Bonhams announced a 1960 Aston Martin DB4GT and 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS for the new Legends of the Road classic car sale in London in February 2021.
Bonhams announced two further interesting cars for the Legends of the Road classic car sale in London in February 2021. A (dismantled) 1960 Aston Martin DB4GT, estimate £1,400,000 – 1,800,000, and a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS, estimate £700,000 – 900,000, will be offered in the London sale. These cars join the previously announced 1937 Bugatti Type 57S with Grand Routier coachwork by Corsa, estimate of £5,000,000 – 7,000,000 ($6,500,000 — 9,000,000) and no reserve.
Bonhams London Legends of the Road Sale 2021
Bonhams announced the Legends of the Road auction as an extraordinary sale of exceptional motor cars at its flagship saleroom in London on 19 February 2021.
Only six cars were on offer in the sale that also included automobila, especially Bugatti spare parts. The total yield was over £7 million.
A 1937 Bugatti Type 57S formed the centerpiece of the auction. The top auction of 2020 was the Gooding’s Passion of a Lifetime sale in London where five of the ten most expensive cars of 2020, including three classic Bugattis, were sold. That auction showed that quality continues to sell.
1960s Cars at Bonhams London Sale 2020
Bonhams announced two further sporting motor cars from the 1960s are to be offered at the Bonhams Legends of the Road Sale on 19 February, following decades of single-family ownership.
A 1960 Aston Martin DB4GT, estimate £1,400,000 – 1,800,000, one of the world’s most desirable Grand Tourers, and a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS, estimate £700,000 – 900,000, considered the marque’s first luxury convertible, will be presented in next month’s highly curated selection of motoring masterpieces, following 55 years and more than 40 years respectively of single-family ownerships.
1960 Aston Martin DB4GT
Considered by many as the marque’s finest post-war road car, the DB4GT was the ultimate Gran Turismo of its time with a top speed in excess of 150mph and a 0-60mph time of 6.1 seconds. The DB4GT was also one of the first motor cars to go from standstill to 100mph and then brake to a dead stop in under 20 seconds.
With its prototype, driven by Stirling Moss, winning its first race at Silverstone, it is not surprising that the DB4GT succeeded in motorsport and was Britain’s answer to the Ferrari 250 GT SWB.
The 1960 Aston Martin DB4GT, estimate £1,400,000 – 1,800,000, offered by Bonhams, finished in ‘Snow Shadow’ grey livery with red hide interior, was sold new to Gilby Engineering and is believed to have been the road car of Syd Green, owner of the company. Green was also the founder of the eponymous Grand Prix racing team which had its debut in the 1954 French Grand Prix with British driver Roy Salvadori at the wheel of a Maserati 250F.
1966 was the year that the late David Picking, an engineer and pilot, purchased the 1960 Coupé, making the Aston live up to its ‘Grand Tourer’ name by undertaking numerous continental road trips across Europe.
The keen engineer embarked on a restoration project in 1983 when the car was taken off the road. The body and chassis restored by Bodylines Limited. The original engine and gearbox are included in the sale.
The DB4GT is presented as a part restoration giving the opportunity for the next custodian to complete its reassembly as David Picking had intended. Buyers are advised to inspect the car in person — Bonhams believes the car is near complete but without a windscreen.
Buyers interested in a DB4GT but less keen on a project could consider the 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT (Estimate: £2,000,000 – £2,500,000) available at Gooding Geared Online European Sporting & Historic Collection sale or another Aston Martin DB4GT (no estimate) on offer at the Artcurial Paris 2021 sale. Both auctions are held in early February 2021. The last standard Aston Martin DB4GT sold at auction went for $3.6 million at Gooding Pebble Beach 2019.
1965 Ferrari 275 GTS
Similarly treasured by a single family since 1977, the 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS, estimate £700,000 – 900,000, offered is a rare jewel, one of only 19 right-hand drive examples of the 200 luxury 275 GTS variants produced over four years during Ferrari’s ‘golden age’.
Ferrari had established a convertible within the preceding 250 range, which the 275 continued, although all examples were then produced with ‘standard’ coachwork by the celebrated Italian styling Carrozzeria Pininfarina. The 275 GTS also benefitted from a larger engine – a 3.3-litre V12 unit, producing 260bhp and was the first road-going Ferrari to employ an independent rear suspension.
This combination delivered the unique Ferrari racing car sensation, while the interior offered a more luxurious experience, with notably generous leather seats and wood veneer dashboard, the first to appear on the Maranello marque’s motor cars.
The GTS is offered from a renowned UK-based private collection in its original colour of ‘Sera’ blue with black leather interior and a private registration number ‘II HLO’ and the all-important Ferrari Classiche Certification.
