Bonhams' Greenwich auction: the highlights

Aston Martin makes £1m, while 300SL goes for £668k

When you choose to hold an auction alongside one of the year’s biggest classic car events, it’s only right that you offer up a spread of exotic machines to rival what’s on display nearby.

Thankfully, Bonhams’ auction at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance over the weekend didn’t disappoint: more than 100 century-spanning classics went under the hammer in what became a $10.5m (£7.8m) sale.

And among that smorgasbord of stunning vehicles were a plethora of arresting lots – including a breathtaking Aston Martin DB5 that sold for nearly £1.1m and a gorgeous Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster (above) that made £668k.

Here's the cream of Sunday’s auction crop for you to lap up.

1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible

Sold for: £1,083,120

DB5s are rare enough as it is, but if you can find one of the 39 convertible variants factory shipped in left-hand drive setup then you’re really on to a winner – as this show-stopping lot clearly demonstrates.

A 1965 example of the British marque’s magnificent GT, it was delivered new to New York, where it was used as a daily driver. It’s had just two owners from new and sold on Sunday as a highly original and largely unrestored runner – in Goodwood Green, of course – to only its third custodian.

1984 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit

Sold for: £11,712

Not every Rolls-Royce used to belong to Michael Caine, but this one did. Built in 1984, the Italian Job actor bought it new in two-tone blue – with an interior to match.

Optioned with lambswool rugs and an electric sunroof, its mileage today is a mere 23,000, while reams of documents attest to a life of careful ownership.

1965 Shelby 427 Cobra Continuation Series

Sold for: £194,095

One of 23 cars in the auction from the private collection of Carroll Shelby, this Continuation Series machine clearly benefited from its association with the American motorsport legend. 

Despite the fact that the Shelby cars were all offered with no reserve, most sold for way above their expected price tags; this one eventually went for £100,000 more than its upper estimate.

Then again, it may not just have been the Shelby connection that bumped up the price here. It was also owned by 1999’s Playmate of the year, until Shelby, who had originally gifted her the car, decided to buy it back. 

The fact that it's a reincarnation of the ultimate iteration of the Cobra, and that only 356 were originally built, may have helped too.

2006 Ford GT Heritage Edition

Sold for: £307,755

Ford GT? Check. Gulf colours? Check. 5.4-litre supercharged V8 with electronic fuel injection good for 550bhp? Check.

Ford’s GT40 reboot took the automotive world by storm when it arrived in concept form in 2003, and the high-performance GT remains just as desirable today – as the sale price of this Heritage Edition shows.

1954 Cunningham C-3 Coupe

Sold for: £233,804

This year’s Concours celebrated American racer and businessman Briggs Cunningham, so it’s only fitting that one of his own machines should sell at the Bonhams auction.

This C-3 is one of only 20 of his race-bred coupes – sold to meet Le Mans homologation requirements – that ever left the production line. Roughed up and damaged during its 60-plus year history, several restorations have started and stalled, leaving its new owner to pick up the pieces.

1963 Maserati Sebring 3500GTI Series 1

Sold for: £157,284

Derived from its competition models, Maserati’s 3500GT firmly established the Italian marque as a contender in the production market – and the Sebring was arguably its greatest variant.

Subtle and elegant, this Series 1 machine carries the desirable ZF 5-speed gearbox and has been restored piece-by-piece rather than the easier option of replacing components, making it a rare pristine-but-original example.

De Tomaso Pantera GT5-S

Sold for: £168,996

Probably the most impressive of all the 100-plus sales at the auction was this sleek De Tomaso Pantera, which went for £168k despite having no engine or transmission; it was listed with an estimate of only £19k-£26k. 

Another one from the Carroll Shelby collection, it was very much a machine that followed Shelby’s own formula: it paired Italian styling with hefty American power, in the form of a 5.8-litre Ford V8 mated to a ZF synchromesh transaxle gearbox.

Or rather it would have, only neither was actually present in the car when it went to auction on Sunday. However the vehicle's unique history – it was extensively used by the Shelby team as the testbed for the Dodge Viper – clearly meant more to the buyer than any practical considerations. 

1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Coupe

Sold for: £56,889

As luxurious as late-’60s cruisers came, Mercedes hand-built the 280SE for those without price constraints.

Equipped with an innovative 3.5-litre V8 that would happily soar down the autobahn at 125mph, it carried all the mod-cons one could want, including air conditioning and power windows as standard.

Lovely though it is, this 1971 280SE may not actually have been the finest in the auction – a 1970 example that had been restored to the finest opulent detail probably trumped it. However that car went unsold, leaving this one to fly the 280SE flag – and for a very nice price, too.

