The top cars on sale at the Bonhams Paris 2022 auction are a 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari, a 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupe, and a 1964 Porsche 904 GTS.
Bonhams’ Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale, traditionally held during the annual Paris Rétromobile week, is usually dominated by true classic cars and the 2022 sale in early February is no exception despite the postponement of Rétromobile to March. The most expensive car on offer in the Bonhams auction is a 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari but the more interesting cars are classics from the 1930s. Prewar cars on offer include three Bugatti Type 57s — including El Patron, a development vehicle used by Ettore Bugatti and several racing drivers — a Mercedes-Benz 380K Cabriolet A, an Invicta S-Type Sentinel, and a Delage D8S Cabriolet. The 1964 Porsche 904 GTS adds in-period racing history and Hollywood provenance due to a decade of ownership by Robert Redford.
Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale 2022
Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale: 3 February 2022 as a live auction in the Grand Palais Ephémère. This new exhibition pavilion on the Champs de Mars across from the Eiffel Tower is hosting Grand Palais events while the original is undergoing major renovations.
In 2022, Bonhams earned €19 million in Paris with a sell-through rate of 83%.
Bonhams earned €19,693,000 at the Paris 2020 classic car auction – its best result ever in Paris. The most-expensive car sold at the Bonhams Paris 2020 classic car sale was a 1932 Bugatti Type 55 that achieved €4,600,00 ($5,070,000). This was also the highest result of all the car auctions during Paris Rétromobile 2020 and one of five classic Bugattis selling for over $5 million in 2020.
Most-Expensive Car on Sale at Bonhams Paris 2022
The ten cars with the highest pre-sale estimates at the Bonhams Paris 2022 classic car auction are:
| Year | Car | Estimate (€) | |
| 1 | 2014 | Ferrari LaFerrari Coupe | 2,000,000 – 2,500,000 |
| 2 | 1938 | Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupe | 1,600,000 – 2,000,000 |
| 3 | 1964 | Porsche 904 GTS | 1,300,000 – 1,700,000 |
| 4 | 1934 | Mercedes-Benz 380K Cabriolet A | 1,200,000 – 1,600,000 |
| 5 | 1931 | Invicta 4 ½-Litre S-Type Low Chassis Sports Sentinel | 1,100,000 – 1,400,000 |
| 6 | 1996 | Bugatti EB110 GT Coupe | 1,100,000 – 1,300,000 |
| 7 | 1938 | Bugatti Type 57 C Stelvio Cabriolet | 800,000 – 1,200,000 |
| 9 | 1935 | Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet | 700,000 – 800,000 |
| 8 | 1932 | Delage D8S Cabriolet | 700,000 – 1,000,000 |
| 10 | 2007 | Matra MS630 Sports Prototype Continuation | 350,000 – 550,000 |
Million-Dollar Plus Cars at the Bonhams Paris 2022 Classic Car Auction
Eight cars are expected to sell for over a million dollar at the Bonhams Paris 2022 classic car auction. These automobiles range in age from the 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari to the 1931 Invicta. Very much in the spirit of Paris Rétromobile, which was moved to March in 2022, six of the cars are from the 1930s while the rest are a healthy mix of racing cars and supercars.
2014 Ferrari LaFerrari Coupe at Bonhams Paris Auction 2022
The most expensive car on offer at the Bonhams Paris 2022 sale is a yellow 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari with an estimate of €2,000,000 – 2,500,000. It is one of only 499 examples of the F-1 inspired hybrid Special edition hypercar from Maranello. The LaFerrari has covered only 930 km from new.
Although its condition has been described “as new”, it was repainted in Giallo Modena in 2016 and the interior has been modified with grey and yellow stripes (including the steering wheel). The LaFerrari was one of the vehicles confiscated by the Swiss authorities from the family of the president of Equatorial Guinea and sold for CHF2,185,000 in the Bonhams Bonmont 2019 sale (as a 2015 model). The work done on the car and the chequered ownership history probably explain the fairly unambitious estimate. The lead car at RM Sotheby’s Paris 2022 is a 1996 Ferrari F50 with an estimate of €2,800,000 to €3,200,000 — the kind of result that would generally be expected for a LaFerrari too.
Bugattis at Bonhams Paris Auction 2022
The top four Bugattis are amongst the most interesting cars on offer in the Bonhams Paris 2022 sale — three are classic Type 57 models from the prewar era:
The 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupé, estimate €1,600,000 – 2,000,000, is also known as ‘Le Patron’, as it was used by Ettore Bugatti himself, as well as factory drivers Jean-Pierre Wimille and Robert Benoist before the Second World War, and afterward by Bugatti’s General Manager Pierre Marco.
‘Le Patron’ was also a development car testing new ideas and components for twenty years and so has many unique features, including its bespoke coachwork (believed to be the last designed by Ettore’s son Jean) and a highly developed supercharged engine. This significant and completely original car has had only a handful of private collector custodians since it left its factory ownership and is offered by one of Europe’s foremost private collectors who has owned the car for the last decade.
The 1938 Bugatti Type 57 Type C Stelvio Cabriolet, estimate €800,000 to €1,200,000, is also likely to perform well in the sale. The chassis was delivered new in Brussels with the first owner commissioning four-seater cabriolet coachwork from Gangloff. The car was restored in the 2000s and has been in single-family ownership since 1963.
