2022 Bonhams Paris Sale (Auction Results Announced)

A 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari and a 1996 Bugatti EB 110 GT were the top results in the Bonhams Paris 2022 classic car auction.

Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale: 3 February 2022 as a live auction in the Grand Palais Ephémère. — © Bonhams

A yellow 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari achieved €2,558,750 ($2,887,805) as the most expensive car sold in the Bonham Paris 2022 sale. A blue 1996 Bugatti EB110 GT Coupé, set a new model record at €1,817,000 ($2,050,666) while Robert Redford’s 1964 Porsche 904 GTS sold for €1,345,500 ($1,518,531). Veteran cars performed well too with a barn-find 1904 Pipe Serie E 15CV Four-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau selling for €759,000 — three times estimate.

Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale 2022

1932 Bugatti Type 55 by Figoni — © Bonhams

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.

Top Results at Bonhams Paris 2022

1935 Bugatti Type 57 Vanvooren Cabriolet on sale at the Bonhams Paris 2022 Rétromobile week classic car auction — © Bonhams

The top ten results at the Bonhams Paris 2022 classic car auction were:

Million-Dollar Results at the Bonhams Paris 2022 Auction

Yellow 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari rear view on sale at the Bonhams Paris 2022 Rétromobile week classic car auction — © Bonhams

Three cars achieved over a million dollars (and euros) in the Bonhams Paris 2022 classic car auction:

A yellow 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari achieved €2,558,750 ($2,887,805) to set a new auction world record for a European-specification variant. However, very few European specification LaFerraris have been sold at auction and the result was one of the lowest ever for a LaFerrari at auction — less than $3 million is rarely accepted. This yellow over black LaFerrari had covered fewer than 930km from new and was offered by its second owner. Its provenance is a bit chequered though: the first owner was the son of the president of Equatorial Guinea and this LaFerrari was sold by Bonhams at Bonmont 2019, after the Swiss authorities had confiscated 25 supercars from the family to be sold to benefit charities. It then achieved only $2.2 million.

Blue 1996 Bugatti EB110 GT Coupé on sale at the Bonhams Paris 2022 Rétromobile week classic car auction — © Bonhams

The second highest result was a blue 1996 Bugatti EB110 GT Coupé, which sold for €1,817,000 ($2,050,666) — several hundred thousand above its top estimate. It set a new auction world record for the model, which must have been quite pleasing for Bonhams as the previous record was set only the day before at RM Sotheby’s. At launch, the first new Bugatti to be produced since 1956 set four world speed records, including for the fastest series-production sports car. One of a mere 95 GT examples, this three-owner EB110 GT car had covered 10,000 km from new. The silver car at RM Sotheby’s had only one owner by 25,000 km on the clock.

Green 1964 Porsche 904 GTS on sale at the Bonhams Paris 2022 Rétromobile week classic car auction — © Bonhams

The third million-dollar result was the 1964 Porsche 904 GTS, formerly owned by Hollywood actor Robert Redford, which sold for €1,345,500 ($1,518,531). Originally owned by Steve Earle, founder of the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca, this GTS was raced by subsequent owner Steve Berg in North America before it was later acquired by Redford, who kept it for nearly a decade.

Other Top Results at Bonhams Paris Sale 2022

A few further interesting results in the marathon Bonhams Paris 2022 classic car auction included:

A barn-find 1904 Pipe Serie E 15CV Four-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau, which tripled its pre-sale estimate, achieving a staggering €759,000. Offered from single-family ownership from new and placed in storage at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the high-quality Belgian motor car had retained its original coachwork and was offered with the potential to be eligible for the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run or for preservation for future generations.

As ever at the Bonhams Paris Sale, Veteran and pre-war motor cars proved popular with the attendant car connoisseurs and collectors with several appearing in the top ten and exceeding their top estimates. A time-warp 1921 Hispano-Suiza H6B Torpedo, offered from the Dolleschel Collection, achieved €402,500, while the ex-Bernard de Lassée 1913 S.P.A 25 HP Torpédo Sport made €396,750, nearly doubling its estimate.

Another Dolleschel Collection car topping its estimate was a remarkably authentic 1902 Panhard & Levassor Type A2 7HP Tonneau à entrée par l’arrière, which sold for €379,500.

Among the other results of note was a 2010 Tesla Roadster, demonstrated by one of the greatest names in motorsport – Michael Schumacher — at that year’s Race of Champions event in Düsseldorf, which made €138,000.

Top Cars Not Sold at Bonhams Paris 2022

Le Patron 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupé on sale at the Bonhams Paris 2022 Rétromobile week classic car auction — © Bonhams

The top cars that failed to sell at Bonhams Paris with the highest unsuccessful bids were:

Year	Car	Estimate (€)	Highest Bid (€)
1938	Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupe	1,600,000 – 2,000,000	HB 1,400,000
1934	Mercedes-Benz 380K Cabriolet A	1,200,000 – 1,600,000	HB 1,050,000
1931	Invicta 4 ½-Litre S-Type Low Chassis Sports Sentinel	1,100,000 – 1,400,000	HB 890,000
1938	Bugatti Type 57 C Stelvio Cabriolet	800,000 – 1,200,000	HB 680,000
1932	Delage D8S Cabriolet	700,000 – 1,000,000	HB 520,000

The top cars not sold in the Bonhams Paris 2022 were all 1930s classics. Bidding stopped well short of lower estimates for most. The highest unsuccessful bid was €1.4 million for the 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Special Coupe — the consignor probably considered Le Patron just too special to let go at that price.

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