Image: 2007 Koenigsegg CCGT GT1 Competition Coupé
Top ten collectors' motor cars coming under the hammer at the special milestone Festival of Speed auction
This summer's Bonhams Cars Goodwood Festival of Speed sale on Friday marks a very special milestone anniversary with an appropriately outstanding auction of 79 of the world's finest and most-sought-after collector's motor cars.
It was in 1993, exactly 30 years ago, that Robert Brooks first staged a sale at the original Festival of Speed, organised by Lord March (now The Duke of Richmond) to bring motorsport back to the glorious Goodwood Estate in West Sussex.
Since then, originally under the Brooks banner and subsequently as Bonhams & Brooks, Bonhams and now the newly rebranded Bonhams|Cars, the renowned international auction house, has held no fewer than 65 landmark sales at Goodwood's trio of motorsport events which now includes the Goodwood Members' Meeting and the Goodwood Revival as well as the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Reflecting on the past three decades, there have been many highlights topped by the legendary sale of ex-Juan Manuel Fangio world-championship-winning 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1 single-seater which achieved a record-breaking figure of £19,601,500 (€22,701, 844) in 2013 and remains the most valuable Formula 1 racing car ever sold auction.
As tradition dictates, this year's 30th anniversary sale includes many exemplary lots ranging from a movie star Aston Martin once owned by Peter Sellers to an iconic Group B rally car campaigned by World Champion Hannu Mikkola in period. The auction also includes a number of notable modern super and hypercars as well as some true British classics from the fifties and sixties.
"We are very proud of our special place in Goodwood history and this year's Festival of Speed Sale reflects how much has changed since those early days of our very first auction back in 1993," says Tim Schofield, Head of Motoring in the UK at Bonhams|Cars. "Indeed, it's intriguing – and revealing – to see just how many of this year's lots actually post-date that landmark inaugural sale 30 years ago.
"The event itself, of course, has also evolved beyond all recognition and this year's selection of consignments has been curated specifically to match the appeal of today's Festival which is, arguably, now the UK's true motor show celebrating the past, present and future.
"For such a special 30th anniversary sale, we really wanted to feature all the great marques and we've done that in incredible style. With AC, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Austin Healey, BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lotus, Mercedes, Morgan and Porsche all well represented, the auction will certainly live up to its big birthday billing."
Underlying the remarkable change in the market, this year's anniversary Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale includes only one bone fide vintage or veteran car – a 1914/24 Bugatti Type 22 – while the vast majority of the consignments are significantly more modern.
Offering so many great cars makes the task of selecting highlights from the Bonhams|Cars Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale far from easy, but here are further details on ten of the very best in chronological order!
1958 Ford 107E Prefect
Estimate: £40,000 – £45,000
Sporting the famous red and gold livery of Alan Mann Racing, this competition-prepared Prefect is the perfect entrée to racing at Goodwood. It is iconic, comparatively simple to run and, with an estimate of £40,000-£45,000, is likely to offer great value for those desiring a place on the St Mary's Trophy grid at the Goodwood Revival meeting. Having been owned by celebrity chef James Martin and raced by Le Mans winners Jackie Oliver and Richard Attwood, the little Ford packs some serious provenance.
1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Coupé
Estimate: £2,200,000 – £2,600,000
It seems James Bond 007 is not the only movie star with a penchant for Aston Martins. Played by Peter Sellers, criminal masterminded 'Pearly' Gates used this DB4 GT as his getaway car in the 1963 comedy film The Wrong Arm of the Law. Moreover, Sellers subsequently owned the car. Adding further to its desirability, this is the only one of the 76 production DB4GTs powered by a factory-fitted 4.0-litre straight-six engine rather than the 3670cc fitted to all the other models.
1963 AC MA-200 Roadster Prototype
Estimate: £450,000 – £550,000
This beautiful AC MA-200 Roadster could have been the successor to the immortal AC Cobra and remains one of the British motor industry's more fascinating 'might-have-beens'. Just one prototype was built by the AC factory in Thames Ditton... and this is it! In the end, the task of replacing the Cobra went to the Frua designed, steel-bodied AC428 and, ensuring keen interest from AC aficionados, two of the 51 stylish 428 Coupés (both in red) are also in the Bonhams|Cars sale at Goodwood – one an even rarer manual version.
1984-85 Audi Sport Quattro S1
Estimate: £1,200,000 – £1,400,000
The ballistic Group B era welcomed some of the most spectacular rally cars the world had ever seen, boasting four-wheel-drive and in many cases more than 500bhp. It was Audi that first really embraced the regulations with its original trail-blazing Quattro, however, in the face of stiffening competition, Audi developed an even more specialist Sport Quattro. Just 20 of these lighter, flame-spitting, short-wheelbase, 'homologation specials' were built by Audi's Motorsport Department for competition and the Sport Quattro being offered at Goodwood is the Audi Sport UK entry in which Hannu Mikkola took victory on the 1986 Welsh Rally.
