The top results at the Bonhams Scottsdale 2022 sale were for a 1958 AC Ace Roadster and a garage-find 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300S Roadster.
Bonhams increased earnings despite not offering any million-dollar cars for sale at the Scottsdale 2022 classic car auction. The top results were for a 1958 AC Ace Roadster and a garage-find 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300S Roadster. Nine of the ten most expensive cars sold in the auction were of European origin. The sole American car was the iconic 1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible from the motion picture Rain Man — it set a new model record five times higher than condition value.
Bonhams Scottsdale Classic Car Auction 2022
Bonhams eleventh annual Scottsdale, Arizona, sale was held on 27 January 2022 at the Westin Kierland Resort as a live auction.
In 2022, Bonhams claimed a 95% sell-through rate to earn over $11 million — a third more than in 2020 despite offering a fifth fewer cars and no million-dollar contenders.
In 2021, Bonhams earned $5,896,400 with a sell-through rate of 78%.
In 2020, Bonhams’ top result was $1,93 million for a 1951 Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale Cabriolet.
In 2019, Bonhams earned $16.1 million at Scottsdale from selling 107 of 120 lots on offer for a high 90% sell-through rate. Hagerty calculated an average sale price of $144,762.
In 2018, Bonhams earned $25.2 million at Scottsdale with 94 of 108 lots offered sold – a sell-through rate of 87% and an average price of $267,649 per car. In 2017, Bonhams earned $36 million from just over 100 cars with a sell-through rate of 82%.
Top-Ten Bonhams Scottsdale Classic Car Auction 2022 Results
The ten most expensive cars sold at the Bonhams Scottsdale 2022 sale were:
Highest Results at Bonhams Scottsdale 2022 Sale
Although Bonhams offered no million-dollar cars in the Scottsdale 2022 classic car auction, several interesting cars were sold with many selling for well above presale estimates. Porsches performed well at Bonhams as well as at the RM Sotheby’s Arizona 2022 sale held on the same day. Nine of the top ten results in the Bonhams auction were for European cars.
A 1958 AC Ace Roadster, first owned by a USAF pilot who brought it from France to the USA, was the top lot in the Bonhams Scottsdale 2022 sale when it sold for $516,500 — well above its top estimate of $375,000. Offered from a prominent US-based collection of show winners, the impeccably restored left-hand drive Ace, which had retained its original aluminum bodywork and matching numbers engine, had itself won many trophies at major Concours d’Elegances.
The 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300S Roadster was a ‘barn find’ Mercedes-Benz and achieved a relatively high $472,500. As an unrestored car, additional costs are uncertain, something that the market seemed to have fallen out of love with in recent years. Only 141 of the Roadsters were produced and although it clearly requires major work, the car is largely original and not a complete loss.
Two particularly strong performers were more contemporary classics:
- a 1997 Porsche 911 ‘Type 993’ Turbo S Coupé, which had covered just 14,000 miles since new, achieved $467,000, far exceeding its top estimate.
- an even lower mileage 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary, which had driven fewer than 11,000kms, also accelerated past its estimate achieving $445,000.
Rain Man Buick Roadmaster Convertible
The only American car in the top ten results at Bonhams Scottsdale 2022 came with Hollywood provenance. The 1949 Buick Roadmaster Convertible, the ‘third character’ in the 1988 multi-award-winning road drama motion picture Rain Man, was offered directly from the ownership of Dustin Hoffman. It sold for $335,000 to a telephone bidder, setting a new world record for a Roadmaster convertible — a typical 5x condition value that a prominent movie car can achieve at auction.
Bonhams Motoring’s next sale takes place in Paris on February 3, at the Grand Palais Ephémère, and will include amongst other three Bugatti Type 57 cars. The Amelia Island Auction on March 3 is the next US sale — a Porsche 550 was already announced for this Florida sale.
Scottsdale and Arizona Car Auctions 2022
Scottsdale & Arizona Sales 2022 — Auction Results:
- RM Sotheby’s Arizona Sale 2022 — Auction Results
- Bonhams Scottsdale Sale 2022 — Auction Results
- Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2022 — Auction Results
- Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale 2022 — Charity Lots Results
- Gooding Geared Online Scottsdale 2022 — Auction Results
Scottsdale & Arizona Sales 2022 — Auction Previews:
Scottsdale & Arizona Sales 2022 — Pre-Auction Announcements:
- Barrett-Jackson: Shelby Cars
- Barrett-Jackson: Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing
- RM Sotheby’s: Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing
- RM Sotheby’s: American Prewar Classics (Duesenberg Model J Tourster)
- RM Sotheby’s: Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs
- RM Sotheby’s: Tenebaum Porsches
Scottsdale & Arizona Sales 2021 — Auction Results
- 2021 Scottsdale, Arizona, January Auctions Results Overview
- Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale March 2021 Auction Results
- Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale March 2021 Charity Lots Auction Results
- Bonhams Scottsdale 2021 Auction Results
- Gooding Scottsdale 2021 Auction Results
- RM Sotheby’s Arizona 2021 Auction Results
Scottsdale & Arizona Sales — Previous Auction Results
- 2020: Gooding, RM Sotheby’s, Barrett-Jackson & Barrett-Jackson (Charity Lots).
- 2019 Scottsdale Auctions Results Overview
- 2018 Scottsdale Auctions Results Overview
- 2017 Scottsdale Auctions Results Overview
- 2016: Barrett-Jackson, Gooding, RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams
- 2015 Scottsdale Results Overview
- 2014 Scottsdale & Arizona Collector Car Auction Results
Scottsdale & Arizona Auctions 2022
Many auction houses have sales (live, online, or a combination) during the annual Scottsdale week in mid-late January, including amongst others:
- Barett-Jackson: 22 to 30 January 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona — live auction.
- Bonhams: 27 January 2022 in Scottsdale, Arizona — live auction.
- Gooding & Company: 26 – 28 January 2022 — online auction but cars on display in Scottsdale (and Van Nuys, California, 18 – 21 January).
- RM Sotheby’s: 27 January 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona — live auction.
- Russo and Steele: 26 – 30 January 2022 in Scottsdale — live auction.
- Worldwide Auctioneers: 26 – 27 January 2022 in Scottsdale — live auction.