Bonhams has announced a couple of high-profile consignments for its Goodwood Festival of Speed sale on 29 June. Both are cars that have appeared at auction in recent years and come with big estimates.
The first is the 1912 40/50hp Double Pullman Limousine known as the 'Corgi' Rolls-Royce. With Barker coachwork, the distinctive Silver Ghost was delivered new to John Stephens in Croydon and got its nickname in the 1960s when it was immortalised by the model company in its Corgi Classics series. The auction house reckons its fame will help push bidding past £2 million.
The other star lot is a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C formerly owned by Le Patron Ettore Bugatti and estimated to be worth more than £1million. When war seemed imminent, legend has it that works driver and war hero spy Robert Benoist smuggled the car to safety for the duration of the war, only narrowly avoiding capture in the process.
Post-war, the car stayed with the factory until 1959 when it passed into private ownership. Apart from a few appearances, including the 1985 Pebble Beach concours, it has made few public appearances.
