Although a Panzer Division of pre-WW2 Mercs from the once more fashionable 1930s failed to attract buying bids even close to their reserves, the catalogue cover featured Supercharged 1928 24/100/140 PS Model K, with Ferdinand Porsche developed chassis and exclusive La Baule-style Torpedo Transformable coachwork by Karosserie Jacques Saoutchik, did sell for 862,500 euros (£672,750) with premium.
Rarer than a Gullwing and more expensive when new in 1957, a top-of-the-line 300SC Cabrio that had been last revived around 20 years ago realised 793,500 euros (£618,930) with premium, within the guide price band. A 1953 Hollywood supplied 300 ‘Adenauer’ Cabrio D, therefore pillar-less, also went for within estimate money, 230,000 euros (£179,400).
There were buyers for both 190SLs, one paying 147,200 euros (£114,816) for a 1961 car restored three years ago by Lothar Motschenbacher in the US and another 103,500 euros (£80,730) for a Belgian resident since 1958, a one owner car with matching numbers that had been recently restored.
A still remarkably original Mercedes-Benz 350SL with hardtop had been first supplied in 1973 to Romania’s Head of State, President Nicolae Ceausescu. Both the Communist Dictator and his wife Elena used to waft about in their peasant-funded Merc until they were executed by firing squad in the 1989 coup. How very ungrateful. All the 49,450 euros (£38,571) proceeds of their car were donated to the ‘Crosscause’ charity who benefit over 60 special-needs orphans in Romania on a daily basis.
After a rather cautious 28, 50% of the 56 consigned cars that rolled past the rostrum and the seats, had sold under the gavel Saturday, and even my shoes had been removed for x-ray and the inside of my camera tested for explosive residue at Stuttgart Airport, it was a very much more bullish Sunday afternoon at the Bonhams Goodwood Members’ Meeting sale.
For in an up-market tent pitched in the Circuit Paddock, 74 of the 89 cars in the catalogue sold, an 83% sale rate, for £5.59m with premium. In addition, there were new owners for both Horse-Drawn vehicles for restoration of circa 1880/90, with £4312 paid for a hearse and £345 for an invalid carriage, £14,770 for a c1961 Donald Healey Marine Sprite speedboat on trailer and £4600 for a customised 1988 Vespa 125 scooter for charity, as well as £14,950 for a 1958 Hawker Hunter T7 XL600, one of the two planes displayed at Cotswold Airport that were being dispersed for the Receivers of Midair Squadron Limited.
By far the most spectacular performance of all these non-classic car lots however was the £270,300 result for the ‘S5’ registration on DVLA Retention. The desirable single-letter, single-number combination, only the fifth registration issued in Edinburgh on the first day of Scottish registration in December 1903, was believed to have once adorned a Rolls-Royce. S5 had been in the vendor’s possession for more than 30 years, appearing on 13 Porsches over a 25-year period and latterly on an Audi A6 Estate.
As the day before, a Mercedes-Benz headed the prices list with a previously restored 1955 300SL Gullwing from 48 years ownership of the late Kingsley Curtis, 16 of whose classic vehicles were being dispersed at Goodwood, selling for £841,500. He had owned his 1981 Aston Martin V8 Volante from 1983, since when it had only done 25,700 extensively serviced miles, and which attracted multiple-bids until sold for £130,300.
Perhaps the Suffolk collector’s most high powered performer though was a much stored, but recently re-commissioned, one-owner from new in 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth with only 2494 mileage recorded. Pre-sale estimated at £28,000-35,000, the high-winged 3-door was eventually hammered away for £67,850!
Single family owned since 1969, a 1929-dated Bentley 4½ , originally a Weymann-type Sportsman’s Coupe, but now an open Tourer for four to five that had been off the road for 30 years and required re-commissioning made £320,700, £20,700 more than the top estimate. A c1929 6½ Speed Six ‘Project’ with open Tourer coachwork by Barker and a high proportion of Bentley components present was taken on for £205,340, again just over top estimate.
Motor cars with revered celeb provenance included an ex-Lord Louis Mountbatten Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Cabriolet by Barker. Restored in the National Motor Museum workshops at Beaulieu and displayed at Sandringham, the ‘XT 2522’ registered 135EM made a more than guide price £233,000 under the gavel wielded by Bonhams International Head of Motor Cars and auctioneer James Knight. The Mountbatten Rolls cost a new keeper £264,700 with premium.
A less ceremonial and below estimate £85,500 was available for the 1951 Cadillac 75 Limo used by Argy President Juan Peron and his Musical-immortalised wife, Maria Eva Duarte, better known in record libraries and on posters and t-shirts as Evita.
With c5061 total mileage, a still virtually brand new 2005 Ford GT Coupe made £225,000 with premium, mid-estimate band money. An even less exercised 3900 mile since new in 2009 SL65 AMG ‘Black Series’ Coupe, rare in right-hand drive, pulled a forecast £203,100.
‘Big Healeys’ were still popular with the Goodwood crowd, all of whom miraculously escaped being taken out in one of the entrances to a pedestrian tunnel by an historic Lotus missile in UDT Green! Up to first floor catch-fencing can only be an MSA edict away. Castle Combe has it and so do Donington and Silverstone.
Back to the auction, the Don Grimshaw campaigned 1958 100/6 to works 3000 rally-spec ‘DG 95’, latterly in the Arthur Carter Collection and bid to £130,000 ‘live, was immediately post-sold for a premium-inclusive £158,300. A one driver owner 1967 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk3 Phase 2 with circa 31,000 mileage had never been got at and duly raised £91,100, £11,000 more than top estimate and a market making result.
A 6173 mile Group B 1987 Ford RS200 that had been up-rated with 350bhp engine made £147,100, £17,000 more than expected, and an always right-hand drive 1968 Porsche 911S 2.0 with all numbers still matching that had formerly been in the Carlos Monteverdi Collection realised £122,460, within the guide price band. A 1999 Lotus Elise S1 left hooker with Rover K Series in the tail and a mere 85k delivery mileage unsurprisingly made the forecast £23,000.
And finally, and bid in the auction tent, a within estimate band £93,340 with premium secured the ex-DTV 1977 Vauxhall Firenza Magnum 2300 Coupe claimed to have been pepped to Group 1 spec by Gerry Johnstone and raced by none other than the Vauxhall Meister Gerry Marshall and Aussie Peter Brock in the Spa 24 Hours. Having completed 2414 miles, averaging over 100mph, the intrepid duo plus faithful ‘Spa Magnum’ came home second overall behind the BMW 530i equipped Claude Andruet and Eddy Joosen.
Old memories were made of such stuff, many tales from the bad old days once again shared at Goodwood in dark corners of no longer fashionable bars, where real beer ran out too early and little English was spoken by casual bar tenders. As a near surviving founder of the Dinosaur Club, whose declining membership were actually there or thereabouts, please indulge me with a nostalgic toast. "Cheers Marshall, mine’s a pint."
