8 rarities at the Bonhams|Cars Bonmont sale

2011 Ferrari 599 SA Aperta

First, possibly a personal favourite: the Ferrari 599 SA Aperta. Take the hardcore 599 GTO with its 670PS (493kW) V12, lop the roof off, give it a bit more GTness back and this is what you get.

With production limited to just 80 units, this progenitor to the 812 GTS is a rarified beauty that’s covered just 2,671 miles. 

It’s a stunningly subtle spec, too, presented in Nero Daytona over Buffalo leather with yellow stitching. The car is fully stamped up, inspected, serviced, and ready to be driven. What could be more desirable than purchasing this rarity and driving it home from Geneva? All that’s needed for those dreams to become reality is between £1.5-£1.7million…

1955 Porsche 356 'Pre-A' 1600 Speedster

Another pop-top next, though this 1955 Porsche 356 ‘Pre-A’ Speedster might be more the connoisseur’s choice. Built late in the run, chassis 80926 was sold to its first owner, renowned gentleman racer Yves Tassin, who spent most of his time racing 550 Spyders but occasionally campaigned his 356 Speedster. 

In 1958, the car went into a 21-year ownership for daily driver use, before being moved on to a German owner who stood it up in Italy hoping to restore it. 30 years on, it was found by the previous owner who totally restored it, completing the work in October 2014. In spite of the restoration, all the bodywork of this Speedster is original. It’s been with its current owner since 2016 and is in working, usable condition, having spent the last eight years in very careful ownership. A stunning thing.

2004 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

If you can believe it, this Ferrari V12 is, in its spec, actually rarer than the SA Aparta. It’s a 612 Scaglietti, Ferrari’s four-seat GT of the mid-2000s, of which a few thousand were made. But only 43 were to be outfitted with a six-speed manual transmission in place of the robotised paddle shift. This is believed to be the first such model, which increases its potential interest and value enormously. 

A well-used car in usable condition, it’s covered just over 32,000 miles and was most recently put through a major service in April 2023 – the latest in a number of maintenance receipts. On further reflection, this may be my favourite. And the kicker? Estimates show you only need to stump up £194,000-£261,000.

1946 Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet

If your tastes are for something a little more vintage and niche in feel, then here’s quite the old beauty. Dating from 1946 is this Delahaye 135MS Cabriolet, with Coachwork by Walter Kong. If you want rare, this is it, with this car in this bodywork being a true one-off.

A niché coachbuilder, Kong was known for quality over quantity. The very few cars that were built, including Delahaye, Bentley, Cadillac, and other such high-end chassis – were both exquisitely styled and produced to the highest standards. Kong was also known to specialise in convertibles. 

Having spent much of its time in museums, this is a car that’s been pampered and applauded much of its life. Truthfully, the £194,000-£244,000 it’s expected to make sounds like a steal to us, for Villa d’Este alumnus. 

2010 Lamborghini Reventon Roadster

This Lamborghini Reventon Roadster is not exactly a one-of-one but is certainly one of the rarest cars on this list. Based on the Murcielago, including using its 670PS (493kW) 6.5-litre Bizzarrini V12, the Reventon is the first in a long-line of bespoke-bodied Lambo specials. 

With styling in this case inspired by the F22 Raptor fighter jet, shot through, with fighter influences, even down to the instrument binnacle which swaps out the Murci’s conventional dials for a special fighter-inspired LCD set. This Reventon Roadster is one of just 15 specials built and has covered just 2,547 miles. It could be yours for around £1.4-1.7million.

1961 Ferrari 250 GTE

Next, a car that’s rare by virtue of a number of things. The Ferrari 250 GTE was, for the longest time the unloved 250, to the point that many were sacrificed to create replicas of more desirable versions. Only a few survive but even from new, this car was unique, being the only example produced in Blu Ascot. 

The 69th of the 954 cars built, this example has been in Switzerland since 1981 and was thoroughly restored throughout 2017 and 2018. Since then, it’s covered less than 1,000km and will arrive with its new owner in ready-to-drive condition. A stunning example of the original Ferrari grand tourer, and it can be yours for £346,000-£523,0000. 

2017 Lamborghini Centenario Roadster

The Lamborghini V12 special edition is another vanishingly rare pop-top available in this sale, if you fancy something based on the slightly newer Aventador platform. Built to celebrate 100 years since the birth of Feruccio Lamorgini, the Centenario was available both as a hard-top coupé and as a roadster, with just 20 built of each. Based on the carbon chassis Aventador platform, the Centennario debuted the 770PS (566kW) version of the 6.5-litre V12 that would go on to power the Aventador SVJ. So yes, for a while there, the Cenennario was the most powerful car in the marque’s history. 

This 2017 Centenario Roadster is one of the 20 and has barely covered 300 miles in the seven years since it was delivered. It’s also got a pretty comprehensive service record with its last service taking place in October 2023. As it stands, this Centenario Roadster is set to make between £2.18 and £2.6million.

2006 Ford GT Heritage

Our final entry on this rarity list is, well, not that rare, at least in standard form. Though not many mid-2000s Ford GTs were sold in the UK, they did reasonably well in the States. However, Heritage cars are a bit more scarce, notable for their retro liveries. Just 343 Heritage cars were built, commanding a decent premium over the standard cars and this is one of them. Wearing the famous Gulf colours, it pays tribute to the double Le Mans-winning GT40 MkII that took honours at La Sarthe first in 1968 and again in 1969. In doing so, ‘1075’ became one of just five chassis throughout the 100-year history of Le Mans with two victories to its name, cementing the GT40 as one of the all-time great sportscar titans.

This car was delivered new in US specification to Dubai in 2006. It has a full service history and has covered a healthy 10,820 miles, which we sincerely hope the new owner takes joy in adding to. It’ll cost between £303,000 and £395,000 for the privilege.

So, which of these rarities would you most like to buy at the Bonhams Bonmont sale?

Images courtesy of Bonhams|Cars.