There are many elite auctions in Europe each year, but few compare with Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed sale, mainly because of the incredible concentration of enthusiasts that gather for the Duke of Richmond's most beautifully curated and successful event, held in the grounds of his family estate, Goodwood House, West Sussex, England.
The Goodwood Festival of Speed started in 1993, and it has been, almost without exception, growing in momentum and gravitas ever since. The maximum number of people that have attended the event is 158,000 in 2003, before attendance was capped at 150,000 and tickets were sold only in advance of the event. Needless to say, getting a ticket is getting harder each year, and because of the exclusivity of the event, the distillation of elite motorsport enthusiasts is getting stronger by the year too.
We've already done a pictorial of this year's event, but thought it best to have a quick overview of the auction lots which passed by this year. They are always noteworthy at Goodwood, but this year there seemed an even higher quality and breadth of offerings.
This is our pick of the most interesting of the lots. In each case, the Lot number is hyperlinked to the official auction page for ease of obtaining high resolution images and more granular detail.
US$13,323,861 | 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 335
Sold for: £10,081,500(US$13,323,861)
This was the car that raced against the Ferrari 250 GTO in period, and for a number of years it held the title of the world's fastest road car. The Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato was introduced at the London Motor Show in October 1960, being a lightened 314-hp (234-kW) DB4 GT with Zagato styling. It was timed at 153.5 mph (247 km/h).
The original collaboration between Aston Martin and Zagato of Milan resulted in a production run of only 19 DB4GT Zagatos constructed between 1961 and 1963, although the factory had set aside 23 chassis numbers. An indication of the affection felt for these beautiful cars is that all 19 are still in existence.
Despite the spectacular price, it might easily have sold for more, as a 1962 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato sold for $14,300,000 at RM-Sothebys' Driven by Disruption Auction in New York in 2015, becoming the most expensive British car ever sold at that point. This car was one of the two legendary VEV Zagatos that were raced by the factory-backed Essex Racing team that acted as a quasi-works team in period, and this car raced at Le Mans and the Goodwood TT in its day, in the hands of Jim Clark no-less.
$6,070,838 | 1932-34 Alfa Romeo Tipo B Grand Prix Monoposto
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 352
Sold for: £4,593,500(US$6,070,838)
An important car in motor racing history from every angle, partially because it was a significant new design at the pinnacle of motorsport in period, partially because it won the 1935 Donington Grand Prix and partially because its first owner was the Scuderia Ferrari team that acted as the factory racing team for Alfa Romeo prior to WW2. Scuderia Ferrari went on to bigger things.
SOLD | 1984 March 84G Chevrolet C/GTP Sports Prototype
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 336
Sold for: Unknown
Although March's sports prototypes were overwhelmed by Porsche 962s in Group C racing in Europe, in Chevrolet V8-engined form they were popular choices for the IMSA GTP series in the USA, winning the IMSA titles in 1983 and 1984. The March 84G Chevrolet is, arguably, the best of the Adrian Newey-designed March GTP Sports Prototypes of its era. Only seven 84G models were built. Adrian Newey went on to become the most successful racing car designer in Formula One history, and is currently the chief technical officer of the Red Bull Racing Formula One team.
SOLD | 1928 Bentley 4½-Litre Tourer
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 369
Sold for: Unknown
One of just 665 made, this is one of the cars upon which Bentley built its name. It was in the vendor's ownership for 15 years, and successfully completed three New Zealand Tours, three South Africa Tours, "Europe by Bentley", and the Spain/Portugal Tour since a comprehensive restoration in 2007.
$5,034,692 |1957 BMW 507 Roadster
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 330
Sold for: £3,809,500(US$5,034,692)
Owned from new by the vendor, John Surtees CBE, the only man to have won the world championship for both cars and motorcycles at the highest level. It was purchased new as a gift for Surtees by Count Domenico Agusta for winning the 1956 World 500cc Motorcycle Championship (now MotoGP) for MV Agusta – it was to be the first of many championships for the company, and the car was sold with a letter from "Meccanica Verghera SpA" explaining that the car was "intended as a gift to you in appreciation of your winning the Motorcycle World Championship in 1956 for our company in the 500cc class.We want to mention here the fact that the above World Championship in the 500cc class was the first ever achieved by this company, and the above was but a token of our sincere gratitude."
