Bonhams hosts two auctions in December, kicking off on the 2nd at their Bond Street HQ. The sale will feature a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 which was owned for the first six years of its life by Paul McCartney. The car has a known history stretching back to McCartney’s ownership and has covered some 2,600 miles since emerging from a four year nut and bolt restoration which was completed in 2017 (estimate £1,250,000 – 1,500,000).
Among the Ferraris on offer; a 22,700-km 1985 288 GTO tops the entries with a pre-sale estimate of £2,000,000 – 2,500,000; a left-hand drive 2004 Enzo with 7,800km from new is expected to fetch £1,800,000 – 2,200,000; and a 30,000-mile right-hand drive 2002 575M Maranello, with the rare manual gearbox option, carries a guide of £150,000 – 200,000.
Other notable lots include an ex-Elton John 1959 Bentley S1 Continental (estimate £400,000 – 500,000); a Ford RS200 Evolution, one of just 24 made (estimate £180,000 – 240,000); and the ex-Brian Epstein/Ringo Starr 1966 Mini Cooper S Radford which was converted to a hatchback to accommodate Starr’s drum kit (estimate £90,000 – 120,000).
One of the iconic rally cars of the ‘80s – an Opel Manta 400 – goes under the hammer at Classic Car Auctions on 2 December with an estimate of £40,000 – 50,000. The car was imported by Opel’s Team Manager Tony Fall and sold to its first owner, with a subsequent right-hand drive conversion and a concours restoration following in 2005.
Coys returns to The Royal Horticultural Society in London for its sale entitled ‘True Greats’ on 5 December. Star attractions include a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet A which has been in single ownership since shortly after the end of WWII; a 1963 Aston Martin DB5, with a successful historic race career in the ‘80s and now offered in ‘fast-road’ spec (estimate £575,000 – 675,000); and a 7,400-mile 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG (estimate £200,000 – 250,000).
Bonhams rounds off its year with a sale at London’s Olympia on 6 December. Three Jaguar E-Type Series 1s have been consigned; a 1963 3.8 Roadster which underwent a four year restoration in 2010 is estimated at £150,000 – 180,000; a ‘flat floor’ 1961 3.8 with external bonnet locks is £120,000 – 160,000; and a left-hand drive 1967 4.2 Roadster is £80,000 – 120,000.
Elsewhere, other highlights include a 9,986-mile 2003 BMW M3 CSL, one of 442 right-hand drive examples built (estimate £80,000 – 100,000); a 2006 Renault Clio V6 showing 25,500 miles (estimate £40,000 – 50,000); a 44,000-km 1990 BMW Z1 (estimate £30,000 – 35,000); and a right-hand drive 1970 Monteverdi 375L, unused and garaged since the early 2000s (estimate £25,000 – 30,000).
A 1973 Jensen Interceptor is among the early entries at Barons’ 12 December sale. The car was restored in 2013 and has been recently recommissioned, including a mechanical overhaul (estimate £28,000 – 35,000).
Classic car auction price estimates for: Aston Martin | Ferrari | Bentley | Ford | Mini | Opel | Mercedes-Benz | Jaguar | BMW | Renault | Monteverdi | Jensen
From leading auction houses: Bonhams | Classic Car Auctions | Coys | Barons
Read through the rest of our classic car previews for more information about our auction collections. Check out our online resource for upcoming classic car auction events and classic car auction results around the world.