Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale

| 23 Sep 2019
Classic & Sports Car – Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale

This 1931 Bentley 8-Litre Tourer was the top seller at RM Sotheby’s Sáragga Collection sale on Saturday (21 September).

Every lot went to auction without reserve and all came from a single owner’s estate, at what was the auction house’s first sale in Portugal.

Bidders from 38 countries filled the venue and helped achieve a total sale value of €10,191,425 (£9m).

Classic & Sports Car – Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale

With the hammer falling at €680,000 for this Bentley following enthusiastic bidding, it was just shy of its €700-800,000 estimate.

It has a history that features a number of body changes since it was first delivered new to Singapore in May 1931, wearing Thrupp and Maberly limousine coachwork, all of which was documented in its accompanying history file.

The next highest figure was achieved by a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring, which sold for €602,375, smashing its €450-550,000 estimate.

Classic & Sports Car – Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale
Classic & Sports Car – Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale

Classic & Sports Car – Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale
Classic & Sports Car – Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale

Delivered new to Portuguese Angola, this 911 has been in Portugal since 1975, and it’s one of only five produced in special-order Signal Orange with a black leatherette interior.

And the third-highest price paid at Saturday’s sale was for another special car: a one-off Mercedes-Benz 600 with a full-length glass roof, fashioned by Henri Chapron of Paris.

Predicted to achieve €300-400,000, it eventually went to a new home for €342,500.

Intrigued? You’ll be able to read its full story in the November 2019 issue of C&SC, on sale in the UK from 3 October.

Classic & Sports Car – Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale
Classic & Sports Car – Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale

Classic & Sports Car – Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale
Classic & Sports Car – Bentley tops no-reserve, single-owner sale

Another C&SC feature car, the WD Denzel 1300 that’s in our current (October 2019) issue, hit €314,375, just falling shy of its €380-450,000 prediction.

A 1972 Alpine A110 1300, meanwhile, reached €195,500, more than doubling its upper estimate, and a 1925 Amilcar CGS doubled its top-end estimate, selling for €100,050.

“We enjoyed a remarkable afternoon here in Portugal. This was a very large collection of diverse collector cars, and we have conducted a significant sale in a completely new market for RM Sotheby’s,” said Paul Darvill, Car Specialist at RM Sotheby’s.”

Images: Tom Gidden/RM Sotheby’s


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