Surtees repeated the feat in 1958, 1959 and 1960, achieving his final 500cc championship while transitioning to Formula One cars, racing both during 1960. He finished 12th in the Formula One Drivers Championship in his first full season in 1961, fourth in 1962, fourth in 1963, and won in 1964 ahead of Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Lorenzo Bandini, Richie Ginther, Dan Gurney, Bruce McLaren and Jack Brabham.
The car is one of just 252 built, and the car was sold with a draft text written by Surtees explaining his transition to cars, his falling in love with the BMW 507, and how it all transpired that he obtained one. It makes compelling reading and explains how the car was fitted with four-wheel disc brakes, how he obtained more power ... it is in the auction description and makes this car ever so special. Cars with this level of provenance are extremely rare.
No sale | 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 357
The Aston Martin DB4 GT was the fastest road car in the world in its day, and this example was raced successfully in period. It was expected to sell for between £2,300,000 and £2,500,000 (US$3,000,000 and $3,280,000) but failed to make reserve.
$2,703,363 |2012 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 348
Sold for: £2,045,500(US$2,703,363)
The fastest car in the world for a period, this 2012 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Coupé was the very last one built, has had only one owner in six years and has traveled just 550 km (342 mi) from new.
$2,666,358 |1931 Bentley 4½-Litre Blower Tourer
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 359
Sold for: £2,017,500(US$2,666,358)
This car is one of the 50 original "Blower" Bentleys and went to auction from an important private collection. The supercar status of the Bentley 4½-Litre Supercharged Tourer in its day is hard to reconcile with road cars of today, or even in the post-war era. The 50 that were built were essentially homologation specials, in much the same way that the Ferrari 250 GTO ("Gran Turismo Omologata") was built to enable a car to be raced, though the blower Bentley performed well beyond anything that the 250 GTO did, actually finishing second at the 1930 French Grand Prix.
Whereas the GTO did well in sports car racing, the Bentley Touring car finished second against a field of monoposto racing cars, with Bugatti T35 Grand Prix cars taking first, third, fourth, fifth and seventh. The race report details how Sir Henry Birkin drove a Blower Bentley touring car in the 396-km (246-mi) race: A curiosity in the largely single-seat entry list was Tim Birkin's 4½-litre supercharged "Blower Bentley" touring car, stripped down to racing trim, with headlights and mudguards removed.
$2,592,348 |1965 Aston Martin DB5
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 370
Sold for: £1,961,500(US$2,592,348)
This silver Aston Martin DB5 is not the car driven by Sean Connery as Bond in the movies Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965). That car sold for £2,912,000 (US$4,595,998)in October, 2010 at RM Auctions in London and still holds a place in the top 10 most expensive movie cars of all-time. The full details of that sale and the iconic gadget-festooned DB5's place in movie car history is well documented in our all-time movie car listing.
This car is also a 1965 Aston Martin DB5, but was driven by Pierce Brosnan as Bond in the spectacular opening scenes of the 1995 movie GoldenEye – a chase through the hills above Monaco with female villain Xenia Onatopp driving a Ferrari 355. It was the most expensive piece of Bond memorabilia prior to the sale of the Goldfinger/Thunderball DB5 in 2010, having sold for $200,000 at auction in 2001.
The $200,000 paid by the vendor was money well spent as it became an entry ticket to every Bond movie premiere since, countless shows, concours events and exhibitions, and even a part as an extra in a James Bond movie.
Not surprisingly, the buyer of this car was New York espionage museum Spyscape, where it will be on permanent display.
