A Porsche 550A Spyder with Le Mans works entry provenance and a rang of top Ferraris – 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider, 275 GTB/4, F50 and F40 – are the lead cars for the Bonhams Scottsdale classic car auction in January 2018.
Bonhams is offering a 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder (estimate $4,500,000 – $5,500,000) as its tops entry for the Scottsdale 2018 classic car sale in Arizona, USA. This 550A Spyder was a Porsche works entry and finished second in class and fifth overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Bonhams other top lots of the Scottsdale 2018 sale are road cars with very sporty genes: a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider, a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, a 1995 Ferrari F50 and a 1991 Ferrari F40. A good result is also expected from a 1957 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster – the first imported to the USA. A 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder is likely to be the latest nearly new hypercar to sell at auction for well above its original list price.
Bonhams Scottsdale Classic Car Auction 2018
Bonhams seventh annual Scottsdale auction is scheduled for January 18, 2018, at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The annual Scottsdale, Arizona collector car auction week is the traditional start to the classic car auction year.
Bonhams earned $36 million from just over 100 cars with sell-through rate of 82% at Scottsdale 2017. The top result set a model record for a Jaguar E-Type Lightweight Competition ($7,370,000) – it was also the most-expensive car sold in Scottsdale in 2017. A Jaguar is likely set a new auction record at Scottsdale 2018 with both RM Sotheby’s and Gooding having a D-Type on offer.
Million-Dollar Cars at Bonhams Scottsdale 2018
The following eights cars are catalogued for the Bonhams Scottsdale 2018 classic car sale with upper pre-auction estimates exceeding a million dollar:
| Lot | Year | Car | Estimate ($) |
| 44 | 1958 | Porsche 550A Spyder | 4,500,000 – 5,500,000 |
| 27 | 1967 | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 | 2,800,000 – 3,400,000 |
| 25 | 1972 | Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider | 2,400,000 – 2,800,000 |
| 54 | 1995 | Ferrari F50 | 1,500,000 – 1,800,000 |
| 28 | 1991 | Ferrari F40 | 1,400,000 – 1,700,000 |
| 30 | 1957 | Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster | 1,400,000 – 1,700,000 |
| 51 | 2015 | Porsche 918 Spyder | 1,200,000 – 1,600,000 |
| 89 | 1930 | Bentley Speed six Le Mans Replica Tourer | 750,000 – 1,000,000 |
Million-Dollar Porsches at Bonhams Scottsdale 2018
Works 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder
The works-entry 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder, chassis 0145, estimate $4,500,000 – $5,500,000, is the clear lead car for the Bonhams Scottsdale 2018 sale. This 550A Spyder was the second last of 40 produced and was a Porsche Works team car.
The 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder most noticeable result was a second in Class and fifth Overall placement at the 24 Hours of Le Mans when driven by owner/driver Carel Godin de Beaufort – no 550 ever placed better. The car was also Class Winner at the Nürburgring 1000 Km, the 12 Hours of Reims, the Zandvoort NAV Race, and at the Dutch Grand Prix More recently, this Porsche participated in ten consecutive Mille Miglia Storica races.
A highest bid of $4.2 million was not accepted for this car at the Gooding Pebble Beach 2016 sale when the estimate was $5-6 million.
See also 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder Announcement for more on this car and results for Porsche 550s at recent auctions.
2015 Porsche 918 Spyder
A 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder, estimate $1,200,000 – $1,600,000, is one of at least three 918s that will go on sale during the Scottsdale 2018 auction week. The relatively low estimate reflects the relatively high 2,278 miles mileage – many of these hypercars enter the second-hand market in as new condition.
This black 2015 Porsche 918 is the 290th of 918 produced and one of 294 in US specification.
In the same sale, Bonhams is offering the 290th of a production run of 991 Porsche 911 R cars. This 2016 Porsche 911 R, estimate $400,000 – $500,000, has covered only 38 miles. It is offered in a paint-to-sample non-metallic acid green that seems to perfectly match the 918’s brake calipers.
Other top Porsches on offer at Bonhams Scottsdale 2018 include a very authentic 1956 Porsche 365A 1500 Carrera GS Coupe by Reutter, estimate $750,000 – $900,000, and a 904-mile 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, estimate $725,000 – $825,000.
Top Ferraris at Bonhams Scottsdale 2018 Auction
Half of the top-ten cars on offer at Bonhams Scottsdale 2018 are Ferraris – all are good examples but none are exceptionally rare or with particularly interesting histories and should sell within estimate (or even slightly above):
- The 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4, estimate $2,800,000 – $3,400,000, is a low-mileage US specification. The car has covered less than 32,000 miles from new and retained its original interior. The body paint color changed from the original grigio ferro to the magnificent Giallo Fly yellow during the 1990s.
- The 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider, estimate $2,400,000 – $2,800,000, was the 72nd of 123 Daytona Spiders built. In the same sale Bonhams will also offer a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, estimate $850,000 – $950,000. The relatively high estimate reflects both the good condition of the Berlinetta as well as the low mileage – less than 32,000 miles.
- The 1995 Ferrari F50, estimate $1,500,000 – $1,800,000, is one of only two black examples in US specification. It was the final of 55th F50s produced in US specification. The F50 is offered without reserve with the relatively come-buy-me-estimate somewhat tampered by high mileage (60,000 miles) and a front-end accident (that has been repaired and inspected by Ferrari).
- The 1991 Ferrari F40, estimate $1,400,000 – $1,700,000, is typical for the car: one of 213 delivered to the US and in good original condition. It has relatively low mileage at less then 2,500 miles from new.
Perhaps most interesting of the two new Ferraris is that neither Gooding nor RM Sotheby’s will offer an F40 or F50 during the Scottsdale, Arizona 2018 sales.
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL at Bonhams Scottsdale 2018
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL prices have been stronger at recent auctions although still off from the highs commonly seen in 2014 and 2015. At least seven will be on offer at the Scottsdale 2018 auctions with Gooding alone offering five.
The 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, estimate $1,400,000 – $1,700,000, at Bonhams was the first 300 SL Roadster imported into the US and the fifth one built. It is a matching-numbers example with a detailed history file as could be expected from a car owned for five decades by one enthusiast. The 300 SL was restored after 2013 at a cost of nearly half a million dollar.
More Scottsdale / Phoenix, Arizona 2018 Auction Previews: 2018 Overview, Barrett Jackson, Bonhams, Gooding & RM Sotheby’s
