Top 10 lots at Bonhams’ Bond Street sale

Bonhams’ best

There’s a very British feel to Bonhams’ final classic car auction of 2020, The Bond Street Sale, which takes place in London tomorrow, 16 December.

Whether you’re in the market for expanding your fleet or you’re merely window shopping, Bonhams’ lot list provides plenty of inspiration, but here we are focusing on the 10 lots with the highest pre-sale estimates – enjoy.

10. 1965 Lola T70 MkII Spyder (est: £160-220,000)

You do not need to be a motorsport fanatic to appreciate the beautiful lines of the Lola T70. They’re not regularly seen on the market, so take a while to appreciate its fine form.

This is chassis number SL71/19 and its first owner, Tony Sargeant, received it in December 1965 to race it together with Mac Daghorn and Hugh Dibley in the UK and North America in Group 7 and Can-Am races – indeed, in 1966 the trio achieved multiple race wins and podium finishes, and a full list of the car’s results will be sold with it.

1965 Lola T70 MkII Spyder (cont.)

Sadly, a season-ending crash put a stop to its competitive life, and it was eventually restored by next owner and marque specialist Mac McClendon, now with a ’63 Chevy V8 – and then later its first owner, Sargeant, bought it back!

Its current keeper has displayed it as automotive art for several years and its engine and gearbox are not fitted, but will be supplied.

Let’s hope the winning bidder gets this racer back on track.

9. 1966 Aston Martin DB6 (est: £180-220,000)

This DB6 left the factory a colour called ‘Oystershell’ with a red-trimmed interior – so clearly a lot has changed since.

It was also specified from new with an automatic gearbox, chrome wheels, a heated rear ’screen, a power-operated aerial and three-ear hubcaps, and throughout its life it has been maintained regularly.

1966 Aston Martin DB6 (cont.)

In 2005-2006, the engine was rebuilt and can now take unleaded petrol, plus its stock ’box was replaced by a ZF four-speed (still an auto), at which point other work was completed, too, including an overhaul of the rear axle.

Vendor Bonhams describes the Aston Martin as being ‘in generally very good condition’ and it has a fresh MoT – but if the winning bidder was to spend some time and money on it, it could be something rather special.

8. 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage (est: £220-260,000)

No, your eyes don’t deceive you, this is another 1966 DB6 – in fact, there are a lot of Aston Martins in this list of the 10 cars predicted to achieve the highest figures at Bonhams’ Bond Street auction.

It is described as being ‘uniquely ordered with the Vantage engine and automatic transmission’, and it is understood that this car’s first owner, a Mr White of Wolverhampton, drove and enjoyed it from new until his passing in 1984, by which time it had done close to 52,000 miles.

His nephew in Ithaca, New York, then took ownership and it set sail for the US, but while there it was driven only for about 200 miles.

1966 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage (cont.)

It has been with its current custodian since 2013, and he carried out a bare-metal restoration across three years, finished in 2018, at which point he returned the car to the UK.

Which is why the car is finished in that famous shade of Silver Birch, not the Sage Green it left the factory, however it still has its original black-leather upholstery.

What’s more, its original radio has been updated with Bluetooth and Apple CarPlay.

7. 1959 Ferrari 250GT Series II Coupé (est: £300-400,000)

At number seven is the seventh second-series 250GT Coupé built and chassis number 1533 GT was delivered new to Ferrari’s hometown of Modena in Italy – and today it is Ferrari Classiche certified.

By 1969 it was in Los Angeles, at which point a different engine of the correct type had been fitted, this the engine that still powers it today.

It came to the UK in 2012 and has since been mechanically and cosmetically restored.

1959 Ferrari 250GT Series II Coupé (cont.)

And this Blu Notte beauty’s appeal and that restoration effort have not gone unnoticed – it was a class winner at the Warren concours in 2017.

The tan-leather-trimmed interior not only sits very well with the exterior hue of its Pininfarina-penned body, it appears to be in excellent condition, too.

6. 1937 Atalanta 2-Litre Sports (est: £300-400,000)

You could be forgiven for asking what this is, due to it being one of just two short-chassis cars of fewer than 20 built – oh, and one of just two with the Gough 2-litre engine.

Middlesex-based Atalanta Motors was a short-lived enterprise established by Alfred Gough, whose hand-built sports cars were unique among British cars of their day because they had all-independent coil-sprung suspension.

This car’s first owner was one of the firm’s directors, Miss MV ‘Midge’ Wilby, who rallied it – she ran a ‘works’ team which claimed the manufacturers' team prize in the SWAC Welsh Rally.

1937 Atalanta 2-Litre Sports (cont.)

More rallying followed, including an outing on the Scottish RAC Rally, but there the trail goes dead until 1950, when it is known to have gained some extra power and its originally blue body was repainted green.