No sale | 2014 McLaren P1 Coupé
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 347
This P1 hybrid supercar was an interesting proposition, given that the official estimate was £1.3 million to £1.7 million (US$1.72 to $2.25 million) and the base price when new three years ago was $1.19 million. Just how much the base spec was pushed at purchase is hard to determine, but it hasn't been used much and appears to have been a shrewd investment by someone who could exploit their ability to get on the uber-exclusive buyers list rather than one of an enthusiast as the car has traveled just 61 km (38 mi) from new in four years. It didn't reach reserve and has gone back into the bank vault.
No sale | 2011 Aston Martin One-77 Q-Series Coupé
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 349
Towards the end of the production of the 77-only production run for the Aston Martin One-77, a seven-only special Coupé was produced named the "Q-Series", presumably as a nod to the company's association with James Bond and his gadget-meister Q.
Each Q-Series car didn't get any more horsepower, no doubt because the 7.3-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine already produced 750 hp (559 kW) and 553 lb-ft (750 Nm) of torque. The Q-Series involved bespoke everything for the ultimate personalization program, and the price tag was believed to be in excess of $2 million. This car went to auction with an official estimate of £1.65 million to £1.8 million (US$2.18 to $2.37 million) but failed to make reserve.
No sale | 2008 2007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS Coupé Prototype
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 356
This car was shown by Aston Martin at the 2008 Geneva Motor show as a concept car, and in historical terms, can be seen as the first V12 Vantage prototype. Its correct title is probably "2007 Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS Coupé Prototype" and it hence seems undervalued at the official estimate of £400,000 to £500,000 (US$525,000 to $655,000) given it is the first one of an extreme performance luxury car that was built knowing it was going to represent the company under the scrutiny of every auto scribe in the world.
A hot rod it may be, but an extremely refined hot rod. Aston Martin described it thus: 'The V12 Vantage RS concept is based on Aston Martin's critically acclaimed V8 Vantage coupé, but the company's design and engineering team have fully exploited the design flexibility of their unique VH architecture and the motor sport development of their 6.0 litre V12 engine to create a dramatic and production feasible concept car focussed on extreme performance and dynamics."
It failed to make reserve and did not sell.
No sale | 2016 Pagani Huayra Coupé
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 378
One of the world's fastest supercars, and extremely rare. Everyone has heard of Pagani despite an annual production you can almost count on your available digits, yet everyone seems to know how to pronounce its name, indicating just how top of mind it is. Yet only 100 Huayra Coupés were ever produced, and this car is one of just four supplied to the U.K., has only 7,650 miles (12,311 km) on the odometer and was estimated to sell for between £1.3 million and £1.6 million (US$1.7 million and $2.1 million).
Prior to opening his own car company, Horacio Pagani worked with Lamborghini developing the Countach and Diablo road cars, and the company's Formula 1 engine. His limited production wares offer what the auction description accurately cites as "hitherto unimaginable levels of performance."
All the Huayras have been sold, and they cost a minimum of $1.4 million new, for which you get a700-hp (522-kW) car weighing 1,697 kg (3,741 lb) ready for battle. The uber-exclusive beastie's torque of 1,001 Nm (738 lb-ft ) is flat from 2,600 rpm to 4,200 rpm ... and it didn't sell.
$771,691 |1960 Ferrari 250 GT Coupé
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 342
Sold for: £583,900(US$771,691)
More refined and practical than any previous road-going Ferrari, yet retaining the sporting heritage of its predecessors, the 250 GT is a landmark model of immense historical significance, and this car went for a very reasonable price for what was essentially the first series production Ferrari of significant numbers, albeit only 353 in total. It was also the first car where Ferrari began to favour one coachbuilder over all others, with Pinin Farina (later Pininfarina) becoming a household name because of the affiliation.
$594,727 |1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 337
Sold for: £450,000(US$594,727)
One of 140 DB6 Volantes Mk 1s made, and one of only 29 with the Vantage engine, this car was owned by the vendor from 1989 and is unrestored and completely original, with 55,972 miles on the clock (US$90,078).
