Bonhams Launch New Private Sales Platform
Bonhams Motoring Division has announced the launch of its Private Sales platform.
In a bid to continue placing prestige classic cars with new owners there is a new online sale service. Some cars cannot be held back from the buying public and there are some good choice vehicles available.
Auctions are still taking palce using a consignment platform. Taking place on 30 May and 25 July, the auctions will either be live or over live video link depending upon the current situation. Bonhams are planning to hold the auctions from its MPH base at Bicester Heritage. If that isn’t going to be possible the sales will be conducted at Bonhams Oxford saleroom.
Bonhams Group Motoring Chairman, James Knight, said, “Bonhams has the most experienced and consistently successful team in the international market for motor cars, and motorcycles. We are still accepting entries for the auctions and our Private Sales platform will provide vendors with an effective and transparent way to find buyers, offering integrity, proficiency and passion.”
Bonhams proved that this could work with the quick change of format at the Goodwood Members Meeting sale, which you can see more about here. Selling a unique 1956 Lister Maserati 2.0 litre for an impressive £575,000 on the 29 March.
Aston Martin DB4 Vantage Convertible
Some of the cars avaiable are a fantastic rare 1063 Series 5 Aston Martin DB4 Vantage Convertible.One of only 70 DB4 Convertibles produced, and one of only 5 RHD Vantage spec. The DB4 was the first Aston Martin to have Carrozzeria Touring’s ‘Superleggera’ bodywork. Light alloy panels fixed to a framework of light-gauge steel tubes, then welded to a platform chassis. In the Series 5 cars the wheelbas was increased by 3½” from Spetember 1962 until June 1963 when production finished.
The DB4 was a perfromance machine and was famously the first production car capable of accelerating from a standing start to 100mph and back to rest again in under 30 seconds. Having disc brakes all round and with 240bhp making this possible. In Vantage specification the engine produced 266bhp at 5,750rpm.
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1967 Ferrari 330 GTS
The 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS is one of only 100 built. Imported into the UK in 2004, this LHD Italian car also spent some of its life in the US.
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Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante
Also of offer is a 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante X-Pack Coupe. Only 166 of these were built by Aston Martin in Vantage specification. The Volante was intruced due to demand from the US market and wasn’t available with Vantage specification until 1986. With 400bhp the Vantage was a fast car, but the optional X-Pack brought that up to 432bhp.
this example has seen extensive expenditure with a very recent conversion to manual transmission. To make the most of the X-Pack engine I’m sure.
Fast Lane Magazine at the time said “With the hood up, the Volante is almost as quiet to be in at legal speeds as the saloon,” remarked Fast Lane magazine’s tester, “and even at an indicated 140mph it is still possible to carry on a conversation.”
Of course I’d like the opprtunity to find out…
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1959 AC Ace-Bristol Roadster
The AC Ace was the result of Cliff Davis’s Tojeiro sports racer being successful that AC Cars put it into production as the AC Ace in 1954. John Tojeiro’s twin-tube ladder frame chassis and Cooper syle independent suspension was mated to AC’s 2.0-litre, long-stroke six. This engine originated in 1919 and with a modest 80bhp and later 100bhp gave the Ace respectable performance. But it was in 1956 where the Bristol six engine, a derivative of the BMW 328, with up to 130bhp gave the Ace a substantial perfromance upgrade.
This particular car has period race heritage having been a Goodwood, Silverstone, Crystal Palace, Snetterton and Mallory Park entrant. Still holding FIA papers it is eligible for competition.
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Also available is a Q-Series Aston One-77, a 1922 Rolls-Royce 22hp Tourer and a 1951 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Cabriolet.
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The Bohnams Private Sales platform can be found here: www.bonhams.com/motoringprivatesales
Thanks to Bonhams for the images.