Bonhams annual Zoute sale held at the coastal resort of Knokke-Heist in Belgium netted the month's top result, with a 1994 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport fetching a mid-estimate €2,242,500 – helping towards a 79% sell-through rate and a €12.3 million sale total. One of just 30 examples built, the four-owner SS had covered 30,000km and was specified from new with a more powerful engine, producing in excess of 600bhp.
Ferrari 365 GTC – © Bonhams
Ferraris rounded out the top five, where the highlights included a one-owner 1989 F40 with only 1,790km that smashed its €1-1.5 million estimate at €1,840,000; a 54,000km 1968 365 GTC in single-family ownership from new took a mid-estimate €655,500; and a 2005 575M Superamerica, one of 49 manual gearbox cars, made €529,000 (est. €600-800k).
Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato – © Christophe Gasco
A varied catalogue at Artcurial's Paris sale saw a 1986 Citroën BX 4TC Evolution head the rally cars on offer, bringing €417,200 – comfortably exceeding its €250-350k guide; while Aston Martins finding new homes included a one-of-99 2017 Vanquish Zagato showing 3,700km at €429,120 (est. €400-600k) and a 1960 DB4, restored in the late Nineties and converted to left-hand drive at some point, raised €393,360 (est. €350-450k).
Lamborghini Countach LP400 S – © Dorotheum
Dorotheum's pre-sale star didn't disappoint at its Salzburg auction, the 58,000-km 1979 Lamborghini Countach LP400 S, owned by its Austrian consignor since 2008, selling for €460,000 (est. €300-400k). Both 1989 Porsche 911 Speedsters on offer were also successfully hammered away, the Turbo-Look example with only 3,950km that presented in time-warp condition commanded a winning bid of €253,000 (est. €210-290k) and the 19,267-km Strosek Mega Speedster, converted at a cost of some DM50,000, went for €184,000 (est. €140-180k).
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing – © Bonhams
Stateside activity in October opened with Bonhams' inaugural Audrain Concours Auction in Newport, Rhode Island. A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing that had spent the past decade in the Academy of Art University Museum in San Francisco turned in the top performance among the 42-car line-up, generating $1,556,000 (est. $1.3-1.6m).
Duesenberg Model J Roadster – Alex Stewart ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
RM Sotheby's returned to Hersey with an inventory dominated by veteran, vintage and pre-war classics. Homegrown machinery from the Robert Thayer Collection locked-out the top-three slots, headed by a 1931 Duesenberg Model J Roadster at $1,650,000 (est. $1.4-1.8m); with his 1935 Auburn Eight Supercharged Speedster drawing $891,000 (est. $700-900k) and a 1930 Packard 745 Deluxe Eight Roadster bringing a mid-estimate $407,000. RM reported a 98% sell-through rate, with the two-day sale totalling $12.9 million.
Full October results here:
