Bonhams Greenwich 2015 – Auction Report

Lot # 258 1979 Jaguar XJ-12 L Sedan; S/N JBVLV49C307607; Engine # 7P40614LA; Tudor White,/Tan leather; Estimate $30,000 – $40,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $28,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $30,800. No Reserve. 5343/284hp V-12, Bosch-Bendix-Lucas D-Jetronic fuel injection, 3-speed GM Turbo Hydra-Matic, Dunlop narrow whitewalls, dual fuel tanks, wood dash, power windows, cassette stereo, climate control. – Tidy engine bay. Very good paint and exterior plastic. Very good interior with hardly any wear on the upholstery. Very clean underneath. All original and with just 6,955 miles on it. Judged 99.9 points by JCNA. The Series III XJ came to the US primarily equipped with the 4.2-liter XK straight-six, and only six of these twelve-cylinder cars are thought to have been sold here. Buying a neglected V-12 Jag is financial suicide, but this fantastic babied from new example is the complete opposite of neglected. It’s rare, it’s beautiful and it’s very cool. – The XJ-12 is a relatively affordable V-12. This all-original car is among the very best that exists and an incredibly rare sight in this country, making its under estimate price somewhat remarkable.

Lot # 259 1978 Checker Marathon NYC Taxi; S/N A11299882936E; Yellow ‘Checker’,/Black; Estimate $10,000 – $15,000; Unrestored original, 4 condition; Hammered Sold at $7,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $7,700. No Reserve. The last Checker Marathon taxi to operate in New York City. Fully equipped with lights and meter, even narrow whitewalls. – 1 million miles, three engines and innumerable sets of upholstery and body panels, rusty and beat up, an historic relic. Recently electrically and mechanically refurbished to (barely) working condition. – Sold in 1999 after retirement for charity, bringing $134,500, then sold at Christie’s Greenwich auction in 2006 for $9,400, Earl Johnson’s ‘Janie’ isn’t getting any better with age, but still retains the beat-up charisma so lacking in the smog-free people movers that now ply the City’s streets. The new owner got some bragging rights, at least.

Lot # 262 1955 Ford Thunderbird Convertible; S/N P5FH148999; Torch Red, Black hard top/Red, White vinyl; Estimate $35,000 – $40,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $24,000. With Reserve. 292/193hp, 3-speed, chrome wire wheels, Firestone whitewalls, Hurst shifter, Sunpro temp and oil pressure gauges, dash clock, radio, two tops. – Hardtop is lightly scratched all over and has microblisters throughout as well as a few small dents. Dull chrome. Chip on top of the right headlight. Sap mark on the tail. Some light scratches on the front fenders. Clean underneath. Slightly dirty engine bay. Worn steering wheel. Warped dash. White part of the seats is lightly discolored. Metal parts of the interior are pitted. Hood and trunk fit are way off. A shabby old T-Bird. These are not rare, and finding a better one wouldn’t be hard. – Sold by RM at Hershey in 2013 for $30,250, a result that looks nearly unattainable in this car’s present condition despite having the desirable 3-speed manual transmission. It’s hard to sell a shabby car at auction unless there’s a very good story to go with the neglect. This T-bird didn’t have any story at all.

Lot # 263 1960 Ford Thunderbird Convertible; S/N 0Y73J162501; Black,/Black; Estimate $50,000 – $70,000; Older restoration, 2 condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $38,000. With Reserve. 430/350hp, chrome wire wheels, bias ply whitewalls, automatic, P/S, P/B, A/C, remote spotlight-mirror, skirts, rear antenna, P/W, power seats. – Very good paint, chrome and interior. Underbody is undercoated like new. Clear, sharp dash and gauges. A quality T-bird. – Lavishly equipped with just almost as many comfort and convenience features as are found on economy class rental cars today, this Square Bird is no worse today than it was in 2002 when it was sold at Christie’s auction at Rockefeller Center in 2002, despite showing about 870 more miles on the odometer. There is no earthly reason why it should not have brought at least as much today as it did 13 years ago and the Greenwich bidders missed a good opportunity by not picking up on this sharp T-bird.

Lot # 265 1960 Austin-Healey Sprite Mk I Bugeye Roadster; S/N AN5L39233; Engine # 10CCD0H46164; Red,/Black leather piped in Red; Estimate $20,000 – $25,000; Modified restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $30,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $33,000. No Reserve. 1,098cc, Judson supercharged 70hp, Weber carb, Datsun 5-speed, aluminum radiator, chrome centerlock wire wheels, Falken tires, wood shift knob, woodrim steering wheel, no front bumpers. – Very clean engine bay and underbody. Very good paint other than a touch up below the left headlight. Excellent interior. Body-off restored by the previous owner and fitted with a period correct Judson supercharger, a larger 1,098cc engine from a Mk II Sprite (the Bugeye originally came with a 948) and a Datsun 5-speed. The work was of high quality and completed last year and 85 miles ago. A fresh, neat Bugeye with extra go and lots of eyeball. – Mods of course typically take away from a car’s value, but the alterations to this car were both tasteful and purposeful, and driving it is probably about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. People crawled all over this sharp little Sprite in the preview where it attracted as much attention as any car in the auction. Enough people wanted it that it brought a price 10 grand over what a good Bugeye normally would, and is still a lot of performance for the money.

Lot # 266 1958 Jaguar XK 150 Roadster; S/N S830174DN; Engine # V2655-8; Pearl Grey,/Oxblood leather; Dark Blue cloth top; Estimate $120,000 – $140,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $105,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $115,500. With Reserve. Overdrive, chrome wire wheels, Avon blackwall radials, black steering wheel rim and spokes, Lucas fog lights. – Very good paint, chrome and interior. Underbody is neat and clean, done to competent driver standards. An attractive Jag with a competent older restoration that should be a very good driver that the new owner will be proud to be seen in. – This is a very good car for the money, but realistic for both buyer and seller.

Lot # 267 1953 Austin-Healey 100/4 Roadster; S/N BN1L140217; Ice Blue,/Dark Blue; Dark Blue leatherette top; Estimate $60,000 – $80,000; Older restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $52,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $57,200. With Reserve. Overdrive 3-speed, silver painted wire wheels, Pirelli Cinturato tires, bumper overriders, books, tool roll, service manual, restoration photo album, BMIHT certificate. – Sound older paint, chrome, interior and top. Trunk lid is twisted and closes proud on the left side. Underbody is sketchily done and showing a little beginning surface rust. Restored in 2011, the condition looks older than that, nothing, however, that prevents it from being a great driver. – This isn’t quite the choice restoration that the catalog implied, but is more than good enough to be worth every penny the new owner paid. The formerly large difference between the 100/4 and BJ8 Big Healeys is contracting as collectors appreciate how good the early truck-engined Healeys really are in contrast to the more luxurious near-GT cars of the 3000 era.