2007 Koenigsegg CCGT GT1
Estimate: £3,000,000 – £4,000,000
All Koenigseegs are special and this unique, race bred CCGT is super-special even by sky-high Koenigseeg standards. Launched at the Geneva Auto Show in 2007, this one-off Swedish speedster was created to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Series but the ambitious competition programme had to be axed after just one car had been completed when the GT1 regulations were changed by the ACO and FIA governing bodies. While that dashed Koenigseeg's dreams, it guarantees the uniqueness of this truly exceptional 5.0-litre, V8-propelled hypercar.
2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 'Crown Edition'
Estimate: £300,000 – £400,000
Interest – and thus prices – in SLR supercars has soared in recent months and this ultra-low mileage exclusive 'Crown Edition' variant is certain to be head-turner... not least as it is offered with no reserve. Maximising Mercedes' then partnership with McLaren in Formula 1, the SLR showcases their collective technical excellence. The 'Crown Edition' comes with a long list of desirable options topped by an upgraded 641bhp V8 engine. It is being offered without reserve.
2013 Lotus Type 125
Estimate: £275,000 – £350,000
Introduced as the ultimate track car for wealthy enthusiasts, the remarkable Lotus Type 125 owes much to the British company's Formula 1 heritage. It comes with an F1 style carbon-fibre single-seater monocoque and is propelled by a 3.8-litre Cosworth V8 engine developing 640bhp. Lotus' original plans were to set up a private racing league for 'gentlemen drivers' but in the end just five Type 125s were ever built and this is one of just two in private ownership.
2018 Aston Martin Vantage V600 Roadster
Estimate: £500,000 – £700,000
There are more than 25 outstanding Aston Martins on offer in the Bonhams|Cars Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale and this is somebody's chance to own one of the exalted company's most exotic and exclusive models. As a special factory project based on the GT12 GT3 racer, just 14 competition-bred Vantage 600s were built, and only seven of those were roadsters. This is the very first of those and came with a striking £1.44m price tag when purchased new in November 2018. Since then it has clocked up just 2,500 miles and, less than five years later, comes with a keen estimate.
2019 Bussink GT S Speedlegend
Estimate: £550,000 – £750,000
The extraordinary Bussink GT S Speedlegend is based on the Mercedes-AMG GT S Roadster, itself a highly potent and desirable roadster. The one-of-a-kind conversion was carried out in Germany by HWA AG renowned for producing Mercedes DTM, GT3/4 and AMG Black Series vehicles. The Speedlegend was dreamed up by and designed by the entrepreneur Ronald A Bussink, a passionate car collector who, through his close connections with Mercedes-Benz and its tuning arm AMG, has set out to further improve cars from the perspective of the driver and enthusiast. The striking Speedlegend certainly looks the part.
2023 Ford GT Holman Moody Heritage Edition
Estimate: £900,000 – £1,100,000
If you've watched the Oscar-winning Ford v Ferrari movie, this stunning homage to Ford's remarkable 1-2-3 podium clean-sweep in the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours will really strike a chord. Based on the second generation V6 turbo Ford GT, the ultra-limited edition Holman Moody Heritage Edition pays special tribute to the third placed red and gold Ford GT40, hence the number 5 proudly displayed on its flanks. While the victorious GT40s covered more than 3,000 miles in winning Le Mans back in 1966, this incredible acolyte only has 20 miles on the clock.
Other notable consignments coming under the hammer include a quartet of classic Aston Martins from the same private collection, Formula 1 cars raced in period by Martin Brundle and Giancarlo Fisichella plus a pair of plucky 1979 Minis that circumnavigated the world raising funds for polio research.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale also features an eye-catching array of automobilia including sought-after automotive badges, paintings, posters, books, manuals, period steering wheels, luggage plus a magnificent Mido for Bugatti 18K gold wristwatch. The extensive automobolia auction also includes one of the largest and most significant stables of scratch-built 1/15 scale models meticulously made by the renowned Gerald Wingrove MBE.
Full details of all the Collector's Cars and Automobilia on offer can be found on the new-look Bonhams|Cars website at cars.bonhams.com.
Viewing at Goodwood is on Thursday 13 July from 9:00hrs to 17:30hrs and from 9:00hrs on Friday 14 July ahead of the Automobilia Sale commencing at 11:00hrs followed by the Collector's Cars sale from 14:00hrs.
all the Collector's Cars and Automobilia on offer can be found on the new-look Bonhams|Cars website at cars.bonhams.com
