Auction News Network

Aston Martin Sells For Record $4.95m

Until this past weekend, the record for an Aston Martin at auction was the $4.6m paid for a DB5 with celebrity credentials, having seen use in “Goldfinger.” That price was eclipsed on Saturday, when a factory-restored 1960 DB4GT “Jet” Coupé sold for $4.95m at a Bonhams auction in the UK. Offered for the first time in 30 years, the unique car — the only GT with body by Bertone — has won various Concours d’Elegance awards, including ‘Best In Show’ at the Villa d’Este and 1^st in the Italian Coachworks Class at Pebble Beach.

Winston Churchill’s Daimler Sells In Germany

Between the years of 1944-49, and thus throughout his tenure as Prime Minister in World War II, Sir Winston Churchill’s ride of choice was a stylish 1939 Daimler DB18 Drophead Coupe. Incongruous as it may seem for an automobile that belonged to the man who led his country’s battle against the Third Reich, the roadster turned up on German eBay, where it set off a bidding frenzy that ended with a price of $621,500. That was, according to the Online Mail, about 16 times what a DB18 might be expected to command.

100 MPH Without Brakes: Steve McQueen’s 1914 Indian At Bonhams

Of all the motorcycles owned by Steve McQueen—and there were many—one of the more unusual is the 1914 Indian Board Track Racer that Bonhams will offer at its Stafford sale in England later this month. Produced for one of the first pine-board motordomes in the country, it was fitted with neither brakes nor throttle. Racers went all out, powered by a 4hp, 500cc engine, reaching speeds of 100mph. Restored by Indian specialist Stephen Wright, McQueen’s bike is estimated at $34,000-$43,000.

Duesenberg Leads Boca Raton Concours Auction

In its day, the ultra-sleek 1930 Duesenberg Model J Torpedo Phaeton had few rivals for style, luxury, engineering or power. More expensive than a Rolls Royce or Hispano Suiza, fewer than 500 were made, making the cars’ owners members of a very exclusive club that included Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, and William Randolph Hearst. The example that Bonhams will offer tomorrow at the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance belonged to the wife of Duesenberg’s owner, E.L. Cord and has been featured in numerous movies. Restored to show standards, it comes to the auction without an estimate, generally a sign of high expectations.

Prices Soar At Scottsdale Classic Car Auctions

Little doubt remained about the extraordinary vitality of the vintage car market after the results at the multiple auctions that took place this past weekend in and around Scottsdale, Arizona. Gooding & Co. led the final tallies with a total of $52.5m, paced by the sale of a 1958 Ferrari 250GT LWB California Spider for $8.25m. With six of the weekend top 10 sales, Gooding’s result was up 31% over last year’s sale, a pattern of growth that almost all the Scottsdale events mirrored.

BMW Races to $167,800

As a sidecar racer, the mid-century BMW Rennsport RS54 had no peer. The motorcycle dominated its class for almost twenty years, racking up 19 World titles, among other records. Yesterday at Bonhams motorcycle auction in Las Vegas it achieved another one, as a 1954 example led the pack with a $167,800 result.

‘Godfather’ Lincolns Come To Scottsdale

Although the offerings at Bonhams’ Scottsdale vintage car sale may lack the mega-million dollar star power of the rare Ferrari’s that will be idling across the block at other auctions in the area next weekend, the January 17^th event will still feature an array of extraordinary automobiles, some with rather colorful histories. For example, there are two 1941 Lincolns, one a limousine, the other a coupe, that were featured in ‘The Godfather’ (estimates withheld). Those less focused on showbiz may prefer a 1955 Mercedes 300SL that’s one of the highlights of the sale. Finished in Strawberry Metallic, and recently restored, it’s estimated at $850,000-$1m.

“Princess Diana Rolls” Scores In Auction

What’s in a name? A 1979 Rolls Royce that Princess Diana rode in during her first trip to the U.S. has sold in an eBay auction for $122,323. Admittedly this one has some nifty—and expensive—options, like bullet-proofing and protection against gas attacks. All the same, the price tag was a hefty premium over the $20,000-$40,000 that models of the same vintage typically command.

