HomeMediaUpgraded Aston Martin DB5 tops Bonhams auction at Goodwood

Upgraded Aston Martin DB5 tops Bonhams auction at Goodwood

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After sales earlier this year in Scottsdale, Las Vegas, Paris and Amelia Island, Bonhams opened its British auction calendar Sunday with its annual collector car sale during the Goodwood Members’ Meeting. Overall, the auction posted more than $7.3 million in transactions, though only a 70 percent sell-through rate.

Topping the Goodwood event was a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 sports saloon that had been upgraded to Vantage specification during its restoration with triple Weber carburetors and up-rated camshafts. The car sold at the auction for $830,697.

The 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SC coupe consigned by the Key Museum in Turkey sold for $465,196 and a 1955 Porsche 365A Speedster brought $315,132.

Ex-Elton John Ferrari among top sellers at Goodwood Members’ Meeting auction
Entertainer Dean Martin once owned this Excalibur

Next on the top-1o list was the ex-Elton John 1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxster that went for $292,623 while a 1966 McLaren M1B Group 7 Can-Am racing car brought $225,094.

But not all of the top-10 sales were classic cars. The British license plate bearing “U 8” and the rights to use it sold for $217,591.

McLaren M1B Can-Am racer
U 8 number plate

“We are very pleased with our first UK sale of 2019,” said James Knight, Bonhams group motoring chairman. “It exceeded last year’s total by some distance and we attracted global interest, selling lots to the USA, Australia, the home market and any number of countries on the Continent.

“With lots ranging from pioneering Edwardian vehicles to rock stars’ sports cars, Bonhams’ offering yesterday was typically unique and diverse.”

The ex-Elton John Ferrari wasn’t the only car sold with celebrity provenance. A 1973 Excalibur Series II roadster former owned by Dean Martin sold for $99,041.

Top 10 sales, Bonhams Goodwood Members’ Meeting 2019

  1. Vantage-spec 1964 Aston Martin DB5, $830,697
  2. 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SC coupe, $465,196
  3. 1955 Porsche 365A Speedster, $315,132
  4. 1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 Berlinetta Boxer, $292,623
  5. 1962 Aston martin DB4 ‘Series IV,’ $262,610
  6. 1959 Jaguar XK150 S 3.8-liter roadster, $245,755
  7. 1966 McLaren M1B Grup 7 Can-Am, $225,094
  8. UK registration plate ‘U 8,’ $217,591
  9. 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo SE ‘Slant Nose,’ $210,088
  10. 1960 Porsche 356B 1600 T5 cabriolet, $180,075

(Prices include buyer’s fee.)

Bonhams next sale is the annual Spring Stafford motorcycle auction on April 27-28, followed by the Aston Martin auction scheduled for May 19 at Wormsley Estate, High Wycombe. Bonhams returns to Goodwood with auctions July 5 during the Festival of Speed and September 14 during the Goodwood Revival meeting.

Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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