A classic 1927 Bugatti Type 35B and 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS were the top results at the Bonhams Monaco 2022 classic car auction.
A 1927 Bugatti Type 35B sold for €2,000,000 to top the results as the most expensive car sold at the Bonhams ‘Les Grandes Marques à Monaco’ classic car auction in Monte Carlo. A 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS Convertible sold for €1,495,000 while a 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort achieved €1,437,500. The first Brabham Formula 1 racing car sold for a somewhat disappointing €385,250 while a 1999 Williams-Supertec Renault FW12 Formula 1 racing car sold for more than double the upper estimate. The 1951 Ferrari 212 Inter Cabriolet was sold after the auction for an undisclosed sum.
Bonhams Monaco 2022 Classic Car Auction
Bonhams Monaco Sale ‘Les Grandes Marques à Monaco’ on 13 May 2022 at the Fairmont Hotel in Monte Carlo.
The biennial Bonhams Monaco classic car auction is held during the Monaco Historic Grand Prix weekend. In 2022, Bonhams gained €13,223,007 with a sell-through rate of 75% (36 of 48 lots sold). In 2021, a 1936 Delahaye 135 S Competition Court was the top lot. In 2018 Bonhams sold the 1993 McLaren MP4 that Ayrton Senna drove to his record sixth Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix victory sold for $5 million. Senna’s first Monaco racer – a 1984 Toleman-Hart – sold for a sensational $1.9 million in the same sale.
Top 10 Results in the Bonhams Monaco 2022 Sale
The ten most expensive cars sold in the Bonhams Monaco 2022 classic car auction were:
Million-Dollar Results in the Bonhams Monaco 2022 Sale
Five cars achieved million-dollar results in the Bonhams Monaco 2022 classic car sale:
| Year | Car | Price ($) | Price (€) | Estimate (€) | |
| 1 | 1927 | Bugatti Type 35 B | 2,082,520 | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 – 3,000,000 |
| 2 | 1965 | Ferrari 275 GTS Convertible | 1,556,680 | 1,495,000 | 1,200,000 – 1,600,000 |
| 3 | 1988 | Porsche 959 Komfort | 1,496,810 | 1,437,500 | 1,400,000 – 1,600,000 |
| 4 | 1997 | Porsche 911 GT2 Coupe | 1,089,680 | 1,046,500 | 850,000 – 1,150,000 |
| 1951 | Ferrari 212 Inter Cabriolet | Sold* | HB €1,700,000 | 1,900,000 – 2,300,000 |
*The Ferrari 212 was sold after the auction for an undisclosed sum.
A 1927 Bugatti Type 35B – an example of the model which won the very first Monaco Grand Prix – was the top result in the Bonhams Monaco Sale 2022. Bidding halted at €1.8 million but the Bugatti was announced sold for €2 million in the results published shortly after the auction.
One of only circa 45 Type 35Bs produced, it is a rare survivor, largely thanks to the fact that its first pre-war owners were, unusually, not professional racing drivers. It has a known ownership history from new, which included several returns and resales from the Bugatti factory. The Bugatti was offered from 47 years of ownership by its vendor, a Belgian gentleman racing driver, who raced it in the 1990s.
A second classic Bugatti, a 1929 Bugatti Type 37 failed to reach a million but sold for within estimate $898,000. This Bugatti also came from long-term ownership – of 63 years in the same family – and was offered publicly for the first time. The three-owner Bugatti was raced extensively by its second owner, campaigning Grand Prix in 1931 and 1932, achieving a podium (3rd) place at the Grand Prix de Chimay.
The second most expensive car sold in the Bonhams Monaco 2022 sale was the elegant 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS. Only 200 of the Pininfarina designed and built 275 GTS were ever produced. This V12-powered Ferrari was formerly owned by former Motorcycle Grand Prix rider of Jean-Pierre Beltoise, who swapped two wheels for four to win the 1972 Monaco F1 Grand Prix.
