Storied Bugatti Type 35B tops the Bonhams|Cars Bond Street sale
Central London may be packed with Christmas shoppers in December, but there was one retail experience that stood out above all others for us – the Bonhams|Cars Bond Street sale. Here was an opportunity right at the end of the year to get yourself more than just a stocking filler thanks to a catalogue of temptations. Here are the top five lots...
5. 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mk2 Sports Saloon
Sold for £174,800 including premium
For James Bond looks without the DB5 premium, the Aston Martin DB6 is an option. This matching numbers example has been in the same ownership since 2010 and one of its former keepers held on to it for four full decades. It has covered just under 38,000 miles and been on static display since its last change of ownership. Timewarp condition, aesthetically, then but in need of recommissioning if it’s to go back into service.
4. 2008 Bentley Brooklands Coupé
Sold for £207,000 including premium
What price for the last of its kind? When this Bentley Brooklands was built in 2008 it was very much cut from traditional cloth – remember, the new-age Continental GT had been in production for half a decade by then. But tradition counts in Bentley circles, and this rakish two-door with its 6.75-litre V8 engine is drenched in classic appeal while still being a relatively modern car. It was offered with no reserve and had an estimate of £100,000 to £125,000 which it comprehensively smashed through before the hammer fell. They don’t make them like this any more.
3. 1984 Lamborghini Countach 5000 S
Sold for £391,000 including premium
It might be rooted in the 1970s, but things really don’t get more ’80s than a bewinged white Lamborghini Countach. The first owner of the 1984 example was thought to have been a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, the vendor – a chief technician for the Ford Motor Company – had owned it since 2005. During that time it had been stored in a heated garage and treated to a major engine-out service and rebuild. The result? A very original example that has been well cared for throughout its life.
2. 2022 McLaren 720S GT3X
Sold for £402,500 including premium
Only fifteen examples of the McLaren 720S GT3X were built, and this one is believed to have been constructed in 2022. Given that it’s a track only model, though, it has never been road registered to confirm that. However old it is, the annual mileage has been negligible. It has covered just 450km, making it virtually new. The GT3X was based on the 720S GT3 racing car, itself virtually a ground-up new vehicle developed by McLaren’s motorsport team (homologation rules of the time meant the race car only had to be 10 per cent in common with the road car). The result is a trackday car with all the performance of a factory-honed racer. Will the next owner put more miles on the clock?
1. 1925 Bugatti Type 35B/35T Grand Prix
Sold for £552,000 including premium
Could the Bugatti Type 35 be the most recognisable racing car from the 1920s? It must be in with a shout. And this example comes with a wonderfully detailed history dating back to its first owner, Florence Gould. Every subsequent custodian is known, one notable keeper being pioneering female racing driver ‘Kay’ Petre. For half a century, the car was owned by Britain-based Bugatti historian Hugh G Conway and his son Hugh RG Conway, who was chairman of the Bugatti Trust until 2023. The amount of known history is astonishing for a car that’s about to reach its 100th birthday. Having been stored for four years and drained of fluid, it is now due for recommissioning.
Images courtesy of Bonhams|Cars.
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