Paul McCartney’s Aston Martin DB5, two ex-Elton John Bentleys and Ringo Starr’s Mini Cooper are on offer at the Bonhams Bond Street London 2017 sale.
Bonhams The Bond Street Sale in London in December 2017 will feature several cars with British “music royalty” provenance. The leading celebrity car is a 1964 Aston Martin DB5 4.2-Litre Sports Saloon originally owned by Beetle Paul McCartney (estimate $1,600,000 – $2,000,000). Cheaper, if not for a Mini, is Ringo Starr’s 1966 Mini Cooper “S” Sports Saloon Radford Conversion (estimate $120,00 – $160,000). Two large Bentleys formerly owned by Elton John will also be offered in the sale.
Bonhams The Bond Street Sale 2017 in London
Bonhams traditional year-end classic car auction – The Bond Street Sale – will be held in London on 2 December 2017.
Although the British cars formerly owned by British music stars are attracting the most attention, the top results are likely to come from Ferraris. The final lots have not been published yet but the most-expensive cars announced thus far are a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO Coupé ($2,650,000-$3,300,000) and a 2004 Ferrari Enzo ($2,400,000-$2,900,000).
1964 Aston Martin DB5 4.2-Litre Sports Saloon
A 1964 Aston Martin DB5 4.2-Litre Sports Saloon, chassis DB5/1653/R, first own by Beatle Paul McCartney will be one of the star attractions at the Bonhams Bond Street Sale 2017 in London. This matching numbers car has a full known ownership history that also include British broadcaster Chris Evans as a former owner.
Paul McCartney owned this 1964 Aston Martin DB5 4.2-Litre Sports Saloon for around six years. By the time he sold the car on in 1970, it has covered around 40,000 miles and needed a new clutch.
British broadcaster Chris Evans briefly owned the car and acquired the registration plate 64 MAC that it still uses today. Originally the car was finished in Sierra blue over black but in a recent full restoration it was changed to silver over black as used on the James Bond cars. This four-year restoration project was completed in 2017 and the car has covered only 2,600 miles since then.
The pre-auction estimate for Paul McCartney’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5 4.2-Litre Sports Saloon is £1,250,000 to £1,500,000 ($1,600,000 – $2,000,000). The highest price for a DB5 at auction in recent years was $1,650,000 at the RM Auctions Monterey 2014 sale but the condition of the McCartney car may add as much premium as the celebrity provenance. A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage Saloon in the same sale is expected to fetch only half as much.
Two Ex-Elton John Bentleys as Bonhams Bond Street 2017 Sale
Sir Elton John famously love big flashy cars and two Bentleys with HJ Milliner coachwork he formerly owned will be on offer in the Bonhams Bond Street Sale in London in 2017. Elton John owned both Bentleys for around 25 years and sold them in 2001 when he parted with a large collection of vehicles.
The 1959 Bentley S1 Continental Sport Saloon (estimate $530,000 – $660,000) is one of 431 S1 Continental built. It has a known ownership history that included amongst others Elton John and Alan Sugar. Sir Elton John described this Bentley as “The most beautiful car, I think, that’s ever been designed.”
The 1960 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spurt Sport Saloon (estimate $210,000 – $250,000) is one of 71 right-hand drive cars out of only 125 produced in this style on the S2 chassis. This Bentley featured a record player but Elton John had a modern stereo system (and air conditioning) installed during a restoration.
1966 Mini Cooper “S” Radford Conversion
The cheapest celebrity owned car on offer in the Bond Street Sale 2017 (and a hoot to drive) is the ex-Ringo Starr 1966 Mini Cooper “S” Sports Saloon Radford Conversion (estimate $120,00 – $160,000). This Mini was first registered in the name of The Beatles band manager Brian Epstein but ownership documents soon changed to Ringo Starr’s real name: Richard Starkey.
All of the fab four owned Minis but Ringo Starr required modifications to carry a drum kit. As a result, his Mini sports coachwork by Harold Radford and Hooper & Co. The most noticeable change was installing a hatchback, a more luxurious interior and VW Beetle rear lights.
A fresh MoT is expected before the sale but the electrics may still need some work (it is a real Mini after all).
The 2018 classic car auction season is resuming for most major auction houses with the Scottsdale, Arizona sales in January 2018. A Le Mans works entry 1958 Porsche 550A has already been announced for the Bonhams Scottsdale 2018 sale while RM Sotheby’s will offer a 1921 Alfa Romeo G1.
