Around the houses, December 2009

– Bonhams –
The inaugural auction at Reims was held the weekend after the Goodwood Revival sale and produced a mixed bag of results. The 1968 Ferrari 330GTS which sold for £418,050 and the Aston Martin DB5 saloon with original left-hand-drive steering (£267,640) were both excellent figures. But the 5-litre 1912 Bugatti T16, estimated at £1.6-2.2 million, failed to find a new home, as did the 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mk2 Volante (£295-340,000) and the 1974 Renault Alpine A110 (£45-55,000).

Lots of note in the London-Brighton sale on October 30 included the ex-Lips Collection 1902 Panhard-Levassor Type A 7hp Rear Entrance Tonneau (£120-150,000) and the very unusual c1899 3½hp Hurtu Dos-à-dos (£80-100,000).

– Coys –

October is a busy month for Coys with both the Ascot and Padova auctions just a couple of weeks apart.

The annual Ascot sale generated good results on October 3. The beautifully restored 1964 Aston Martin DB5 saloon sold well at £202,500, the 1968 Porsche 911S went for £50,785 and the interesting but incomplete Halton-Tojeiro Climax special sold at £4200. The low-mileage Jaguar XJ220 achieved a healthy £133,500 and the vibrant 2009 Chevrolet Camaro SS ‘Transformer edition’ made £45,200.

The Padova sale in Italy was due to take place on October 24, after Motor Sport closed for press. The headline cars were the ‘one owner from new’ 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV and the 1975 Ferrari 308GTB ex-Carlo Facetti Italian national series racer (offered at £110-145,000). The Ferrari 550 Maranello 6-litre Competizione (left), said to be the only 550 prepared for the FIA GT series and campaigned throughout the 2003 season by the French JMB team, was offered at £240-265,000 and the race-prepared 1959 Lancia Appia Zagato GTE at £45-50,000.

– CTS Auctions –

Australian dealer Classic Throttle Shop has recently announced a new venture in CTS Auctions, with the inaugural sale taking place in Sydney on December 5.

The company will be led by ex-Bonhams and Goodman auctioneer Robert Glover, and has already shown a promising early lot list including the Andy Rouse-built 1988-90 BTCC Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500 Turbo Group A, the ex-Jack Brabham Ford Escort MkI Mexico with which he won at Brands Hatch in October 1971 and ‘The John Blanden Special’ 1949 MG TC monoposto race car.

Interesting road cars include a one-owner 1949 HRG 1500 Sports Tourer, a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 S3 with Special Series engine, a 1968 Lamborghini Islero 2+2 Coupé and a newly restored 1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4.

– H&H Auctions –

All eyes were on the 1934/37 MG K3 at the Pavilion Gardens on September 16 thanks to its fascinating continuous competition history. It sold on the day for £231,000. Next up was the 1957 AC Ace Bristol, an unrestored and original car which posted a strong result of £90,750. The 1972 Ferrari 246GT Dino seemed sensibly priced at £66,000 and the 1999 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage showed excellent value for money, going for £22,000.

H&H’s next sale at the Haynes Motor Museum was due to take place on October 29. Following on from the previous sales form, another AC Ace was on offer, this car being a former SCCA racer estimated at £100-120,000. There was also a 1964 MGB Roadster race car prepared with FIA papers at £13-15,000.

– RM Auctions –

The annual Vintage cars of Hershey sale was a great success with total sales generating £5.57m and 94 per cent of cars sold over the two-day auction. The 1931 Marmon Sixteen Convertible Coupé topped the scales at £316,323, and the Miller 91 front-drive engine made £181,717 – a vital purchase if you happen to have a spare Miller chassis and no motor! The 1949 Belanger Special Indy Roadster we mentioned last month made £117,777 and a 1930 Bugatti Type 44 Touring car sold for £114,357. It was due to be a busy October for RM too, with its UK sale Automobiles of London set for October 28 and located a mere five minutes’ walk from the Motor Sport office.

– Bonhams & Goodmans –

December’s Sydney sale features one of only three race-spec De Tomaso Vallelungas built. This is the last Australian sale under the B&G banner, as Tim Goodman is forging a new link with Sothebys. Bonhams says it will shortly announce a new Australian operation of its own.
Dylan Miles