & Falaschi Coupe (RM) £722,100
1939 Delahaye 135 MS GS Figoni & Falaschi Roadster (RM) £682,080
1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero Concept Car (RM) £662,592
1968 Ferrari 275GTB/4 (Artcurial) £655,330
1957 BMW 507 Roadster (RM) £633,360
1966 Porsche 906 Carrera Far East raced (Bonhams) £627,900
1931 Bentley 8-Litre VdeP Replica 4-Seater Tourer (Coys) £595,500
1971 Ferrari 365GTS/4 Daytona Spider(Bonhams) £595,500
1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Competition (RM) £584,640
1964 Alfa Romeo TZ Competition-Coupe (RM) £545,664
1930 Bugatti T46 Veth & Zoom Faux-Cabrio (Bonhams) £531,300
1929 Bentley 4½-Litre Le Mans VdP-style 4-Seater Tourer (H&H) £528,000
1974 Lamborghini Bravo Bertone Concept Car (RM) £511,560
1963 Aston Martin DB4 SV Vantage Convertible (Bonhams) £507,500
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe (Bonhams) £490,245
1908 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Labourdette Roi des Belges Tourer (Bonhams) £485,500
1937 Bugatti T57C Atalante Coupe (Artcurial) £477,540
1929 Bentley Speed Six Le Mans VdeP-style Tourer (RM) £470,400
1935 Hispano-Suiza J12 Cabriolet de Ville (RM) £462,840
1931 Minerva 8 AL Convertible-Saloon (RM) £457,968
1931 Invicta LS 4½-Litre Low Chassis Coupe (Artcurial)
£440,580
1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Springfield TB (RM) 438,480
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL LHD Roadster (Artcurial) £435,013
1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage Radford Estate (Bonhams) £430,500
1925 Bugatti T35B (Bonhams) £430,500
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe (Coys) £430,500
1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabrio C (Bonhams) £425,040
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe (Bonhams) £425,000
1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Ceremonial (Bonhams) £419,500
1955 Bentley R Continental Franay (RM) £413,250
1992 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI MPW Landau (Bonhams) £405,720
CELEB CLASSICS TOP 10
VIP ownership continues to be a value enhancing factor when a collector vehicle comes up for auction. Here are the 2011 ‘Top 10’ classics with celeb provenance to change hands at auction.
1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 Bertone Drophead ex-Innes Ireland (Bonhams) £606,500
1961 Aston Martin DB4 Vantage LHD Convertible ex-Peter Ustinov (RM) £431,200
1964 Aston Martin DB5 ex-Beatle George Harrison (Coys) £342,500
1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk1 2+2 Coupe ex-King Baudouin of Belgium (Bonhams) £280,140
1967 Iso Grifo ex-Mike Hailwood £176,440
1960 Zil 111 Parade Convertible ex-Nikita Khrushchev (Artcurial) £154,140
1981 DTV Vauxhall Chevette HSR rallied by Tony Pond and Russell Brookes (H&H) £63,270
1971 Vauxhall Firenza raced by Gerry Marshall (Bonhams) £47,700
1975 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow LWB ex-Princess Margaret (Bonhams) £21,850
1967 Austin A35 Budgie Transport Van with windows ex-James Hunt (Silverstone) £14,300!
NOTABLE BLIPS ON NUMBER CRUNCHERS RADAR
Several marque and model significant prices were paid in the salerooms during 2011, many quite extraordinary valuations and some of them new auction records. Among the more notable blips on my radar were these results.
1969 BMW Bertone ‘Spicup’ Concept Convertible/Coupe (Bonhams) £400,000
1968 Bizzarrini 5300GT Strada (RM) £348,000
1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster with hardtop for improvement (Coys) £337,000
1956 Porsche 356A 1500GS Carrera LHD Speedster (Artcurial) £304,884
1911 Delaunay-Belleville 25hp HB6 Rothschild Landau (Bonhams) £241,500
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight RHD Coupe (Bonhams) £221,500
1938 Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat Roadster (Artcurial) £218,820
1959 Jaguar XK150 3.8S Roadster (RM) 201,600
1983 Lancia Rallye 037 Stradale (Artcurial) £172,620
1937 Bugatti T57 Gangloff-bodied Saloon for restoration (Bonhams) £166,500
1956 AC Bristol Sports (H&H) £155,400
1961 Aston Martin DB4GTZ Shapecraft Replica Coupe (Historics) £155,100
1969 AC 428 Coupe (Silverstone) £136,400
1991 Ford RS200 Evo Coupe (Coys) £123,600
1950 Healey Silverstone Sports (H&H) £121,000
1961 Morgan Plus 4 Le Mans Sports (Silverstone) £120,000
1912 Charles Burrell Traction Engine (Cheffins) £120,750
1962 Jaguar E Type S1 3.8 Roadster (Bonhams) £100,500
1986 AC Cobra MkIV LHD Sports (H&H) £81,400
1913 Isotta Fraschini 14/18hp FC 4-Seater Tourer for restoration (Bonhams) £78,500
1954 Sunbeam Alpine Harrington Le Mans Coupe (RM) £64,960
1954 Kieft 1100 Climax Race-Sports (H&H)£57,200
1954 Allard Palm Beach Mk1 Sports (Bonhams) £52,100
1965 WSM Austin-Healey 3000 Coupe for restoration (Brightwells) £49,500
1962 Daimler SP250 B-spec ‘Dart’ Police Car (Historics) £43,450
1962 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Speciale Bertone Coupe (Barons) £42,900
1927 Amilcar CGS Surbaisse Long-Tail Sports (Richard Edmonds) £42,900
1964 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk3 Sports (H&H) £41,800
1959 Triumph TR3A LHD Sports (RM) £36,960
1959 Austin-Healey 100/6 Jamaican Fibreglass Coupe (Art curial) £33,810
1962 Triumph TR4 LHD Sports (RM) £33,600
1968 Ford Escort Twin Cam (H&H) £33,000
1933 Rover Fourteen 4-Seater Tourer (Richard Edmonds) £33,000
1942/3 AEC Mk2 Type 0854 2500kg WW2 Dambusters Fuel Bowser (Richard Edmonds) £19,250
1987 Mini Moke (Bonhams) £19,020
1966 Alfa Romeo 1300GT Junior (Anglia) £17,325
1966 Wolseley Hornet Heinz Crayford Convertible flood damaged restoration project (Bonhams) £13,800
1958 Austin Metropolitan Mk2 (Cheffins) £12,810
1950 Land Rover S1 80ins Utility (Brightwells) £12,100
1960 Brittania GT part restored (H&H) £9020
In so many cases, it is only the public auction process of bidders having to make up their minds to bid or not whilst a lot crosses the block that can establish the ‘real world’ value of something.
Any collector vehicle may have fetched more in some other auction on another day, of course, but those interested parties who were prepared to show their bidding numbers to the auctioneers the first time round may not necessarily be prepared to do so again. And that split-second buying moment when a vendor can cash in their classic metal may have passed, if not forever, for the foreseeable future. For public auctions are all about both vendors and buyers being decisive.
May the winning bid be with you in the 2012 sales, which kick off again this Saturday under the Coys hammer during the Autosport Show at the NEC in Brum. My well travelled quill pen is sharped in readiness for another season’s scribing! RH-E
