Bonhams announced a 1932 Fowler steam road locomotive (The Lion) for the London 2020 Veteran, Vintage, and Post-Vintage car auction.
A rare 1930s ‘showmans road locomotive’ — 1932 Fowler ‘B6’ Super Lion, known as ‘The Lion’, estimate £800,000 – 1,200,000, — from the final days of steam was announced a lead vehicle for the Bonhams Golden Age of Motoring Sale ‘1886 to 1939,’ which will showcase veteran, vintage and post-vintage vehicles. Other highlights include a 1929 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport Open Tourer, estimate £270,000 – 330,000, and a 1924 Vauxhall 30-98 OE Velox Tourer, estimate £250,000 – 300,000. Two special early veterans include a 1903 Thornycroft 20hp 4-cylinder Double Phaeton and a 1901 Panhard-Levassor Type A2 7HP Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau.
See also 1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Semi-Open Drive Limousine, estimate £1,000,000 – 1,300,000 ($1,300,000 – $1,700,000), which was announced as the lead car for the Bonhams Golden Age of Motoring Sale 2020 in London.
Bonhams London Veteran and Vintage Cars Auction 2020
Bonhams special The Golden Age of Motoring Sale ‘1886-1939’ will feature only veteran, vintage, and post-vintage motor cars, i.e. cars produced before the Second World War. It is scheduled for 30 October 2020 az Bonhams New Bond Street salesroom in London, UK. (This auction was previous the London to Brighton Run Sale but sponsorship has changed.)
The live auction will allow for limited in-room bidding, as well as the regular telephone, internet online, and absentee bidding. Cars may be inspected in person by appointment only.
Highlights of the Bonhams London Sale 2020
1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Semi-Open Drive Limousine
An Edwardian 1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Semi-Open Drive Limousine, estimate £1,000,000 – 1,300,000 ($1,300,000 – $1,700,000), was announced as the lead car for the Bonhams Golden Age of Motoring Sale 2020 in London.
1932 Fowler ‘B6’ Super Lion ‘The Lion’
The 1932 Fowler ‘B6’ Super Lion, known as ‘The Lion’, estimate £800,000 – 1,200,000, was one of just four showmans road locomotives built by agricultural engineers Fowler for the West Country Showman Troupe Alderton and Rowland. The Lion powered the popular fairground ride of the period, the ‘Super Noah’s Ark’.
With advice from Sidney Harrison of Burrell, the foremost manufacturer of these machines, Fowler’s quartet was among the most sophisticated showmans road locomotives ever constructed, incorporating many of the popular Burrell designs.
The ornately painted locomotive has been restored in recent times and today is in regular use, with frequent appearances at steam rallies where it continues to thrill the crowds as it did in the 1930s.
1929 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport Open Tourer
Produced in the heyday of Bugatti’s Grand Prix success, the 1929 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport Open Tourer, estimate £270,000 – 330,000, was a smaller and more affordable version of the Grand Bugatti, but still offering exceptional handling, braking, and performance with a top speed of 75mph. Fewer than 200 of the 830 Grand Sports produced are known to have survived including this remarkably original example which is offered by the family of Anthony Clark, and has been in its current ownership since 1957.
The five most-expensive cars sold at auction thus far in 2020 were all classic Bugattis.
1924 Vauxhall 30-98 OE Velox Tourer
Considered the finest British sporting Vintage car, the 1924 Vauxhall 30-98 OE Velox Tourer, estimate £250,000 – 300,000, was more than a match for its rival Bentleys, with the first model setting a new record at the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb and the later OE versions, powered by a 110bhpp 4.2-liter engines, enjoying success at the Brooklands motor circuit. This original bodied example, with full matching numbers, has been owned by its vendor since 1968.
A 1924 Vauxhall 30-98 OE-Type Wensum sold for a sensational $1,658,510 to set a new marque record at the Gooding Passion of a Lifetime Sale in September 2020 also in London.
1903 Thornycroft 20hp 4-cylinder Double Phaeton
The 1903 Thornycroft 20hp 4-cylinder Double Phaeton, estimate £340,000 – 360,000, is a rare survivor from the British manufacturer, owned until 1957 by one of its founders, Tom Thornycroft. This elegant Edwardian motor car has inspired the love and loyalty of its four custodians from new, with the second owner buying it back from the third, and the current vendors having possessed it for more than 30 years.
Offered in concours condition, having undergone a ‘nut and bolt restoration’ in its current ownership, the Thornycroft has successfully completed all the London to Brighton Veteran Car Runs it has entered – on many occasions carrying six people.
1901 Panhard-Levassor Type A2 7HP Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau
The 1901 Panhard-Levassor Type A2 7HP Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau, estimate £225,000-275,000, is one of a mere handful of survivors of these transitional 7hp Daimler-Phoenix-engined Panhards which were delivered in 1901, the best known of which is ‘Le Papillon Bleu’ sold by Bonhams in 2019 for £442,750.
This is a rare example of the first ‘modern motor car’ which had a front-mounted engine, a three-speed manual transmission albeit with chain drive, piano-style pedals, and a steering wheel in place of a tiller, known as the ‘système Panhard’ — in concept, they would be universally copied the world over.
Having spent its earlier life in France, this motor car formed part of the renowned Schlumpf Collection, belonging to the textile magnate brothers in Mulhouse, who then exchanged it with Mercedes-Benz as part of a deal to acquire a ‘Silberpfeil’ Silver Arrow Grand Prix Single Seater in 1965. The Daimler-engined Panhard remained in the marque’s Mercedes-Benz Museum Collection until 2010.
The Panhard has undergone extensive restoration by noted specialists, has been dated by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain, thereby verifying its age, and has the benefit of an early start time entry in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
See also 1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Semi-Open Drive Limousine, estimate £1,000,000 – 1,300,000 ($1,300,000 – $1,700,000), which was announced as the lead car for the Bonhams Golden Age of Motoring Sale 2020 in London.
RM Sotheby’s took over sponsorship of the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run but its London 2020 auction a day after the Bonhams sale will mostly feature more modern cars.
