It has been a good 14 years since Bonhams was at Gstaad Palace, and recently they made a very successful comeback with the recently concluded The Gstaad Sale. Many lots did not only surpass their pre-sale estimate, but even doubled it. The event had an impressive 89% sell-through rate, with a total sale of more than CHF 7.5 million.
Held in the beautiful ballroom of the Gstaad Palace, the star of the sale was a rare 1991 Ferrari F40 which was sold for CHF 1,995,000 to a telephone bidder. One of the last great analogue supercars, it is also the final Ferrari that Enzo Ferrari himself oversaw. What sets this example apart is that it has had only two Swiss owners from new.
The sale attracted a lot of Swiss collectors in the international audience, so it was not surprising that Swiss-built cars performed really well during the Gstaad Sale. Another notable sale was a 1958 Alfa Romeo 1900C Super Spring Barchetta which was able to get CHF 316,500. Only ten Alfa Romeos were bodied by Carrosserie Ghia in Aigle, and the example that was offered was one of them. It was inspired by a Riva speedboat with a striking wraparound windscreen and was designed by Giovanni Michelotti.
A 1969 Monteverdi 375S Coupé was also another Swiss offering that did well during the sale. The example was the brainchild of Swiss car dealer Peter Monteverdi whose vision was to create a Swiss luxury marque that can rival the likes of Ferrari. It made its debut at the 1969 Geneva Salon, the hand-built sportscar doubled its pre-sale estimate and was sod for CHF 230,000.
Another example of Swiss craftsmanship had a notable sale, surpassing its estimate and was sold for CHF 158,700; the 1959 Volkswagen Beutler.
Two Porsches were also able to achieve a notable sale. A couple of 911 Porsches caught a lot of attention during the viewing, and it even attracted a small bidding war achieving double their estimate. The first is a 1996 Porsche 911 (Type 993) Turbo which had only 26,000 kms on the odometer. It generated some enthusiastic bidding battle and was finally sold for CHF 243,000. The other is an extremely low mileage 2011 911 (Type 997) Turbo S Coupé. It spent its life in storage, covering a mere 154 kms, and was finally sold for CHF 172,500.
During the weekend, the Gstaad Palace garage was turned into a Bonhams showroom, with cars also being displayed outside with the gorgeous Swiss Alps a fitting background for the most coveted cars in the automotive world.
Other highlights of the Gstaad Palace Sale include:
2008 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series
It is a one owner example of which production was limited to only 350 units of high-performance coupés were produced. It exceeded its pre-sale estimate by CHF 100,000 and got a final sale price of CHF 299,000.
1994 Ferrari 512 TR
This example was delivered new to Switzerland and was another star of the sale as it doubled its pre-sale estimate selling for CHF 230,000.
1969 Citroën DS 21 ‘Majesty’ Saloon
Another example that broke its pre-sale estimate, this extremely rare example is one of only 27 with beautiful coachwork done by Henri Chapron.
Bonhams Collector Cars Managing Director Maarten Ten Holder, who was also the auctioneer of The Gstaad Sale shared, “This was a red-letter day for the Bonhams, marking a successful return to Gstaad after an absence of 14 years. The strong interest shown by the bidders in the viewing and in the packed saleroom reflects the healthy appetite for collector cars in Switzerland and beyond and it is gratifying to see the Swiss-built cars performing so well.”
He added, “We are so pleased to have rekindled our relationship with the Gstaad Palace which has provided an exquisite venue for this sale. We thank Andrea Scherz and his team for opening up his beautiful hotel to us once again and we all look forward to coming back in 2024.”
In 2023, Bonhams will be returning to Switzerland or The Bonmont Sale. In 2019, the event made its debut at The Bonmont Golf & Country Club. Moving forward, The Bonmont Sale will be held every other year, alternating with The Gstaad Sale.
Currently, the Bonhams Eurocars are still inviting collector car owners who are interested to consign their vehicles to The Zoute Sale. It will be held on October 9, at Knokke-Heist as part of the Zoute Grand Prix.
To know more, please send your inquiries to [email protected].
