Bonhams staged its inaugural “Live & Online Motoring Auction” this past weekend at Bicester Heritage in England and reports overall sales of £2 million ($2.5 million), with a sell-through rate of 76 percent overall, but of 100 percent for the motorcycles on the docket.
The auction house said 59 percent of the winning bids came via the internet. Others came by telephone.
“We are delighted at the result which demonstrates a continued appetite from sellers and buyers for our Motoring sales,” said James Knight, Bonhams motoring chairman. “Our confidence in the technology that we put in place for this sale, and our determination to maintain the atmosphere and fun of a traditional sale paid off.”
The top sale of the auction was a 1966 Aston Martin DB6 that sold for $181,293.
In an interesting offering, a restored 1954 Jaguar XK120 aluminum-bodied roadster was offered as Lot 104 and its original 3.4-liter engine as Lot 105. The car was restored with a 3.8-liter powerplant. The same buyer purchased both the car ($86,463) and its original engine ($16,734).
The bidding was termed “fierce” for a 1956 Bedford RL Green Goddess military firefighting van that had been in long service at the Cornbury Park Estate, where it was used for watering the estates gardens. The van sold for $18,129, four times its pre-auction estimated value.
Among the motorcycles offered, a 1996 Honda CBR900RR brought $7,670, five times its pre-sale estimate.
Bonhams next Live & Online sale is scheduled for July 25.
For more information, visit the Bonhams website.
