While the Goodwood Festival of Speed fell victim to unpredictable British summer weather, it spoiled none of the excitement on the hill – nor, indeed, at the Bonhams sale on the Friday.
The outstanding result of the auction was the £1,409,500 price achieved (including buyer’s premium) for the 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C-2300 Spyder Corto. Archive pictures of the car running in the 1933 Mille Miglia graced the pages of the Bonhams catalogue, alongside modern colour photographs of the glamorous red creature as it is today. And it is indeed a glorious sight, for this Zagato-bodied beauty was restored over many years by David Black, the late and greatly respected Alfa specialist, not for re-sale but for his own use. Since Black passed away in 1990, the car has stayed with his family until being successfully offered for sale by Bonhams last week.
 The Ex-Vandervell Products Vanwall Formula 1 Team,Leyland Worldmaster Series Royal Tiger Grand Prix Car Transporter - Sold for £62,000 |
 1951 Lancia Aurelia 2-Litre GT With Lightweight Da Corsa Aluminium Competition Body - Sold for £89,500 |
Meanwhile, the £62,000 paid for the ex-Vandervell Products, Vanwall Formula 1 Team, Leyland Worldmaster Series Royal Tiger Grand Prix Car Transporter might seem a small sum by comparison. Not a bit of it, however, since this was more than six times the low estimate (of just £10,000 – 12,000).
Also selling well over estimate was the 1937 SS 100 Jaguar Roadster, a car whose meticulous restoration and outstandingly detailed history file helped the bidding to sail past the £145,000 low estimate, past the £160,000 upper estimate, and finally reach a very acceptable £199,500. Another happy vendor.
 1999 Williams-Supertec Renault FW21 - Sold for £45,500 |
 FIAT-Abarth 750 Record Monza Bialbero Coupé - Sold for £41,100 |
 1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Fastback Coupé - Sold for £77,950 |
 The ex-Lord Carnegie,1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Sports Saloon - Sold for £254,500 |
Scanning down the results list with its significant proportion of six-figure numbers, your eye might also be caught by the 1964 AC Cobra Mark II, another concours standard car and one just begging to be used in top historic events such as the Tour Auto – in which it took part last year. The new owner paid £227,000 for the Cobra, bang on estimate.
And picking one final example from the many top vehicles sold, there was a historic racer’s dream in the form of the 1959 Lister-Jaguar ‘Costin’ Sports-Racing Two-Seater. This is a car with the all-important historic provenance of a successful entry in the Goodwood Revival. Mark Hales finished sixth in last year’s Sussex Trophy and it’s easy to imagine the car returning as a regular sight. The estimate was £400,000 – 500,000 but the lucky buyer snapped it up for £381,000.
Please CLICK HERE to see the full Motor Car results.
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Bonhams Motor Cars Dept.
101 New Bond Street London W1S 1SR UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7468 5801 Fax: +44 (0)20 7468 5802 Email: [email protected] |
Text - Steve Wakefield
Photos - Bonhams
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