1980s icons excel at Bonhams’ first Members’ Meeting sale

The trend of enthusiasm for 1980s icons continued at Bonhams’ inaugural Members’ Meeting sale, with both Group B-era Audis achieving strong results…

1980s revival at Goodwood

At the first of three auctions Bonhams will hold at Goodwood this year, the 1985 Audi Quattro Sport SWB Coupé sold for £287,100 – surpassing its high estimate, and creating a new World Record in the process. Meanwhile, auctioneer Jamie Knight brought the hammer down on the ex-Works Group B Quattro A1 at £253,480.

Ambitious projects and home victories

The headline lot, a 1959 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupé ordered new by Kitty Maurice, attracted bids up to £470,000 – some way short of its low estimate of £550,000, but a sale nonetheless. Ambitious restoration projects again proved an auction favourite: a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV sold for £256,860, a 1966 DB6 Vantage made £194,140 and, perhaps most shockingly, a rust-ridden 1963 Porsche 356B Super 90 Coupé doubled its estimate, achieving £32,200. The action on the track outside must have played its part in stirring up auto-motivation, particularly where British machinery was concerned. A 1959 Jaguar XK150S Roadster more than doubled its estimate at £225,500, while Pininfarina’s elegant take on the Bentley T-Series was another to exceed expectations, fetching a touch over £250,000 against a high estimate of £200,000.