British cars performed consistently well across the sale, with the second most valuable lot realising
€1,070,100. The 1957 Bentley S1 Continental, one of a mere 31 built and previously owned by the shipping
magnate George Embiricos,caught the eye of several bidders both online and in the Grand Palais. Bidding
starting quickly but settled in to a lengthy and determined exchange between two bidders, eventually realising
over a million euros.
The eternally glamorous 1966 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ‘Gullwing’ Coupé demonstrated that its iconic looks
and unmatched German engineering have stood the test of time when it became one of three cars selling over
the million euro mark on the day. A swift exchange between two keen bidders eventually culminated in a price
of €1,017,266
Another German offering to achieve a Top 10 position was the 1929 Maybach SW-36 Spezial Cabriolet
which achieved a respectable €673,350. Following closely behind was the beautifully original and charming
‘getaway car’ in the shape of a 1923 Bugatti Type 27 Brescia Torpedo which realised €506,600
The perpetually popular Italian marque, Ferrari, did not fail to perform. The 1959 Ferrari 250 GT ‘Series 1’
coupé sold to a buyer in the cavernous saleroom for €437,600 whilst the 1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 ‘Series 2’
sold online for €276,600.
Rally cars were well represented in the sale. ‘The world’s best and most beautiful rally car’ the 1977 Lancia
Stratos Coupé achieved €374,350 and the highly original 1983 Renault 5 Turbo Tour de Corse Group B
Rally Works Car was sold in the room for €195,500, whilst the ex-Ecurie Kremer 1970 Porsche 914/6
achieved €184,600
Further highlights of the sale included
- One of the oldest cars in the sale, the 1902 Panhard & Levassor 7 HP Type A Voiturette, was sold for
€253,600
- The 1955 Porsche 356 1500 Super Speedster ‘Pre A’ achieved €386,600
- 1962 Facel Vega Facellia F2B Cabriolet achieved double its pre-sale estimate of €30,000-40,000, realising
€86,850.
- The 1938 Mercedes Benz 320 3.2 Litres Cabriolet sold in the room for €356,500
- After one of the lengthiest exchanges in the sale, the 1955 Renault 4CV ‘Magpie’ Police Car sold for
€39,700, well exceeding its pre-sale estimate.
From the collection of motorcycles, the star lot was the 2009 Ducati 990 Desmosedici RR, which sparked
intense bidding, eventually achieving €72,340 against a pre-sale estimate of €50,000-60,000. A similar
success story was that of the unique 2016 Motul 800 CM3 Onirika 2853, a bespoke custom creation which
realised €29,050. The proceeds will support the Motul Corazón Foundation, a socially responsible charitable
organisation which supports underprivileged adolescents worldwide.
In the automobilia sale, the top lot was the exquisite Lalique glass mascot representing ‘Victoire’ which
realised €28,600. Three carburettors 40 DCZ for a Ferrari realised over 5 times their estimate of
€1,500-2,000 when they achieved the incredible price of €10,250.
Philip Kantor, Bonhams European Head of Motoring, said
"This is our sixth sale at the Grand Palais, and it is clear that the event has become recognised as the
season opener in the collectors' car world during Retromobile. We were delighted to open our European
season of sales with such a strong collection of vehicles from the world's best marques, with several lots
achieving well in excess of a million euros. The UK motoring department are now looking forward to the
Goodwood Member's Meeting auction on March 19th, and the European team to the Spa Classic sale on May
21st in Belgium to build upon this successful opening sale."
Related material
... Consolidated 2014 - 2016 Auction Results sorted by Price descending >>>
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... Consolidated 2014 - 2016 Auction Results in gallery view >>>
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