$594,066 |1964 Aston Martin DB5 4.3-Litre Sports Saloon
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 312
Sold for: £449,500(US$594,066)
The Bond model Aston Martin DB5 in the right colour and with coveted family ownership for 36 years, you'd think this was as good as it gets, but there's more. When Aston Martin set up a new paint facility at Newport Pagnell in the 1990s, it sought a car to demonstrate the quality customers could expect and this DB5 got the gig. Not surprisingly, it presents rather well, despite 20 years of being intensely looked at. Exceptionally good buy IMHO.
$534,858| 1954 AC Ace Roadster
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 354
Sold for: £404,700(US$534,858)
This particular car is the very first of a dynasty that left its mark on the world, being the first AC-built Ace, and the car that spawned the Ace/Shelby Cobra dynasty of sports cars. It is one of the 223 cars that were delivered with the 2.0-liter AC engine (and hence eligible for events such as the Mille Miglia), being followed by 463 Bristol-engined and 37 Ford-powered examples.
Additionally, this car was raced successfully in period initially as a factory car, then with drivers such as Derek Hurlock, John Gott, Ken Rudd, Paul Fletcher, and Bob Staples clocking up many miles in international rallies and a class win in the Tulip Rally. Some great pics in the auction description of this significant automobile ... and a very reasonable price considering it formed the basis of Carrol Shelby's immortal Cobra.
$520,055| 1989 Aston Martin V8 Vantage 'X-Pack'
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 358
Sold for: £393,500(US$520,055)
This car has had three owners and covered 50,000 miles (80,467 km) from new, was sold with a comprehensive history fileand, despite its luxury interior, the 170-mph (274-km/h) top speed and a 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) time of 5.4 seconds still compare well with the fastest cars of its day, such as a Ferrari Daytona or Lamborghini Miura.
Autocar summed it up thus: "People who buy the Vantage will do so in the first place for its performance, and they will not be disappointed. The figures speak for themselves. But they should take extra heart because it is one of the easiest true high performance cars to drive well: and it has been given brakes to match. In comfort too, it has much to offer, and there is a great deal of what is best in the British tradition of designing and building sports cars in its making."
$483,050| 2014 Land Rover Defender SVX "Spectre"
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 379
Sold for: £365,500(US$483,050)
We don't know if this is the same car we featured when it came up for auction last year, but if it isn't it is one of the 10 purpose-built LandRover Defender specials that were among the stars of the blockbuster 24th James Bond film, SPECTRE. When that car was sold by RM-Sothebys, it was the first of the 10 to go to auction, and we marveled at the official estimate for the car of £100,000 to £150,000 (US$130,000 to $195,000) ... and we specifically asked, "could it really go that cheaply?"
It didn't, selling for £230,000 (US$301,400), and this one went for £365,500 (US$483,050), making it the most valuable LandRover ever to sell at auction. The full story of the 10 cars was detailed last year and the RM-Sothebys auction description can be found here.
$431,243| 1928 Bugatti Type 40 Grand Sport
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 350
Sold for: £326,300(US$431,243)
This car went to auction one day after its 89th birthday and was sold with a treasure trove of literature and history. It was fully restored in 2016, after which it was shown at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, subsequently winning its class at the Greenwich Concours d'Elegance in 2017.
$327,628| 1928 Bugatti Type 44 Tourer
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 308
Sold for: £247,900(US$327,628)
This car was purchased new by Henry du Pont of the famous chemical manufacturing dynasty, and was used by the 29 year old on his honeymoon, which entailed a tour of Europe. Despite being able to afford any car he wanted, du Pont kept the car for 34 years.
This lovely quote by William Stobbs from the auction description captures the essence of Bugatti: "Bugattis encapsulate concepts of engineering which, once seen, change your ideas radically and definitively. Drive them, and you realise that each car is form and engineering in equilibrium, and a work of art."
