2021 Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale (Auction Results)

A 1928 Maserati Tipo 26B and a 1950s Ferrari Dino 246/60 Formula 1 racing cars sold for $1,337,000 as the top results at the Bonhams 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed sale in the UK.

1928 Maserati Tipo 26B 2.1-Litre Sports, Gran Premio and Formule Libre Racing top results at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale 2021
© Bonhams

The three top results at the Bonhams Festival of Speed classic car auction 2021 were all for Italian cars. A 1928 Maserati Tipo 26B 2.1-Litre Sports, Gran Premio and Formule Libre Racing Two-Seater with extensive in-period racing success in Argentina, sold for £967,000 ($1,337,098). The same was paid for a 1957-type Ferrari Dino 246/60 historic racing Formula 1 single-seater that is part original racing chassis and part recreation. A rare UK-specification 1990 Ferrari F40 sold for £883,000 ($1,221,000).

Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale 2021

The Bonhams Festival of Speed Sale was a traditional live auction on Friday 9 July 2021, with bids accepted from clients in the room (respecting social distancing and all local COVID-related guidelines), online, and on the telephone. The classic car auction is held during the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed motoring extravaganza near Chichester in the south of England. Even pre-corona, the Goodwood festival was an advance-purchase-only event with no tickets sold at the gate.

The Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale is traditionally one of the classic car auction highlights in the UK and Europe. Previous sales highlights at Goodwood include the $30-million 1954 Mercedes Benz W196 Formula 1 racing car — the most expensive car ever sold in the UK — as well as marque records for amongst others Bentley, BMW, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, and Rolls Royce.

Million-Dollar Results at the Bonhams Goodwood 2021 Auction

1928 Maserati Tipo 26B 2.1-Litre Sports, Gran Premio and Formule Libre Racing Two-Seater,
© Bonhams

The top three results at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed 2021 classic car auction in the UK were for three Italian cars that all achieved above a million dollars:

1928 Maserati Tipo 26B 2.1-Litre Sports, Gran Premio and Formule Libre Racing Two-Seater, estimate £900,000 – 1,300,000, sold for £967,000 ($1,337,098) as the shared top result at the Bonhams Goodwood auction.

This racing car was the first Maserati to be imported into Argentina by its first owner, rancher and weekend racing driver Juan Augusto (John) Malcolm, an Argentinian of Scottish descent, whose career overlapped with the great Juan Manuel Fangio.

Malcolm ordered ‘number 35’ while racing in Northern Italy and the car was originally finished in blue and white – Scotland’s sporting colors – rather than the blue and yellow Argentine racing livery. Campaigned by Malcolm for the next decade, it was later converted for more comfortable road use and was kept by the family until the late 1980s. It was sold at the Bonhams auction in the more traditional Italian racing red color scheme.

1957-type Ferrari Dino 246/60 historic racing Formula 1 single-seater
© Bonhams

Also selling for for £967,000 ($1,337,098) was the 1957-type Ferrari Dino 246/60 historic racing Formula 1 single-seater, estimate £900,000 – 1,300,000. This well-presented front-engined 2.4-litre V6 Dino was campaigned in Historic racing, including the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, during the 1980s by leading Italian classic car dealer Corrado Cupellini.

Like many other early Ferraris, this Dino had a complicated history with chassis numbers seemingly re-used, probably for tax reasons. The car, as sold, was part original Ferrari chassis and part recreation. The lot was accompanied by a spare Dino 246/59-spec chassis

1990 Ferrari F40 Berlinetta
© Bonhams

A 1990 Ferrari F40 Berlinetta sold for £883,000 ($1,221,000). It was one of only 78 built for the UK market and one of only 20 in non-catalyst, non-adjust specification. It was originally owned by Sir Paul Vestey and has only 17,789 km on the clock.

Other Results at Bonhams Goodwood Sale 2021

A few further interesting results at the Bonhams auction included:

1958 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta, one of 50 bodied by Carrozzeria Ellena, made £514,167. 

1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV Vantage Sports Saloon, offered from long-term family ownership of 50 years, realised £327,750.

2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition Coupé, the subject of much pre-sale interest, sold for above its top estimate, achieving £287,500

1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mk2 Vantage Sports Saloon also sold for above its top estimate, making £258,750

The automobilia sale preceding the motor car auction also generated much interest, with the star lots including a Porsche 917 junior child’s car, which raced past its top estimate to make £24,000, and an ex-Ayrton Senna steering-wheel which doubled its pre-sale estimate, selling for £10,200.  

Top Cars Not Sold at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale 2021

1964 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible on offer at Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale 2021
© Bonhams

The top car not sold at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Auction 2021 was the 1972 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT3, estimate £1,800,000 – 2,200,000. It was the last Alfa Romeo to compete at Le Mans and finish fourth overall in that year’s endurance race, which was won by Henri Pescaloro and Graham Hill for Matra. The 1972 Matra MS 670 sold for a marque record €5,756,525 as the top result at the Artcurial Parisienne 2021 classic car auction in February 2021.

Also failing to sell was the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible, estimate £1,300,000 to £1,700,000 ($1,800,000 to $2,100,000). The car, one of only 123 convertibles produced, was originally owned by comedy great Peter Sellers. He sold it to Lord Snowden, husband of HRH Princess Margaret, and it was subsequently displayed at the National Motoring Museum at Beaulieu before Viscount Linley drove it for several years.

Bonhams will return to Goodwood for the Revival Sale in mid-September 2021 but before that the Quail Lodge Auction during Monterey Motoring Week in California, USA, in mid-August, is likely to produce top results.