A 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder sold for a new model record $6,121,200 at the Bonhams Goodwood Revival 2016 sale. It was the only car selling for over a million dollar at the sale with a 1965 Ferrari 275 GT Berlinetta listed as sold at £1.5 million price prior to the auction while bidding for the 1936 Aston Martin Speed Model “Red Dragon” (estimate £1.6 to £2 million) stopped short of the reserve margin.
Bonhams Goodwood Revival 2016 Auction
Bonhams Goodwood Revival sale took place on 10 September 2016 during the festival that attracts fans of historic races to southern England.
Bonhams gained around £14.5 million from the automobilia and car sale. The sell-through rate on the around 80 cars on offer was 70%.
1956 Porsche 550 Spyder
An exceptionally original, never restored yet beautifully preserved 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder sold for £4,593,500 ($6,121,200) at the Bonhams Goodwood Revival Sale 2016. This set a world record for a Porsche 550 model.
Earlier in 2016, Jerry Seinfeld’s 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder sold for $5,335,000 at the Gooding Amelia Island 2016 sale. The marque record remains $10,120,000 paid at Gooding Pebble Beach 2015 for the 1983 Le Mans 24 Hours race-winning 1982 Porsche 956. (This Porsche also finished the race third the previous year.)
James Knight, Bonhams International Group Motoring Director and auctioneer on the day, said: “The top lot of the auction is an icon of 1950s sports car design, the gloriously original 1956 Porsche 550 Spyder. The car attracted much attention from bidders, with increments rising by hundreds of thousands until the gavel finally fell to achieve £4,593,500. The car is so original, that you could travel back in time 60 years and find it in much the same condition. It’s exactly how a 550 would have looked, smelt and felt like when James Dean famously purchased his example back in 1955.” Dean’s was perhaps the most famous of the 550s; he called his car the ‘Little Bastard’.
Throughout the 1950s, the Porsche 550 was one of motor sport’s most dominant racecars, out-performing almost all other models in its class. The little Porsches were extremely quick in a straight line having a claimed top speed of some 220 km/h (137 mph) and accelerating from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in less than 10 seconds – spectacular indeed with such a small capacity engine in the early 1950s.
Other Top Results at Bonhams Goodwood Revival 2016
The 1950 Frazer-Nash Le Mans Replica also sold well, achieving £610,000 ($804,000). The car was famously campaigned by great racing driver Roy Salvadori in the early 1950s. Elsewhere, tenacious bidding for a 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage 4.2-Litre Sports Saloon, finally soaring above estimate to achieve £455,100 ($606,500).
Further auction highlights include a 1971 Ferrari Dino 246 GT Berlinetta, sold above estimate for £299,420; a 1962 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 ‘Flat Floor’ 3.8 sold for £253,500; a 1928 Bentley 6½ 8-Litre Sports sold for £406,940 ($542,300); a 1962 Lotus Elite Series II Super 95 Coupé, low-mileage but with no racing history, still sold far above estimate for £103,420; while a 1965 Ferrari 275 GT Berlinetta sold for £1.5 million in a deal before the auction.