Two late twentieth-century Porsches achieved over a million dollar each:
- The red 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort was offered with a relatively low 26,000 km on the clock. Originally delivered to the royal family in Qatar, it is currently registered in Germany.
- The 1997 Porsche 911 GT2 Coupe was similarly a low-mileage car with less than 9,000 km on the clock. Although primarily intended for racing, the GT2 was road legal. This Porsche was originally sold in Japan but is currently on German registration.
Top Formula 1 Racing Car Results at Bonhams Monaco 2022 Auction
The first Formula 1 car constructed by three-times world champion Jack Brabham to take a Formula 1 chequered flag – the 1962 Brabham 1 1/2-litre Brabham-Climax BT3 Formula 1 Racing Single-Seater — sold for a somewhat disappointing €385,250 (estimate €450,000 – €650,000 – no reserve).
A double F1 race winner with its namesake at the wheel, it was also the first car constructed by its driver to take a Formula 1 chequered flag. The BT3 was the forerunner of the 1966 incarnation in which Sir Jack added his third World Championship title – becoming the first and (still) only driver to win the Formula 1 world championship in a car of his own make.
The most surprising F1 result in the Bonhams Monaco 2022 sale was for the ex-Alessandro Zanardi 1999 Williams-Supertec Renault FW21 Formula 1 Racing Single-Seater, which achieved more than double its pre-sale top estimate of €150,000 when it sold for €362,250. It competed in 14 races, of which it failed to complete most, but was driven to fifth place by the Italian in that year’s Monaco Grand Prix. It recorded no memorably results.
Several interesting Formula 1 cars will also be offered at Monaco 2022 in the RM Sotheby’s auction, with a Nigel Mansell’s 1991 Williams FW14 (the Senna taxi) selling for a marque-record $4,055,000.
Other Notable Results at Bonhams Monaco 2022
A few further notable results at the Bonhams Monaco 2022 classic car auction included:
- a works 1956 AC Ace Bristol Roadster, ordered new by Jacques Swaters, founder of the renowned Écurie Francorchamps and later owned by racing driver Armand Armand ‘Blary’ Blaton, who tested it for his 24 Heures du Mans campaign, topped its pre-sale estimate, selling for €460,000.
- a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series III Saloon, which had had only two owners from new, sold above estimate for €356,500.
- a 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante ‘X-Pack’ also surpassed its estimate, achieving €310,500.
- a one-owner from new 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series Coupe, doubled its pre-sale estimate, selling for €301,875.
There were also gems to be found in the automobilia section of the sale, most notably an original lithograph poster by Robert Falcucci. The ‘2nd Grand Prix Automobile – 1930’ signed by the artist, more than doubled its pre-sale estimate to achieve €26,775.
Top Cars Not Sold at the Bonhams Monaco 2022 Car Auction
The most expensive Ferrari in the Bonhams Monaco 2022 sale, a 1951 Ferrari 212 Inter Cabriolet with coachwork by Vignale, estimate €1,900,000 – 2,300,000, failed to sell with a highest bid of €1.7 million — it was listed as sold at an undisclosed sum the day after the sale. This restored early cabriolet claims a number of noteworthy attributes, including coach-built rarity, very few owners, Ferrari Classiche certification – vouching for its authenticity – and a successful visit to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Élegance in 2014 where it was 2nd-in-class and runner-up only to Best of Show winner.
A 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, estimate €950,000 – €1,200,000, failed to sell with bidding stopping at €840,000. This car was recently recommissioned and the finish in light metallic blue over cream might be too new-looking for many. The car also has a largely unknown history prior to 1987.
Bonhams’ next classic car auctions are in July: in Gstaad (Switzerland) and the ever-popular Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.
Monaco Historic Grand Prix Week Classic Car Auctions in May 2022
Results 2022 Auctions:
Auction Previews:
