May 2016 - UK auction highlights
20 June, 2016
A 1963 Aston Martin DB4 Series 5 Vantage Convertible proved to be the top lot at Bonhams’ Aston Martin Works Sale on 21 May, fetching £1,009,500 (estimate £1,100,000 – 1,400,000). Chassis number DB4C/1166/R is one of only five right-hand drive Series 5 cars with the Vantage engine, Aston Martin having built just 70 DB4 convertibles in total.
Notable Aston Martins exceeding pre-sale estimates included a 1965 DB5 Vantage, owned by the vendor since 1973, which blitzed its estimate, selling for £807,900 (estimate £450,000 – 550,000); a 1964 DB5 Convertible achieved a mid-estimate £807,900; a 50,056-mile 1959 DB Mk III went for £371,100 (estimate £220,000 – 260,000); and a one-owner 1993 Virage Volante, converted to 6.3 specification by the factory in 1995, took £141,500 (estimate £80,000 – 120,000).
Project cars included a 1955 Lagonda 3-Litre Drophead Coupe, used by Juan Manuel Fangio during 1955 and 1956, which soared above its estimate to post a sale at £89,420 (estimate £25,000 – 35,000); and a 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4, in single family ownership since 1970, sold for £59,740 (estimate £30,000 – 50,000).
Berlinetta Classic Car Auctions launched their new business with a two-day sale taking place on 7-8 May. Highlights among the 23 lots on offer included a 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0 Replica which made £93,500 (estimate £75,000 – 85,000); a 1971 Jaguar E-Type Series III, comprehensively restored in 2015, fetched £52,855 (estimate £47,000 – 52,000); and a 1968 Mercedes-Benz 250 SL, owned by the vendor since 1986, sold for a mid-estimate £43,068.
Brightwells’ 170-lot sale on 11 May generated an auction total in excess of £1.7 million, with a sale rate just short of 85%. Strong interest in the star car, a 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Semi-Lightweight, saw it change hands for £112,000 (estimate £90,000 – 120,000). Elsewhere, a 1976 Daimler Double Six Coupe smashed its estimate, selling for £13,000 (estimate £5,000 – 7,000) and a restored 1950 Land Rover Series I 80-inch did likewise, realising £28,500 (estimate £17,500 – 19,500).
Heading the results at Classics Central’s 15 May sale was a 1966 Alfa Romeo 1600 Sprint GT at £28,500 (estimate £35,000 – 38,000). Other highlights included a 29,000-mile 1990 Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth finding a new home at £27,000 (estimate £28,500 – 32,500); a 1996 BMW 850 CSi selling for £26,000 (estimate £27,000 – 29,000); and a 705-mile 1974 Honda Z600 made £18,250 (estimate £20,000 – 22,000).
A 1998 Bentley Azure was the star attraction at H&H’s Donington Park sale on 18 May, selling for 10% above its high estimate at £44,070. Strong demand for Daimler’s Coupe saw a 1977 4.2 example with just 33,500 miles from new make £13,552, nearly double its low-estimate. Meanwhile a 1949 Mercedes-Benz 170 D, owned by the vendor since 1987, went for £12,320 (estimate £8,000 – 10,000).
All four Lamborghinis on offer at Silverstone Auctions’ 20 May sale changed hands; a 1983 Countach 5000 S achieved the top price of the day at £281,250 (estimate £275,000 – 325,000), a 1989 Countach 25th Anniversary fetched £241,875 (estimate £250,000 – 300,000); a 1991 Diablo sold for £79,000 (estimate £90,000 – 110,000); and a 1988 Jalpa brought £58,500 (estimate £60,000 – 70,000).
Other notable highlights included a 1986 Aston Martin V8 Volante, delivered new to the US, which sold for £137,250 (estimate £120,000 – 140,000); a 1962 Maserati Sebring made £196,875 (£180,000 – 220,000); a 1962 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL, the subject of a full restoration in 1986, fetched an estimate-busting £101,813 (estimate £70,000 – 80,000); and a 1964 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider went for £82,688 – more than £20,000 over its high estimate.