1959 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

Sold for: £668,546

At the other end of the Mercedes scale comes the 300SL. The Gullwing version might have adorned all the posters, but the 300SL Roadster was a consummate autobahn cruiser. Re-engineered for its drop-top setup, it was a pleasure to drive – not least because of the 225bhp squeezed out of its 3-litre motor.

This one’s notable for being an original and unrestored example, stabled with the same owner since 1970 – until the auction, that was. 

1963 Fiat Abarth Monomille GT Bialbero

Sold for: £112,943

Proven on the track, Abarth wanted a sports car for the road – so it crafted the magnificent Monomille.

Hand-built with aluminium coachwork, its 60bhp belied properly sporty performance from the plucky coupé. No-one knows exactly how many were built, but this 1963 example is believed to be one of only four that survive. It sold refurbished and with an engine rebuilt with a Bialbero head ready for classic racing.

1980 Ferrari 512 BB

Sold for: £158,957

Continuing Ferrari’s 180-degree flat 12-cylinder experiment from the 365 BB, the all-’80s 512 Berlinetta Boxer launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1976 wearing a new front chin spoiler.

This left-hand drive example is finished in – what else? – Rosso Corsa and has been well-maintained from the moment it sold, both inside and out, hence the sale price of more than £150k.

1959 AC Aceca

Sold for: £108,760

Based on the race-bred Ace, AC’s Aceca was a hand-built tourer notable for being one of history’s first hatchbacks – not to mention a lightweight and sporty GT.

The restored 1959 example sold by Bonhams was one of only 48 built in that year and, while it might not be all-original, performance enhancements – such as the addition of larger carburettors – clearly haven’t harmed the value.

1999 Shelby Series 1

Sold for: £233,804

A massive success at the auction, this Shelby Series 1 sold for nearly a quarter of a million pounds – that's £140,000 above its upper estimate. 

Conceived as a lightweight giant-killer, the Series 1 was Carroll Shelby’s only ever ground-up creation. It paired an aluminium, Kevlar and carbonfibre build with a 4-litre Oldsmobile V8 and Corvette ZF 6-speed gearbox.

Blighted by production delays, just 249 of the innovative machine were built – including CX5001, the first off the line and kept by Shelby himself.

1968 Jaguar E-type Series 1½ 4.2 Roadster

Sold for: £65,256

Sports cars don’t come more evocative than the E-type, what with its racing-style aerodynamic shell and punchy performance.

Upgraded to 4.2-litre spec in 1964 – together with a new synchromesh gearbox and electrical improvements – the late Series 1 remains one of the most desirable variants of the Jaguar icon, and this restored example is up there with the best of them.

1968 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

Sold for: £86,171

Ford backed Cobra production in the early-’60s, so it was only right for Shelby return to the favour.

Channelling knowledge gained from competing with Mustangs in the US, the Shelby Mustang GT350 launched in 1965 with a modified 4.7-litre small-block Ford V8 capable of 306bhp.

This 1968 model, mind, carries a 302cu in Windsor unit and spent the last several years under Shelby’s personal care. No surprise, then that it was another Shelby car to sell above its upper estimate.

1969 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Sold for: £69,439

Naturally, when Ford brought out a 390cu in big-block for the Mustang in 1967, Shelby had to volley back – and so the motoring legend stuck Ford’s 7-litre Cobra Jet V8 under the hood to create the even mightier GT500. This maroon example evidently took Shelby’s fancy in 2010, as he purchased the all-original machine for his own collection.

1958 Jaguar XK150 3.4 Roadster

Sold for: £76,132

The last of the XKs, Jaguar launched the XK150 as a development of its XK140 predecessor, keeping the chassis, engine and transmission the same but revising the body and styling, most notably adding a single-piece windscreen.

Built in ‘58 and exported to New York, it’s recently had a full restoration to factory spec, inside and out – albeit with a replacement burlwood dash.

1968 Mercedes-Benz 280SE Cabriolet

Sold for: £97,027

This open-topped 280SE is invitingly original, from its black leather interior to the period-correct Becker Grand Prix radio; a bare-metal respray in its correct Anthracite Grey colour scheme is the only thing that stands between it and 100% authenticity. 

An automatic model, it still rivals the cruisers of today on lavish style and motorway performance and sold for a good price, just beneath its lower estimate.

1986 Ferrari Testarossa Monospecchio

Sold for: £92,027

Taking the V12 motor from the Berlinetta Boxers before it, Ferrari’s Testarossa was every bit the supercar – deriving 380bhp and capable of 180mph.

Iconic by virtue of its side strakes and pop-up headlights, this early single mirror model had its engine overhauled in late-2017 meaning it goes to its new owner – only its second, having been sold on Sunday by the original purchaser – in excellent material and running condition.