Global auction house and official auction partner and sponsor of the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, Gooding & Company, concluded its third live sale in the UK on Friday, 1 September, realizing over £9.8 million in sales. The auction house presented a variety of historic classics from the most revered English and European marques during its bespoke auction, with star cars from Ferrari, Jaguar, and Mercedes-Benz leading the sale.
“We were proud to conduct yet another auction at the prestigious Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace, where we continuously transact some of the most important classic cars sold in the UK each year,” said Gooding & Company President and Co-Founder, David Gooding. “Not only did we send off important cars offered from long-term ownership, such as the ex-Rubirosa Ferrari 166 MM/53 Spider and the world-record Jaguar E-Type Roadster, to their next custodians, but we also saw exceptionally strong prices achieved with the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster and Ferrari 250 Europa, underscoring sustained demand for the finest quality examples at market. Additionally, a number of important cars previously sold at Gooding & Company’s UK and US sales were shown at the Concours to great acclaim.”
The ex-Rubirosa 1953 Ferrari 166 MM/53 Spider was the top sale of the day, bringing in a gross figure of £2,531,250. This significant competition Ferrari, sporting Vignale bodywork, was offered directly from 63 years of continuous, enthusiast ownership, and came to auction for the very first time at Gooding & Company’s London sale. The firm set a new world record at auction for all production E-Types with the sale of the 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8-Litre Roadster, which commanded £911,250. This extremely important Jaguar garnered the attention of major British press leading up to the auction as the first E-Type ever sold, and the fourth right-hand-drive E-Type Roadster built. Chassis 850004 was also the personal car of legendary Le Mans team manager and Jaguar director Frank “Lofty” England.
Throughout the Concours weekend, a number of cars previously sold by Gooding & Company were awarded high honors, including the Best of Show, a 1955 Maserati A6GCS/53 Spider sold by the auction house at Pebble Beach in 2018. Gooding & Company was also proud to select another alum, the 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Speciale, for its Elegance in Motion award. The SV Speciale, sold at Gooding & Company’s inaugural UK sale, Passion of a Lifetime in September 2020, still retains the world record price for a Lamborghini Miura at auction, and is among the most important, unique Lamborghinis extant.
