March 2018 - UK auction highlights
9 April, 2018
Bonhams Goodwood Members’ Meeting sale topped the results for the UK auction houses in March, its ex-Nick Mason 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS achieving £374,166 against a pre-sale estimate of £375,000 – 425,000.
All four ACs from the John Davison collection found new homes. An AC-engined 1958 Ace which emerged from a seven year restoration in 2015 made over double its lower estimate, fetching £204,220; and a 1937 16hp '2-4-6' Coupe – currently fitted with a 3.4-litre Jaguar XK engine but with the original engine and gearbox included in the sale – took an equally impressive £39,675 (estimate £8,000 – 12,000).
Elsewhere, a 1967 Aston Martin DB6 brought a mid-estimate £186,300; a 1965 Alfa Romeo GTA Giulia Sprint with period race history sold for £180,700 (estimate £170,000 – 220,000); and a 1959 Aston Martin DB Mk III which had been prepared for long-distance road rallying went for £130,300 (estimate £120,000 – 160,000).
A 1956 Bentley S1 Continental was the star at Historics at Brooklands Ascot sale, realising a mid-estimate £291,200, while a later S2 example with Flying Spur four-door coachwork sold for £120,400 (estimate £120,000 – 145,000).
Highlights also included a 17,822-mile 1992 Porsche 911 RS which comfortably exceeded its £220,000 – 250,000 pre-sale estimate, selling for £280,000; a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Coupe drew £92,960 (estimate £90,000 – 110,000); and a 1969 Jensen FF sold for £85,120 (estimate £75,000 – 90,000).
Historics reported a sale total of £3.09 million and a sell-through rate of 65%.
Brightwells’ 7 March auction saw a 1975 Aston Martin V8 Series 3 taking £60,500 (estimate £65,000 – 70,000) to claim the honours for the top sale of the day, while all eight Jaguars on offer changed hands, led by a 1961 XK 140 SE 3.8 coupe at £55,000 (estimate £48,000 – 52,000).
Brightwells headed to Bicester on 21 March for its sale of 100 vehicles – all offered at no reserve – from the Jaguar Land Rover Collection. The cars were surplus to JLR’s requirements after it acquired the 543-lot James Hull Collection in 2014. Notable highlights included a 56,150-mile 1974 Rover 3500 Estourer at £10,560; a restoration-project 1978 Vauxhall Chevette HS 2300 at £12,100; and a 1972 Reliant Scimitar GTE Ferguson 4x4 Prototype at £14,300.
Success among the cars crossing the block at H&H Classics on 21 March included a 4,122-mile 1986 Ford RS200 at £132,000 (estimate £140,000 – 160,000); a 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster at a mid-estimate £112,500; and a 1966 Aston Martin DB6 which smashed its £160,000 – 200,000 estimate, selling for £230,625.
A recently restored left-hand drive 1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal went for £59,400 at Classic Car Auctions’ 24-25 March sale (estimate £50,000 – 55,000). Other strong results included an ex-Barry Gibb 1977 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL at £17,600 (estimate £12,000 – 15,000); a left-hand drive 1973 Datsun 240Z at £24,750 (estimate £14,000 – 18,000); and a 1964 Morris Mini Cooper S 970 at £40,700 (estimate £28,000 – 32,000).
Classic car auction results and prices for: Ferrari | AC | Aston Martin | Alfa Romeo | Bentley | Porsche | Mercedes-Benz | Jensen | Jaguar | Rover | Vauxhall | Reliant | Datsun | Morris
From leading auction houses: Bonhams | Historics at Brooklands | Brightwells | H&H Classics | Classic Car Auctions
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