The final Bonhams auction of the year was held in London on December 4, ending with the sale of 86% of the lots.
Top-selling was a 4.2-liter 1965 Aston Martin DB5 in the original Dubonnet Rosso color, which went under the hammer for ?586,200. Considering the fact that the car went through a full-fledged restoration, which took 4 years and cost 400 thousand pounds, before the sale, the final price looks rather modest.
In second place with a result of ?575,000 is one of the rarest Austin Healey — a 1955 two-seater 100S Sports Racing. The car had been in Arthur Carter’s collection for 42 years, but was also sold at a Bonhams auction in Goodwood in 2014.
The top three in London was Closed by a 1928 BENTLEY 6?-Liter Tourer. One of the 21 cars built on a short chassis was sold for ?460,000.
The fourth and fifth rank at the end of the auction were shared by a 1933 Bugatti Type 46S and a 1930 BENTLEY 4?-Liter Vanden Plas-Style Tourer.
The rarest model of the French manufacturer (a total of just 18 cars was produced, ed.) complete with a spare engine was sold for ?460,000.
In turn, the Briton kept in a garage for twenty-five years went to the new owner for 448,500 pounds.
Among modern cars, the best result at the last Bonhams auction of the current season was demonstrated by Porsche and Mercedes-Benz.
A 2010 Porsche 911 Type 997 Sport Classic Coupe was sold for ?333,500. Two Mercedes-Benz vehicles, a 2014 SLS AMG GT Final Edition Coupe and a 2011 SLS AMG Coupe, were sold for ?235,750 and ?216,200, respectively.
Tim Schofield, Head of Department, Bonhams Motor Cars UK, said: «We are so pleased to have finished the Bonhams UK motoring calendar on such a high. This strong-performing sale offered a comprehensive selection of collector’s cars covering 100 years of motoring which clearly appealed to our international clientele, attracting some 300 registrants for the 32 vehicles.
We were privileged to have been entrusted with the Brian Wiggins collection and are delighted with its ‘white glove’ strong performance, which shows that the market for pre-war collectors’ cars remains buoyant, as does the wider market».