Auction Recap: Bonhams Monaco 2016
Bonhams concluded its 2016 Monaco sale at the glitzy Fairmont Monte Carlo hotel on May 13 with €15.3 million ($17,365,721) in total sales. It was a relatively small selection of just 40 collector cars, and 23 of them sold for a 58 percent sell-through rate. The last time Bonhams was in Monaco was way back in 2012, and it was an entirely different kind of sale with 78 cars on offer and just $2.4 million in total sales.
Bonhams’ star in Monaco was undoubtedly the 1953 Jaguar C-Type that sold for €7,2450,000. While it was an ex-Ecurie Francorchamps car that finished ninth at Le Mans, that is still an enormous price for a C-Type. Other very strong numbers were achieved by a one-owner, low-mileage BMW Z1 at €95,450 ($108,087), a highly restored 1958 Jaguar XK150 S Roadster at €230,000 ($260,452), a 2006 Porsche Carrera GT for €713,000 ($807,401), and the ex-Michael Schumacher, Nelson Piquet and Martin Brundle Benetton B191 Formula 1 car at an incredible €1,058,000 ($1,198,079).
Despite the recent strength of 1980s supercars, both the Ferrari 288 GTO and the Porsche 959 Komfort in Monaco were bought for surprisingly low prices. The Ferrari brought just €1,817,000 ($2,057,570) and the Porsche just €494,500 ($559,971), both of which are below Hagerty’s condition #4 values. In general, Americans and Brits were reportedly the main buyers at both the RM and Bonhams sales in Monaco this year as European buyers were generally inactive.
Overall top 10:
1. 1953 Jaguar C-Type sold for €7,245,000
2. 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO sold for €1,817,000
3. 1991 Benetton-Ford B191 F1 car sold for €1,058,000
4. 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix car sold for €1,058,000
5. 2006 Porsche Carrera GT Roadster sold for €713,000
6. 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort sold for €494,500
7. 1963 Ferrari 330 America Berlinetta sold for €431,250
8. 2008 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster sold for €304,750
9. 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GT sold for €287,500
10. 1958 Jaguar XK150 S 3.4-liter Roadster sold for €230,000
11. 1972 Porsche 911S Targa sold for €195,500
Bonhams’ next collector car auction will be the Aston Martin Works Sale on May 21 at the Aston Martin Works Service in Newport Pagnell, England. In addition to parts, literature and memorabilia, there’s an example of almost every model constructed by the famed British manufacturer, and the star of the sale will be a 1953 DBS works race car that was raced in period by the likes of Sir Stirling Moss, Graham Hill and Roy Salvadori.
