Around the houses, July 2012

News from the main auctions houses around the world

RM AUCTIONS

The sale on May 11/12 in Monaco was always going to be a grand affair. Countless competition cars, some beautiful road going machinery, and of course the 1957 Ferrari 625 TRC Spider were all due to come under the hammer.

RM’s sale in Monaco went very well with the aforementioned Spider topping the results at £4.03 million and the 1966 Ferrari 2065P Dino Spyder that we featured in last month’s issue also selling well at £2.02m. Among many racers there was the 2007 Peugeot 908 V12 HDi FAP that achieved £1.34m. This is the first Peugeot 908 racer to pass into private hands and is the chassis that won at Spa in 2009. It was sold by PSA which has committed to supporting the car for three years — at a cost of course…

Other notable lots included an ex-Michael Schumacher 2000 Ferrari F1-2000 (£644,630), the 1978 Rondeau M378 Le Mans GTP racer that finished second in the 1981 24 Hours (£286,460) and the bizarre 1951 `Tarf II’ speed record car (£71,615). Designed and driven by Piero Taruffi, this twin torpedo broke seven world records in 1951 and ’52 including the flying mile at 298.507kph (185.49mph).

More cars have been announced for RM’s Dingham Collection sale on June 9/10 including a 2005 Ford GT. It’s not a car that we’d usually feature on these pages, but this one is chassis 2, which was given to Mr Dingham for his work on the Board of Directors of Ford. The car carries an estimate of £200-230,000.

BONHAMS

On Friday May 11 Bonhams also held a sale in Monaco and sold a 1972 Ferrari Dino 246GT Berlinetta for £142,750, a 1962 Facel Vega II Coupe for £202,620 and a 1965 Ferrari 330 GT which had been turned into a 250GT0 recreation for an astonishing £225,645.

There’s no doubting the Mini’s appeal, especially when you consider how well the modern BMW remake has sold. But even hardened Mini enthusiasts will be surprised to hear that a 1959 Austin Mini Se7en De Luxe Saloon sold for £40,250 at Bonhams’ Hendon sale on April 30. The reason buyers were keen is that this is thought to be the oldest surviving unrestored Mini. It seems even the auction house was taken by surprise, having posted a pre-sale estimate on the car of £12-15,000.

Other notable lots in the £2 million sale included the ex-Keith Richards 1950 Pontiac Chieftain Silver Streak Convertible (£37,950), a 1924 Bentley 3-Litre Speed Model tourer (£163,900) and a 1969 AC 428 coupe — essentially a Cobra in evening dress — at £77,660. High prices were also being recorded the day before at Bonhams’ Sale of Important Pioneer, Vintage and Collectors’ Motorcycles. There a very rare 1934 Brough Superior 996cc SS100 — the pur sang of the two-wheel world — sold for an astonishing £242,300. The ‘two of everything’ bike, as it is known thanks to having two carburettors, two magnetos and two oil pumps, wasn’t the only machine that sold for a six-figure sum. A 1939 Vincent 990cc Rapide went for £225,500 while a 1955 Vincent 998cc Black Shadow went for £124,700.

The Bonhams Festival of Speed sale on June 29 is fast approaching and the motoring department has recently confirmed that it will sell the five remaining cars from the Sir Anthony Pilkington collection. Included in these five is the ex-RAC, Alpine and Tulip Rally 1957 AC Ace-Bristol Sports two-seater, which has an estimate of £170-200,000 and Pilkington’s first ever car — a 1951 HRG Sports two-seater with an estimate of £45-55,000.

ARTCURIAL

The French auction house has announced two more cars for its Le Mans Classic sale on July 7 in the shape of the 1970 Ligier JS1 that competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Tour Auto that year (£360-520,000). Alongside the JS1 is the J52 from 1974 that won that year’s Tour Auto and finished second in the 1975 Le Mans 24 Hours with Jean-Louis Lafosse and Guy Chasseuil behind the wheel.