A 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 that won the British Touring Car Championship back when it was called the saloon car championship set the pace the past weekend at Bonhams auction at the Goodwood Revival.
The ex-Willment Racing Team Galaxie was part of the “Gentleman Jack” Sears collection and, Bonhams noted, achieved a world auction-record price for the make and model by selling for £471,900 ($622,210), which was more than double its pre-sale estimate. Prices reported include buyer’s fees.
Overall, the auction produced £10,731,518 ($14,149,722) in sales, a figure that Bonhams termed “astonishing.”
The bidding on and sale of the Galaxie generated a rousing round of applause in the sales room, Bonhams reported.
Other cars in the Sears collection included a 1948 MG Midget TC roadster that sold for £28,750 ($37,908) and a 1996 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth that brought £25,300 ($33,359)
Elsewhere on the docket, a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta sold for £606,300 ($799,419), the 1961 Austin-Healey 3000 Mk I worlds rally car brought £236,700 ($312,094) and a 1935 Lagonda LG45 4 1/2-liter Monte Carlo rally car sold for £371,100 ($489,303).
As expected, British cars sold well. A 1953 Bentley R-Type Continental being sold for the first time since 1975 and a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 each sold for £561,500 ($740,349). A 1927 Bentley 3-liter Speed went for £357,660 ($471,582).
A 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0-liter coupe sold for £287,100 ($378,609), a 2011 Porsche 911 Type 997 GT2 RS coupe brought £208,700 ($275,220) and a 1961 Jaguar E-type “flat-floor” roadster changed ownership for £309,500 ($408,149).
Among the 200 lots of automobilia was a group of items from the Donald and Geoffrey Healey collection. Among those items, the 1951 Mille Miglia “Franco Mazzotti” silver trophy won by Geoffrey Healey brought £11,875 ($15,660).
“Having emerged from our fantastic sale at Beaulieu last week, we have now concluded our Goodwood Sales season on a high,” said James Knight, Bonhams chairman for global motoring auction. “I am delighted with the results across the board.
“In a busy week for the UK motor auction world, it was very pleasing to see our sale lead the way.
“Our long-standing association with the motoring fraternity enabled us to offer historically important collections and we were honored to represent the Sears and Healey families. Both collections enjoyed competitive global bidding and sold spectacularly well, thus proving the continued power of provenance in the motoring market.’
If I recall correctly, this Galaxie is a "semi-lightweight" and has fiberglass fenders, hood and should have had an aluminum bumper.