Paul McCartney’s DB5 In London Auction

When Sir Paul McCartney ordered his brand new Aston Martin DB5 in 1964, he specified that the car be fitted with musical notes stitched into the leather seats, as well as a Phillips record player. At the time, it set him back $5,900. When the DB5 appears at auction later this week in London—minus the musical notes, eliminated in a restoration—RM is expecting it to sell for around $621,000, or more than 100 times its original cost.

Update: Paul McCartney’s car fell a bit short of expectations, selling for $496,613. The auction’s star, an alloy-bodied 1955 Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, stalled below its reserve at $3,876,000, and failed to find a buyer.

Oldest Surviving Vauxhall At Bonhams

Vauxhall, the British motorcar manufacturer now owned by GM, began life in 1857 as a builder of pump and marine engines. By 1903 the company was making cars, beginning with the 5hp—yes, 5—open two seater that Bonhams will offer in London next month. Ordered new by Vauxhall’s managing director, the car passed into the hands of family the next year that has retained ownership for more than a century. Believed to be the oldest surviving Vauxhall, it’s expected to bring $96,000-$128,000 at the November 5^th sale.

Update: The Vauxhall well above estimates, for $151,000.

Vintage Racers Lead Goodwood Auction

Once, the Invicta was the leading competition for Bentley. The English cars were ahead of their time, rakishly low and expensive, and the company that produced them a victim of the Depression. Only about 1000 Invictas were produced between 1925 and 1936. The example that Bonhams will offer at its annual Goodwood Motorcar Auction on September 15^th is a 1931 4 1/2-Litre S-Type Low-chassis Tourer ‘Bluebird.’ The product of a three-year restoration, it’s estimated at $870,000-$1.1m.

’68 Ford Sets Record, ’36 Mercedes Falls Short At Pebble Beach

Records fell at the high-value vintage car auctions around the Pebble Beach Concours over the weekend, but they weren’t the ones that had been expected. A 1968 Ford GT, used by Steve McQueen in the making of “Le Mans,” became the most expensive American car ever sold at auction when the gavel came down at $11m, including buyer’s premium. A magnificent 1936 Mercedes 540K Special Roadster that had been anticipated to be the weekend’s star fell short, however, selling for “just” $11.7m, including premiums.

Winston Churchill’s Land Rover

On his 80^th birthday, Land Rover presented Sir Winston Churchill with a unique Series 1 model, outfitted with a particularly wide rear seat to accommodate his aristocratic girth. With a chauffeur at the wheel, Churchill used the car to explore the 300 acres of his Kent estate, Chartwell, which is now owned by the National Trust. At his death, the car passed to Churchill’s son-in-law. Still in its original configuration, with just 12,932 miles, the 1954 Rover is expected to sell for $78,000-$94,000 at Cheffin’s Vintage sale in the U.K. on October 20^th.

RM Offers Horch, Ferrari & Talbot Lago Rarities At Pebble Beach

Merely wanting a Horch motorcar wasn’t enough. Prospective buyers of the early German competitor to Mercedes had to demonstrate they had enough in the bank to reflect well on the brand.  Accordingly, the manufacturer—a precursor of the Audi—produced few automobiles. For example, Horch made only five Second Series Special Roadsters–one for Herman Goring–of which three exist. The 1938 example that RM Auctions will be offering at its Monterrey auction over the Pebble Beach Concours weekend has still another bonus: the 854A Special Roadster by Erdmann & Rossi won Best of Show at Pebble Beach. It’s expected to realize $6m-$8m.

Clark Gable’s Duesenberg At Pebble Beach

The celebrity cars continue to roll towards Pebble Beach. The latest to emerge at the Gooding auction on August 18-19 is Clark Gable’s 1935 Duesenberg Model JN Convertible Coupe. One of only 10 JN’s built, and specially modified for Gable with a raked windshield and other upgrades, it’s the car in which he and his wife, actress Carole Lombard, drove up the West Coast to Vancouver. The Special Award winner at the 2007 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the automobile was also featured in the 1938 film “Merrily We Live.” The JN comes to the sale without public estimate.