2016 Bonhams Monaco Classic Car Sale (Preview)

1952 Jaguar C-Type Sports Racing Chassis XKC011
1953 Jaguar C-Type Sports Racing Chassis XKC011 © Bonhams

A 1953 Jaguar XK120C ‘C-Type’ Sports-Racing Roadster is the leading entry in the 2016 Bonhams Monaco classic car auction. Further top cars on sale include a 1929 Alfa Romeo, a rare 2011 Aston Martin One-77 Coupé, a 1925 Bugatti, as well as several Ferraris and Porsches.

Bonhams Monaco 2016 Classic Car Auctions

MonacoBonhams will join RM Sotheby’s this year with a special classic car auction during the Monaca historic grand prix races weekend in May 2016. The Bonhams Les Grandes Marques à Monaco sale will be held on May 13, 2016, at the Monte Carlo Fairmont Hotel.

Similar car models often come to market at the same time in reaction to unexpected high results achieved at auctions a few months prior. Bonhams and RM Sotheby’s will have a remarkably high number of similar top cars on offer at Monaco this year.

Top Cars at the Bonhams 2016 Monaco Sale

The top results are expected from the following cars at the Bonhams 2016 Monaco classic car auction:

Year Car Estimate
1953 Jaguar XK120C C-Type Sports-Racing Two-Seater Roadster €4 – 5 million
1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Super Sport Supercharged Spider €1.8 – 2.4 million
2011 Aston Martin One-77 Coupé €1.75 – 2.25 million
1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta €1.6 – 1.9 million
1965 Ferrari 275 GTS €1.5 – 2 million
1985 Ferrari 288 GTO €1.3 – 1.7 million
1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix Two-Seater €1 – 1.5 million
2006 Porsche Carrera GT Roadster €650,000 – 750,000
1988 Porsche 959 Komfort €500,000 – 600,000
1973 Porsche 911 2.7 Carrera RS Touring Coupé €470,000 – 570,000

1953 Jaguar XK120C ‘C-Type’

1952 Jaguar C-Type Sports Racing Chassis XKC011
1952 Jaguar C-Type Sports Racing Chassis XKC011 © Bonhams

The headline car for the 2016 Bonhams Monaco classic car sale is a 1953 Jaguar XK120C ‘C-Type’ Sports-Racing Two-Seat Roadster, estimate €4 – €5 million. The car is offered in the condition it was when racing in the 1950s and thus unrestored but in well-maintained condition. This Jaguar has been in the ownership of the Griffith family since 1963.

The 1953 Jaguar XK120C ‘C-Type’ Sports-Racing Two-Seat Roadster with UK registration POV114, has a complex history. The chassis was originally XKC047 but re-stamped XKC011 by Jaguar in 1954. However, extensive research has shown that this was the car raced in the 1953 Le Mans 24-Hours race by the Belgian Ecurie Francorchamps team to finished ninth overall. In the same race, the three official Works Jaguars finished first, second and fourth – the fourth-placed Jaguar sold for a marque record $13.2 million at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2015 sale.

The 1953 Jaguar XK120C ‘C-Type’ further competed in Belgian yellow at the 1953 Spa 24-Hours and Nürburgring 1000 km races before being sold to Dunlop as a high-speed tire-testing vehicle.

1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Super Sport Supercharged Spider

The 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Super Sport Supercharged Spider with coachwork by Carrozzeria Zagato is one of only 52 fitted with a supercharger by the factory. Although 26 of these cars competed in the 1929 Mille Miglia, and the first owner of this specific Alfa Romeo was racing driver Achille Varzi, the racing history of this car is not known. The car is offered in a well-maintained rather than restored condition.

A similar 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider, estimate €900,000 – €1,200,000, is offered by RM Sotheby’s but this car is sans supercharger and was actually run on gasogeno in two Mille Miglia races during the 1930s.

2011 Aston Martin One-77 Coupé

2011 Aston Martin One-77
2011 Aston Martin One-77 © Bonhams

The 2011 Aston Martin One-77 Coupé is a rare car – it is the 25th only 77 built. This hypercar is powered by 7.3-liter, V12 engine producing 750 bhp – sufficient to propel the car to 200.007 mph, according to Aston Martin. The car has covered only 850 km since new – not totally surprising as its only owner only got around to register the car in 2014.

1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix Two-Seater

The 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix Two-Seater, chassis 4450, engine 75C, had an active in-period racing history in England before being sold to an Australian in the late 1930s. Like the Jaguar C-Type, this car has been in single-family ownership since the early 1960s. It was frequently raced and driven in Australia – including a 6,400-km journey in 2014.

Other Top Ferraris at Bonhams Monaco 2016

1985 Ferrari 288 GTO Coupé
© Bonhams

A 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO Coupé is offered from single ownership. This car is one of only 272 built. It has been fastidiously maintained including £22,000 spent in 2015. Although two of the three Ferrari 288 GTOs offered at sale thus far in 2016 have failed to sell, this one comes with an estimate aimed at achieving a result.

Two further beautiful Ferraris on offer at the Bonhams Monaco 2016 sale are similar models to what RM Sotheby’s will offer a day later:

  • The 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta with coachwork designed by Pininfarina and built by Scaglietti was the 329th of 350 built – RM Sotheby’s is selling number 306.
  • The 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS, chassis 07521, with spider coachwork by Pininfarina, was originally finished in white over black but is in a fully restored condition but now in red over tan. RM Sotheby’s is selling chassis 07805 unrestored with its original white paint and black interior.

Top Porsches at Bonhams Monaco 2016

Three Porsches of models that sometimes sell for over a million dollar are offered in the 2016 Bonhams Monaco sale for significantly lower estimates. Incidentally, RM Sotheby’s also have similar models on offer a day later.

The 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort at Bonhams comes with an estimate of only €500,000 – €600,000 – half of what is expected at RM Sotheby’s. The main difference: this one has covered 158,047 km since new compared to only 10,000 km for the more expensive model. At least the buyer of this Porsche 959 will be able to actually drive it without the value falling like a stone with extra mileage added. The car is unrestored but regularly maintained and serviced, as can be expected of a high-mileage supercar.

Only one Porsche 911 thus far this year has achieved over a million dollar – a 3.0 IROC from the Jerry Seinfeld Collection – and sellers have lowered estimates after the exuberant results in 2015. The 1973 Porsche 911 2.7 Carrera RS Touring Coupé to ‘Lightweight’ specification comes with a more realistic estimate for a restored but enthusiastically campaigned car.

Porsche built only 1,207 copies of the Carrera GT Roadster but 10 of them were already on offer thus far in 2016. None managed to achieve a million dollar, as a lone Carrera GT managed at Monterey 2015. Bonhams is offering number 1130 with 14,300 km on the clock – high-mileage for this model. RM Sotheby’s aims for around €100,000 more for nr. 261 with 3,500 km since new.

Although the 1968 Ferrari 275 GTS/4 NART Spider at the RM Sotheby’s Monaco 2016 auction is likely to steal the show this year, Bonhams certainly has an interesting collection of cars on offer a day earlier too.