A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing sold for $1,556,000 to top the results at the Bonhams Audrain Concours Auction 2021 in Newport, Rhode Island.
The top results at the first Bonhams Audrain Concours 2021 auction in Newport, USA, were for a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing and a 1963 Shelby Cobra 260.
Bonhams Audrain Concours Sale 2021 in Newport
Bonhams held its first Audrain Concours auction on 1 October 2021 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhodes Island. The new sale at the Audrain Newport Concours & Motor Week offered a boutique selection of collector motor cars, reflecting the event’s theme of history, luxury, and sport.
The Bonhams sale had a good 83% sell-through rate for the regular in-person auction.
Top Results in the Bonhams Audrain Concours 2021 Sale
A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing sold for $1,556,000 as the top result in the Bonhams Audrain Concours Auction 2021. It was the only car selling for more than a million dollars and the third-highest result of the at least six Gullwings sold at major auctions thus far in 2021.
The early example 300 SL, equipped with racing-derived Rudge wheels from new and retaining its original engine and coachwork, was offered from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where it had been kept for the past decade in their Classic Automobile Museum.
The second most valuable lot in the sale was an early 1963 Shelby Cobra 260, which made $728,250. The 47th example produced, it was powered by its original 260 cubic-inch engine and was previously owned by a few long-time California keepers.
Interesting Results in Bonhams Audrain Concourse Auction 2021
Other highlights included:
- 1913 Alco Five-Passenger Touring Car, sold for $373,500. This rare and original ‘local hero’ built in The Ocean State was offered publicly for the first time.
- 2009 Spyker C8 ‘Laviolette’Coupé, sold for $370,750, a future classic rarity which had covered fewer than 700 miles from new.
- 1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series III saloon, sold for $307,500. An original left-hand drive example of the third series of the marque’s first Touring Superleggera-designed sportscar, it was also the 1962 New York Show car.
The next auction for the Bonhams US Motorcar team will be the Greenwich Concours D’Elegance Online Auction, October 21 – 25, 2021.