The 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Vanvooren Cabriolet, estimate €700,000 – 800,000, had only three owners since new. It was originally completed with a Fernandez et Darrin body but as Bugatti failed to sell the car, it was rebodied by Vanvooren and sold as new in 1938. The second owner kept the Bugatti from 1953 until 2006 when it was severely damaged in a fire. A professional restoration was completed in 2019.
The most interesting Type 57 in Paris in 2022 is likely the 1935 Bugatti Type 57, carrosserie réplique “Aérolithe” on offer at Artcurial’s Rétromobile sale in March 2022. The wide estimate of €1,500,000 to €3,000,000 (with earlier communications ranging from only €600,000 to €800,000) indicates that no one really knows before the auction if the fantastic-looking replica body will fly or flop in the auction room.
From the modern, pre-Volkswagen era, is the 1996 Bugatti EB110 GT Coupé, estimate €1,100,000 – 1,300,000. The first new Bugatti to be produced since 1956 was the brainchild of Romano Artioli, who revived the brand, was designed by Marcello Gandini and built by hand in Campogalliano in Italy’s ‘motor valley’. The car offered has had three owners from new, covering a total of 10,000kms.
Only 95 GT examples were produced but a few strong results at recent auctions tempted owners to test the market — another one will be offered during the same week at the RM Sotheby’s Paris 2022 sale with more than double the mileage but only one owner from new.
1964 Porsche 904 GTS
The 1964 Porsche 904 GTS, estimate €1,300,000 – 1,600,000, on offer at the Bonhams Grandes Marques à Paris Sale comes with both in-period racing history and Hollywood provenance. It was raced to numerous podium finished in North American races and was owned by actor Robert Redford.
Originally owned by Steve Earle, founder of the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca, this GTS was campaigned by subsequent owner Steve Berg at prominent North American venues including Laguna Seca, before it was later acquired by Redford, who kept it for nearly a decade.
Porsches performed very well at Scottsdale 2022 auctions and several fine Porsches have already been announced for the Amelia Island sales in March. However, the Porsche of the first quarter of 2022 is likely to be the 1968 Porsche 907 Works, estimate €3,000,000 to €4,000,000, on offer at Artcurial Paris 2022.
Top 1930s Classics at Bonhams Paris 2022
In addition to the three Bugatti Type 37s, three further 1930s classics are likely to achieve a million dollars at the Bonhams Paris 2022 classic car auction:
The 1934 Mercedes-Benz 380K Cabriolet A, estimate €1,200,000 – 1,600,000, was designed as a luxurious long-distance touring car and thus the predecessor to the mighty 500 K and 540 K models. In total, over two years only 154 of the 380Ks were produced of which just 16 were Cabriolet A variants.
The 1931 Invicta 4 ½-Litre S-Type Low Chassis Sports ‘Sentinel’, coachwork by Carbodies, estimate €1,100,000 – 1,400,000 is one of 77 S-Types built. It has been extensively campaigned throughout its history and has a guaranteed entry into the most prestigious events worldwide including the Mille Miglia Storica.
The 1932 Delage D8S Cabriolet, estimate €700,000 to €1,000,000, has a largely unknown history prior to the 1980s. It was restored in the 1990s but repainted in 2006 and the interior refinished in 2016.
Paris Rétromobile Week Auctions 2022
Classic Car Auctions
The traditional Paris Rétromobile Week was postponed from early February to 16 – 20 March 2022. The Artcurial auction was postponed too but currently, Bonhams and RM Sotheby’s are maintaining the early February dates.
- Bonhams: Les Grandes Marques à Paris Sale on 3 February 2022.
- Artcurial: Rétromobile Sale on 18 – 20 March 2022.
- RM Sotheby’s: Paris Auction 2 February 2022.
Paris Auctions 2022 Results
- Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2022 Sale — Auction Results
- RM Sotheby’s Paris 2022 Sale — Auction Results
- Bonhams Paris 2022 Sale – Auction Results
Paris Auctions 2022 Previews
- Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2022 Classic Car Auction (Sale Preview)
- Bonhams Paris 2022 Classic Car Auction (Sale Preview)
- RM Sotheby’s Paris 2022 Classic Car Auction (Sale Preview)
Paris Auctions 2022 Announcements
- Artcurial: Early Highlights (ex-Fangio Gordini, Peugeot 908)
- Artcurial: Ferrari Supercars (F40, F50, Enzo, LaFerrari)
- Bonhams: Early Highlights (Bugatti Type 57C, LaFerrari, Porsche 904)
- Bonhams: Ex-Schumacher Cars (Tesla & AMG Estate)
- Bonhams: German Racing Sedans (Audi Nardo Speed Record Car)
- RM Sotheby’s: Early Highlights (Ferrari 550 GTC)
- RM Sotheby’s: Petitjean Ferrari Collection (288 GTO, 275 GT/4)
Previous Paris Rétromobile Week Auction Results
- 2021 Artcurial Parisienne Sale Results (Rétromobile was cancelled in 2021)
- 2020 Paris Auction Results: Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s
- 2019 Paris Auction: Top 20 Results, Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s
- 2018 Paris Auction Results: General Overview, Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s
- 2017 Paris Auction Results: Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s
- 2016 Paris Auction Results: Artcurial, RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams, 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport
- 2015 Paris Auction Results: Results Overview, Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Auctions
- Results of the 2014 Paris Classic Car Auctions