Bonhams Greenwich 2015 – Auction Report

Lot # 245 1966 Morgan Plus 4 Tourer; S/N 6155; Engine # 161586ME; BRGreen, Black fenders/Black leather; Black leatherette top; Estimate $25,000 – $35,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $28,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $30,800. No Reserve. Chrome wire wheels, blackwall radial tires, fender mirrors, Lucas driving lights, H4 halogen headlights, folding windshield, Brooklands aeroscreens, luggage rack, rear-mounted spare, woodrim steering wheel with a Bulova Accutron watch in the hub, front disc brakes. – Very good paint, chrome and interior. Full weather equipment. Underbody has been done, then used a little but still highly presentable. – This Morgan shows little change from when it was sold by RM at Amelia in 2009 for $28,600 and is a sound value for what it brought today.

Lot # 247 1988 Lamborghini Jalpa 3.5 Targa, Body by Bertone; S/N ZA9JB00A4JLA12376; Black,/Black leather; Estimate $70,000 – $100,000; Unrestored original, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $86,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $94,600. No Reserve. Alpine CD stereo, A/C, P/W. – An unrestored car, original except for a repaint, with 482km on the odometer which was replaced at approximately 5,000km. Excellent cosmetics, fresh and clean engine compartment, unmarked original interior. – Lamborghini values keep marching on with this one selling for $47,300 at Auctions America’s Ft. Lauderdale auction in 2013, then for $66,000 at Motostalgia’s Houston (Keels & Wheels) auction in 2014. It has actually put 63 more km on the odometer since 2014. It is hard to imagine there is a better example out there than this and even at this price it carries only a slight premium for originality and low miles. It’s actually a bit better acquisition with the adjusted odometer reading, so the new owner can take it out and drive it without taking a serious hit to the value.

Lot # 250 1957 Pontiac Star Chief Safari 2-Dr. Station Wagon; S/N P757H55759; Black, White accent/Black, White vinyl; Estimate $35,000 – $45,000; Modified restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $42,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $46,200. No Reserve. 350/350hp, 5-speed, spinner wheel covers, radial whitewalls, woodgrain steering wheel, aftermarket A/C, limited slip, P/S, Hurst shifter, bench seat, knee-knocker tach, dual cylinder P/B, AM-FM. – Done to very high standards both cosmetically and mechanically, this Safari wagon looks as good under the hood as it does on the outside, which is perfect aside from some sap drips from sitting outside under trees during the auction preview. – It was an education to watch some of Bonhams seriously experienced classic car experts troll over this Safari: they were amazed at its quality and attention to detail. The effort expended by the restorer/modifier was apparent in every area but it brought less than a comparably modified, stock-appearing Chevy Nomad, a serious performance value for the new owner and a car that will be absolutely killer towing an American V-8 powered historic race car to Monterey or Thompson.

Lot # 251 1973 Porsche 911RS 2.7 Touring Coupe; S/N 9113600463; Light Ivory, Black ‘Carrera’/Black leatherette; Estimate $550,000 – $700,000; Older restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $540,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $594,000. With Reserve. 5-speed, Black Fuchs wheels, Becker Mexico cassette, power sliding sunroof, A/C, Pirelli P6000 tires, fog lights, power antenna, heated rear window, limited slip, headrest seats. – Very good paint, chrome and interior showing only light wear. Originally delivered to Brazil and restored there some years ago. – Sold at Bonhams Quail Lodge auction in 2009 for $232,500, and offered here with 1,100 more kilometers showing on its odometer. The result here is 2.6 times its 2009 hammer bid, in line with the nearly staggering popularity of Porsche 911s today. It’s a lot of money, but also a lot of Porsche and could have brought significantly more. The new owner got a good value at this price.

Lot # 252 1959 Autobianchi Bianchina Transformabile; S/N 110B017116; Engine # 110000084377; Red,/Red, White leather; Black vinyl top; Estimate $25,000 – $35,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $17,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $18,700. No Reserve. Single Weber carb, hub caps, folding vinyl roof, bucket seats. – Very good paint and chrome. Chip on the passenger’s side door. Clean engine bay and underneath. Excellent interior. Taillight molding is coming loose. A very good restoration of pretty high quality for a microcar, but not done yesterday. – ‘Cute’ was not high on the Greenwich bidders’ shopping lists and this little Bianchina brought very little money for its condition and high cuteness quotient.

Lot # 254 1956 DeSoto Fireflite Convertible Pace Car; S/N 50383118; Engine # S2420602; Ivory, Gold accent/Gold vinyl, cloth; Gold vinyl top; Estimate $60,000 – $80,000; Older restoration, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $51,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $56,100. No Reserve. 330/255hp, pushbutton automatic, pushbutton radio, P/W, Gold wheel covers, whitewalls, dual rear antennas, dual outside mirrors. – Fair old paint, chrome, interior and top, painted over edge chipped old paint. Cracked steering wheel rim, dull interior chrome, dash and gauges. Scuffed whitewalls. Underbody has been restored but then driven. Last registered in 2006, one family owned from new, 60,626 miles, recently serviced. – A wonderful example of Virgil Exner’s ‘Forward Look’ design theme and carefully maintained by long term owner Gus De Gazio after the death of the first owner, his brother Patrick, it is valued both for its history and for its preservation. The long storage isn’t encouraging but is abundantly discounted in the price it brought here.

Lot # 255 1949 Hudson Commodore 8 Convertible; S/N 49487337; Engine # 304474; Gray Metallic,/Red leather; Red top; Estimate $45,000 – $55,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $50,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $55,000. With Reserve. 255/128hp, 3-speed, overdrive, hub caps and trim rings, Carter carb, rear fender skirts, bench seat, dash clock, radio, wood dash and window trim, power windows, amber driving lights, red vinyl boot cover. – Decent, lightly scratched chrome. Somewhat wavy bodywork. Lots of touch ups on the right rear. Crack near the trunk. Excellent interior. Restored in the 1980s before being used in the 1990 film The Two Jakes with Jack Nicholson. Recently mechanically serviced. A well kept car, but it’s been driven around and accumulated its fair share of cosmetic flaws. – Sold by Christie’s at Le Mans in 2006 for $42,185, then here in 2007 for $41,800. Its odometer today shows only 38 more miles than it did eight years ago, and the car is in essentially the same condition now as it was then but better and more conscientiously presented with fresh mechanical re-commissioning to make up for eight years’ storage. These step-down Hudsons are much better driving cars than most of their early post-war competition, performance that is still appropriate and valued today.

Lot # 257 1950 Jaguar Mk V 3 1/2 Liter Drophead Coupe; S/N 647341; Old English White,/Biscuit leather; Tan cloth top; Estimate $60,000 – $80,000; Older restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $70,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $77,000. No Reserve. Body color steel wheels with hub caps and trim rings, whitewalls, dual wing mirrors, Jaguar hood ornament, driving lights, landau bars, rear fender skirts, dash clock, radio is missing. – Very good older repaint. Scratched and dinged up front chrome. Very good, lightly worn interior. Good wood. Worn steering wheel. Light bezels are lightly pitted. Lightly discolored top. A sound older restoration and as a Drophead Coupe with the 3.5-liter engine (up from the standard 2.5), it’s the most desirable Mk V. It is past its prime, however, and it doesn’t come with much in the way of history or paperwork. – There is very little premium for the extra power of the 3 1/2 Liter engine in this result, but also full recognition of the age of the restoration and cosmetic issues. The compromise makes sense. The new owner got a bit more automobile, but also a bit more work to bring it up to standards that will render it a proud driver.