Stunning soft-tops in the Bonhams|Cars Audrain Concours Auction

1964 Porsche 356 C Cabriolet

It’s arguable that without the Porsche 356, there would be no 911. As legacies go, that’s a pretty significant claim to fame for the rear-engined sports car. Not that it was short-lived in its own right, remaining in production for a decade and a half during which 76,000 examples were built. Over that time it was subject to constant evolution – an approach that remains an Porsche hallmark. It went from aluminium-skinned coupé to steel-bodied drop-top.

The one that’s offered here, the C Cabriolet, is the final evolution of Porsche’s pioneering sports car. It has been subject to an older restoration that has been well preserved and is finished in its original colour scheme. It has an estimate of $90,000 to $130,000 (£67,000 to £97,000).

2002 BMW Z8 Roadster

Sticking with the Teutonic theme but bringing things more up to date is this 2002 BMW Z8 Roadster. The retro-styled sports car flagship didn’t enjoy the best reviews when it debuted, but its appeal has grown with age. It sent out some mixed signals when new, the M5-sourced 4.9-litre V8 engine being combined with a dynamic characteristic that sat more at the GT end of the spectrum. With age and hindsight, that’s now seen as being more acceptable. Rarity adds to its aura.

This black over red example is one of 342 finished in the colour scheme (of the 5703 produced). It has yet to breach 12,000 miles and is estimated at $180,000 to $220,000 (£130,000 to £160,000).

2003 Bentley Azure Mulliner ‘Final Series Performance’

This Azure Mulliner ‘Final Series Performance’ was born into a world when Bentley was beginning to realise its Volkswagen-owned future. Built in 2003, the year of the Continental GT’s launch, it was derived from the 1991 Continental R coupé, the first Bentley since 1965 that didn’t share a body with a Rolls-Royce.The drop-top Azure arrived in 1995, and the United States became its strongest market.

Only 62 Mulliner ‘Final Series Performance’ editions were built, and this is one of several lots from the Ernie Boch Jr. collection. It’s being offered with no reserve and has an estimate of $80,000 to $100,000 (£60,000 to £75,000).

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

The jewel in the crown of the Audrain sale is arguably this Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster. What the Roadster loses in gullwing theatre it gains in dynamic capability. Usually open-top versions of closed cars suffer the lack of roof, but there were no such drawbacks for the SL’s spaceframe chassis. What’s more, the relocated swing arm reduced its tendency to oversteer at speed. In the end, more Roadsters were built than Gullwings (1,858 to 1,400).

This example has spent the last three decades in the late Peter Mullin’s world-famous car collection, and it was driven frequently and cherished in between. A six-figure selling price is highly likely, and it’s guided at $1.2million to $1.4million (£900,000 to £1million).

1987 Peugeot 205 CTI 1.9

Here’s a bit of a wildcard entry for our list. The soft-top version of the seminal Peugeot 205 GTI, dubbed CTI, was never as well loved as its hardtop sibling, but its pert styling translates well to open-top form – even if the norms of the time resulted in heavy-handed roll-over protection.

Pininfarina part-built the CTI, the cars being shipped from France to Italy mid-build, and then back to their homeland for completion. The GTI hugely outsold the CTI, making the latter an interesting footnote of hot hatch history.

The car is rare still in the United States, where this clearly cherished car is now looking for its next owner. It’s guided at $40,000 to $50,000 (£30,000 to £37,000) and has no reserve.

1909 Stoddard-Dayton Model 9A Five Passenger Touring

The oldest car in our selection is the 1909 Stoddard-Daytom Model 9A Five Passenger Touring. Charles Stoddart came from a family of entrepreneurs in Dayton, Ohio. He was convinced that the motor car would catch on and investigated petrol, steam and electric propulsion, settling on internal combustion. He embarked upon building large, durable, luxurious cars. The company was sold in 1911 and, in 1913, went out of business.

The Model 9A was only in production briefly, the Five Passenger Touring version being one of three body styles. It is, therefore, a rarity and this example is guided at $60,000 to $80,000 (£45,000 to £60,000).