BONHAMS HEADS FOR GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED

BONHAMS HEADS FOR GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED

 

 

• Bonhams Festival of Speed sale (26 June) includes highlights: the ultimate pre-war racer, the Ex-Works Racing Aston Martin Ulster Team Car, LM19, estimate £1,600,000-2,200,000; and property of Sir Stirling Moss, the 1961 Porsche RS-61 Spyder Sports-Racing Two-Seater, estimate £1,700,000-2,000,000
• Several lots with celebrity connections are also offered, including a 1984 Porsche 911 3.2-Litre Carrera Coupé owned by ex-Top Gear presenter James May, estimate £28,000-34,000, the ‘perfect’ Porsche, once the property of artist Richard Hamilton, estimate £250,000-300,000, and a 1971 Citröen SM Coupé, estimate £35,000-40,000, and a 1966 Mercedes-Benz 250 S Saloon, estimate £20,000-25,000, offered by former Rolling Stone, Bill Wyman
• Bonhams sale features almost 90 cars from across the decades, with something for every collector

Bonhams Annual Festival of Speed Sale will once again offer a show-stopping selection of incredible classic motorcars - all available to the highest bidder.

 

Ex-Works Racing Aston Martin Ulster Team Car, LM19, is the highlight of the sale, estimated at £1,600,000-2,200,000. A pre-war ‘Works’ racing car of excellent provenance, it was built to compete at the highest level of endurance racing, with appearances at Le Mans, the Ards TT, the Mille Miglia, the RAC TT, and with the additional cherry on the cake being the 1936 French Grand Prix outing, driven by none other than the brilliant Dick Seaman.

 

The Bonhams sale includes several lots with ‘celebrity’ provenance, attracting motor car aficionados as well as fans. Former Top Gear presenter James May is offering a 1984 Porsche 911 3.2-litre Carrera Coupé, estimated at £28,000-34,000. May used the 911 as a 'hobby' car, in good weather, and in 2011, it was displayed at Top Gear Live. “It was donated to my dad to use for the past four years, as he never owned a proper sports car,” May revealed. “Recently he decided that he was getting on a bit to be seen in a retro stockbroker's car."

 

The property of James May - 1984 Porsche 911 3.2-litre Carrera Coupé

“As a 911, it's significant for being near the tail-end of the development of the original 1963 car. As a piece of social history, since it's Guards Red and has the sports pack, it stands as a monument to everything 1980s Britain was about. It's the 911 that Denis Thatcher would have driven, if he'd had one.”

 

From left: The property of Bill Wyman - 1971 Citroën Maserati SM; ex-Richard Hamilton 1973 Porsche 911S 2.4-litre Coupé

 

A 1966 Mercedes-Benz 250 S (£20,000-25,000) and a 1971 Citroën Maserati SM (£35,000-40,000) owned by founding member and former Rolling Stones bassist, Bill Wyman, are also offered. Wyman drove the cars to studios during the recording of several famous Rolling Stones albums, including the 1968 album Beggars Banquet, featuring the iconic trackSympathy for the Devil; the 1969 album Let it Bleed, featuring Gimme Shelter and You Can’t Always Get What You Want; the 1972 album Exile on Main St, featuring Rocks off, and the 1981 album Tattoo You, featuring Start Me Up.

 

Elsewhere, there is a 1973 Porsche 911S 2.4-litre Coupé, owned for more than 30 years by ‘father of pop art’ Richard Hamilton. Hamilton thought that the car’s shapely curves were a ‘perfect’ design, so he purchased it new in 1973, and kept it for three decades before passing it into the care of his son.  It remained in his possession until spring 2013, after which the Porsche was subject to a two-year sympathetic restoration, completed to concours standard by one of Europe's leading companies, Clarke & Carter. It is now offered at an estimate of £250,000-300,000.

 

Further highlights include a 1961 Porsche RS-61 Spyder, offered by none other than ‘Mr Motor Racing’ himself, Sir Stirling Moss. One of the greatest racing drivers of all time, Sir Stirling was without doubt the standard-setting racing driver of his time 1958-1962, and is a multiple winner of World Championship Grand Prix and Sports Car races during his glittering frontline career. Sir Stirling describes the Porsche RS60/61 series as having been “Just super cars – beautifully balanced and simply tailor-made for such races as the mighty Targa Florio around 440 miles of Sicilian mountain roads. That was one morning when I woke up and really could say to myself, ‘For today’s race you have got the ideal car’.”

Bonhams Festival of Sale takes place on 26 June at Goodwood, Chichester. For more information visit https://www.bonhams.com/departments/MOT-CAR/.