Philadelphia, 11 October, 2020

A 1930 Bentley 8-Liter Tourer, W.O. Bentley’s final creation and one of 100 examples built, sold for $885,000, the top of its pre-sale estimate, leading the Bonhams Collectors’ Motor Cars and Automobilia Auction on Sunday October 11 at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia.

The sale, conducted as a traditional live auction, realised a total of $3.32 million and a had a sell-through rate of 82 per cent.

The second star of the sale was of the three-pointed variety. A rare 1935 Mercedes-Benz 290 Cabriolet A, the most desirable version of the 290 with coachwork by Sindelfingen, Mercedes-Benz’s in-house coachbuilder, was presented in enticing ‘barn-find’ condition. Offered from the famous Petersen Automotive Museum Vault Collection, the 290 caused a bidding frenzy, finally selling for $362,500, twice its pre-sale estimate.

Another muscle car rarity which successfully crossed the block was a 1971 Oldsmobile 442 W30 Coupé selling for $78,400. The restored 442 was one of 810 cars fitted with the performance-boosting W-Machine package and one of just 247 cars to benefit from the close-ration race bred M22 “Rockcrusher” Muncie 4-speed transmission.

An American automobile from another era also finding favour with the Simeone saleroom, was a 1913 Rauch & Lang Model J Electric Coach, which exceeded its pre-sale estimate achieving $80,640. This prestigious electric vehicle, a favourite in its day of wealthy urban women, was reported to have been delivered new to Bertha Palmer, the renowned Chicago socialite.

Greg Porter, Bonhams Motor Car Specialist and Head of Sale, said: “It is always a pleasure to return to Simeone and we were excited this year to see strong bidding from US and international buyers, with the sale live streamed across the globe via bonhams.com.

"We were also pleased to welcome our collectors back to a traditional live auction, with an auctioneer in the sale room, while respecting the all local COVID-19 guidelines – the bidders were pleased to be there too.
"As usual, we achieved fantastic results for our highlight pre-war lots and also great results for some of the outstanding American muscle cars.”

The Bonhams US Motor Car Department is already gearing up for 2021, with the Scottsdale Auction, its next major sale, taking place on January 21.

1957 AC Bristol Roadster, which campaigned in the 1960 Le Mans 24 Hours, sporting number 57, for the Rambaux-Boutin team, sold for €454,250, a particularly high figure for this model, accounted for by its sporting provenance and unique specification.

A 1956 Bentley S1 Continental Coupé, one of 33 left-hand drive Park Ward derivatives produced and first owned by the 'King of Hollywood' Lew Wasserman, sold for €368,000.

Another motor car catching the interest of the bidders was an ex-Belgian Gendarmerie 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 MFI Targa, one of twenty ordered by the Belgian government which were the fastest police cars of their day, sold for €189,750.

Philip Kantor, Head of Department, Bonhams Motor Cars Europe, said: “We were honoured to have been in the company of automotive royalty this weekend and are delighted to have had such a successful sale in these challenging times.

“The overall results – and indeed the number of registered bidders - show that the appetite for exceptional motor cars with interesting provenance and potential is still very strong.

“We are grateful to have had the co-operation and support of the Zoute Grand Prix organisers with hosting this successful auction. We look forward to returning to Knokke-Heist next year and hope to see a number of the motor cars sold this weekend taking part in the 2021 Zoute Grand Prix Rally.”

The Bonhams Zoute Sale was conducted as a traditional live auction, with the Bonhams auctioneer in the saleroom at the CWART in Knokke-Heist, in accordance with current local COVID-19 guidelines, also live streamed across the globe via Bonhams.com.


The next Bonhams Motor Car Sale will be the Goodwood SpeedWeek Sale on Saturday 17 October at the celebrated Motor Circuit in West Sussex.

Another pre-war European automobile that performed strongly yesterday was a 1934 Lagonda M45 T8 Tourer, which edged above its top pre-sale estimate, selling for $179,200. One of only 10 known survivors of the classic pre-war British 4 1/2-Liter Grand Tourer, this elegantly aged motor car had been in the ownership of the same US-based family since 1967.

Related Material

·

·

·

·

·

However, the Europeans had stiff competition from American metal at the sale. Flying the stars and stripes was the quintessential ‘muscle’ car, a rare and powerful 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 which exceeded its top estimate, making $346,000.

Beautifully restored by a marque expert, this example had been in private ownership for more than 35 years and had covered fewer than 3,500 miles since new.