A later owner in Pebble Beach, California, had it restored in the UK prior to shipping Stateside and it was sold around a decade later to its current owner, who says: “The car was immaculate when we purchased it – reflected in its having recently won the Cartier Style et Luxe at Goodwood and being displayed and sold at Pebble Beach in 2007. It is presented in similarly immaculate condition now.”

5. 1959 Aston Martin DB4 (est: £420-460,000)

Another Aston Martin, but a different model – and this 4.2-litre-engined DB4 is fresh from a four-year, 5000-man-hour ‘concours’ restoration.

The hard work is done for this car’s winning bidder, then. There are no bills to support the work because the owner did it himself, including applying Waxoyl to every cavity, and rebuilding and increasing the capacity of the engine – although some jobs, including the retrim, were outsourced. 

1959 Aston Martin DB4 (cont.)

This right-hand drive Series 1 car was the 79th DB4 built and left the factory finished in Black Pearl with red-leather trim.

In the mid-’80s it went to Japan, returning to Blighty in 2016, at which point its epic restoration – the results of which you can see here – began.

4. 1967 Ferrari 330GTC Berlinetta (est: £425-525,000)

There is quite a step up in predicted sale price as we move onto this matching-numbers Ferrari 330GTC Berlinetta that was sold new to Italy, and later was kept in Texas, California and Michigan, before returning to Italy, then onto Monaco; it eventually came to the UK in February 2015.

It was restored in the ’90s and notes in the car’s file detail significant later bills, so this car has clearly been well cared for throughout its life.

1967 Ferrari 330GTC Berlinetta (cont.)

Ferrari Classiche-certified, this Pininfarina Ferrari has been enjoyed, undertaking a Pyrenean tour just a few years ago – a peek at its odometer appears to show that it has done around 99,000km.

And while the tool-and-jack kit it is sold with looks rather fetching as well as authentic, this is a reproduction item.

3. 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante (est: £550-650,000)

We enter our top three lots with the highest pre-sale prices at this week’s Bonhams Bond Street sale with another DB6 – this time a drop-top.

This is one of 29 DB6 Mk1 Vantage Volantes and chassis number DBVC/3650/R was delivered new in May 1967, finished in Mink with a dark-blue Connolly leather-trimmed cabin, with matching Everflex soft-top, and since then it has been enjoyed, having covered more than 98,000 miles.

1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante (cont.)

It heads to auction having been with the same family for 44 years, it’s mainly be used for summertime motoring and it is said to have always been maintained ‘to the highest standard’.

All in all, what a wonderful prospect – if we had a spare half a million to buy it, never mind the ongoing maintenance costs. Ah well…

2. 1953 Bentley Continental (est: £550-700,000)

Also crossing the block with Bonhams this week is this beautiful, 31,000-mile Bentley, its sweeping coachwork by HJ Mulliner as seductive as it was when new, 67 years ago.

It is one of 208 built, as well as being one of 25 A-series models made, and was supplied new to Geneva in black with off-white trim, lightweight seats and a manual gearbox.

Eight owners in the USA and one in Canada followed, before it joined its current collection in the UK in 2003.

1953 Bentley Continental (cont.)

Its 4.9-litre engine is the more powerful derivative and it has been driven on European tours – and with an MoT until October 2021, it is ready for such adventures again.

Restored and carefully cared for all its life, it is not hard to see why this is anticipated to sell for £550-700,000.

1. 1964 Aston Martin DB5 (est: £600-650,000)

Of course, at number one it is another Aston Martin, a DB5 that the auction house describes as ‘exceptional’, and one that was owned by the same family all the way from 1964 until 2005, the current keeper getting the keys in 2018, since when it has been stored in a dehumidified motor house.

In fact, so good has been the care during this classic’s 56 years that it has never needed a full restoration.

1964 Aston Martin DB5 (cont.)

This Sierra Blue classic’s interior was retrimmed, to original specification, in April 2015, at which point other work was also undertaken, including the fitting of new window glass all round, a new rear bumper and some rechroming.

It will go to auction with its original jack and toolkit, and is anticipated to achieve the sale’s highest figure.

1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 Convertible (est: £100-150,000)

Yes, we’ve reached the end of our top 10, but we couldn’t resist sharing this lot from the same sale, because while James Bond is closely associated with Aston Martin and this auction features many cars from that marque, this Candy Apple Red Mercury is a genuine Bond car – being sold at the Bond Street sale.

This is one of three or four (depending upon who you believe) Mercury Cougars ordered for the ’69 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, George Lazenby’s only film in the role of 007.

All of these cars were fitted with chrome ski racks for character Contessa Teresa ‘Tracy’ Di Vicenzo’s skis.

1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 Convertible (cont.)

This car was used to film the barn scene and despite the movie being set in the Swiss Alps, this was shot at Pinewood Studios in the UK.

And it is fresh from restoration, making this a special opportunity.

Bonhams’ The Bond Street Sale takes place on 16 December and you can view the full lot list here.