RM Sotheby's and Bonhams both ran sales during this year's London Motor Week which culminated with the annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run on 7 November. As title partners of the Run, RM held their auction at the Royal Automobile Club with the catalogue on display around the corner in Waterloo Place. Supercars bagged the top two slots in the £7.8 million sale, headed by a 918-mile 2016 Ferrari LaFerrari – finished in a unique livery of Vinaccia paint over Pelle Chiodi Di Garofano – that sold for £2,142,500 (est. £2.2-2.5m); while a 1987 Porsche 959 Komfort with 16,600 miles and single-family ownership for the past 29 years comfortably exceeded its £800k-1m estimate at £1,158,125.
Bentley 3-Litre Blue Label – © Bonhams
A 1904 Peugeot Type 67A 10/12hp took the honours at Bonhams' 18-lot Golden Age of Motoring sale. A veteran of numerous London-to-Brighton Runs since the 1970s, it found a new home at £264,500 (est. £140-170k), edging out a recently-recommissioned 1928 Bentley 3-Litre Blue Label Tourer with known provenance from new at £241,500 (est. £230-280k).
Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Roadster – © Silverstone Auctions
Silverstone Auctions made a successful return to the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham after the pandemic scuppered last year's event, generating £8.5 million for the cars on offer during their two-day sale. Highlights included an 'Outside Bonnet Lock' 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Roadster – part of The Devon Collection for nearly 45 years – which fetched £297,000 (est. £275-295k); a 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC, fresh from a meticulous multi-year restoration, made £540,000 (est. £495-545k); and a 1987 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth with 10,490 miles drew £103,500 (est. £80-100k) – underlining the strength of the low-mileage Fast Ford market in recent years.
Aston Martin DB4 – © H&H Classics
The pre-sale star attractions all changed hands above estimates at H&H's November auction, held at the Imperial War Museum Duxford. Heading the line-up was a 1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV, originally owned by Alexander Whyte of the Whyte & Mackay whisky dynasty. Given an engine upgrade to Vantage spec by Excalibur Engineering in the late 1990s, it was hammered away for £360,000 (est. £280-320k); with a 50,400-mile 1971 Ferrari Dino 246 GT, in single-family ownership since 1975, bringing £286,875 (estimate £220-250k).
Renault-Alpine A442 – Peter Singhof ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
The big news in Europe was RM Sotheby's sale of 76 sports and competition cars from The Guikas Collection at Circuit Paul Ricard, France. All offered without reserve, the ex-Turin Motor Show 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione was the top seller, raising €6,192,500 (est. €7-9m). Other notable big-ticket entries included a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series I, reunited with its original engine after it joined the collection in 2007, selling for €4,420,625 (est. €5.5-7m), and a 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C, first owned by the French singer Johnny Hallyday, that went for €1,805,000 (est. €1.5-2m). Jewel in the collection among the racers was the 1976 Renault Alpine A442, the only one in private hands, commanding a winning bid of €2,255,000 (est. €4-5m). On static display for much of its life since it ran at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1977 and '78, chassis 4422 was mechanically restored following its purchase by Jean Guikas in 2014 and was sold with a spares package and spare engines.
Bugatti Veyron Mansory Roadster – © Silverstone Auctions
Silverstone Auctions were back in action at the end of the month at The Riyadh Car Show Auction, with a 43-car roster – 10 of which carried million dollar-plus estimates. A Dubai-registered left-hand drive 1967 Lamborghini Miura led the evening's results, recording a sale at $2,415,000 (est. $2.3-2.5m). Barely-used supercars heading to new owners included a 2,646-mile 2009 Bugatti Veyron Mansory Linea Vincero Edition at $1,417,500 (est. $1.36-1.56m), and a 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder with the Weissach option and showing 2,757km from new which achieved $1,575,000 (est. $1.5-1.7m).
Full November results here:
