Bonhams’ largest-ever Grandes Marques à Monaco Sale of classic, historic and collectible cars surpassed all the British company’s long-established records with 1972 Monaco Grand Prix-winning racing driver Jean-Pierre Beltoise’s personal collection of cars leading the catalogue entries, together with fabulous Lancias from the Italian collection of Silvano Cima and supercars from a Monegasque collection. Bonhams’ Monaco Sale 2005 totalled no less than 8-million Euros with approximately 70% of the total Lots sold on the auctioneer’s hammer.

In the saleroom created by Bonhams within the late Prince Rainier’s motor car museum overlooking Fontvieille Harbour, Monte Carlo, bidding was hectic with many new faces attracted to the world of historic, classic and collectible cars.

Jean-Pierre Beltoise collection

Star Lot sold was the Beltoise collection Matra-Simca MS670B sports-racing ‘Barchetta’ with 3-litre V12-cylinder power in which Beltoise’s team-mates, Henri Pescarolo and Gerard Larrousse won the 1973 Le Mans 24-Hours endurance racing classic. This magnificent and historic 220mph projectile was passed from Matra to Jean-Pierre Beltoise (seen above, with his wife) and it has since been lovingly preserved over many years and restored within his personal collection. The car sold to a British collector for the world record Matra price of 1,105,000 Euros.

Jean-Pierre Beltoise was present at the sale with wife Jacqueline - sister of the late Formula 1 great François Cevert - and their son Anthony. Jean-Pierre said after this most successful Sale: "I think this has been tremendous, very emotional of course because I have owned and cherished these cars for many years. Some of them were my dream cars when I was a child. But it is not too hard for me to see them go, because I know they have gone to enthusiasts who will love them as much as I have."

Silvano Cima collection

Silvano Cima has been perhaps the world’s pre-eminent collector of outstanding Lancia cars over many years, and the sale of his personal collection by Bonhams was also highly successful, with the star Lot in this case being his ex-Duke de Montaigu 1938 Lancia Astura Sports Coupe - regarded by many as the most beautiful pre-war Lancia ever built - which sold to an Italian collector for no less than 324,000 Euros.

Other significantly successful sales achieved included:

* The ex-Brussels Motor Show 1955 MASERATI A6G/54 BERLINETTA - 505,500EUR
* The 1959 BMW 507 ROADSTER WITH HARD-TOP - 329,500EUR
* The 1955 LANCIA AURELIA B24 SPYDER AMMERICA - 236,00EUR
* The 1952 LANCIA AURELIA B53 "GIARDINETTA" - 204,000EUR
* The 1989 ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE VOLANTE - 214,000EUR
* The 1987 ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE - 142,500EUR
* The 1994 BUGATTI EB110GT COUPE - 225,000EUR

Click HERE to view the complete results.

Bonhams Motoring Department's next sale will be the annual all-Aston Martin Motor Cars and Automobilia extravaganza at Newport Pagnell on 4th June. Click HERE to view all the motor car entries in the Classic Driver car database.

Text/Photos - Bonhams

Bonhams Europe S.A. 7 Av. Pictet-de-Rochemont 1207 Geneva Switzerland Tel: 0041 22 300 31 60 Fax: 0041 22 300 30 35 [email protected]