$312,826| 2018 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 322
Sold for: £236,700(US$312,826)
Considering that the world record price paid for a Dawn is $750,000 (albeit at a charity auction), this 2018 model with just 18 miles (29 km) on the clock seems like a bargain. It actually is, because the list price for the car is $416,000 and the car was purchased but the owner never took delivery. We were too polite to ask but ... you don't get many opportunities to own a car like this with just the delivery miles on it with a 25 percent discount.
$268,420| UK Vehicle Registration Number 'D2'
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 210
Sold for: £203,100(US$268,420)
IMHO, too many people wear cars rather than drive them already, and the concept of adding a quarter million to the price of a car for a "vanity plate" seems ludicrous (even if your first name is R2), but ... each to his or her own. The world record for a vanity license plate is $14.2 million, paid for "1" in the United Arab Emirates in 2008. The previous record for "5" of $7 million was set the previous year, also in UAE, and those two number plates are the only ones to have ever sold for more than $1 million.
If you think that the price paid at Goodwood for "D 2" must be some sort of record, think again. The British record his held by Talacrest principal John Collins who paid £518,480 (US$679,500) in 2014 for the number plate "25 O", no doubt thinking about his many clients and the number of Ferrari 250 GTO cars he has sold or brokered.
Indeed, "D 2" isn;'t even close to the British record, with the next 10 most expensive plates being "X 1" (£502,500), "G 1" (£500,000), "F 1" (£440,625), "S 1" (£404,063), "1 D" (£352,411), "M 1" (£331,500), "GB 1" (£325,000), "D 1" (£300,096) and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich paid £285,000 for "VIP 1" in 2006.
There's every chance a new record is in the making because the "F 1" plate was purchased by Afzal Kahn of Khan Design and currently resides on Khan's Bugatti Veyron. The plate is listed for sale on British plate trading site Plates4less.co.uk where the asking price is £12,250,270 (US$16 million).
When you add government charges, that would make the cost to buy Khan's "F 1" number plate £14,700,405. That translates to US$19,294,914, and it is worth noting that only nine cars in history have fetched more than that at auction – and a Ferrari 250 GT California Spider has never sold for that much.
Vanity is defined by the dictionary as "excessive pride in or admiration of one's own appearance or achievements," which I guess accounts for the popularity of vanity plates.
$268,420| 1920 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Alpine Eagle Tourer
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 306
Sold for: £203,100(US$268,420)
Now this appears to be the bargain of all time for those people who really want a near-perfect example of one of the all-time-great automobiles, but whose knuckles bleed just thinking about changing a tire, let alone restoring a 98-year-old to strapping good health. What makes this car so very special is that it was purchased and restored by an automotive writer, who has documented it all, and the documents, writings, musings and receipts were all sold with the car.
Read the auction description and you'll find that said automotive scribe has provided evidence of spending circa £231,400 (US$303,300) and we're not sure if that was after he purchased said car or if it includes the purchase price. At very least, he paid circa £28,300 (US$37,090) to own this car for a short time, so the buyer is already waaaay ahead. Nice car too, as it is the model that gave the company its reputation.
$268,420| 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Sport Tourer
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 366
Sold for: £203,100(US$268,420)
It's difficult to believe that this Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Sport Tourer is nearly 90 years of age, and apparently it not only drives superbly, but handles like a dream. With coachwork by Phippen, the car was delivered new to the UK and comes with a well-documented in-period Brooklands competition history. The car sold from single family ownership since 1961 and was restored in the 1970s/1980s.
$253,618| 1965 Ford Lotus Cortina MkI Competition Saloon
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 331
Sold for: £191,900(US$253,618)
An original Team Lotus Ford Cortina MkI Competition car that was driven in-period by Jim Clark, John Whitmore and Jack Sears. As a factory car, it was sold with a well documented history and was treated to a professional restoration in the 2000s, with all the original competition modifications retained.
$216,613| 2017 Aston Martin Vanquish S Coupé
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 318
Sold for: £163,900(US$216,613)
As Aston Martin's flagship Grand Tourer, the Vanquish S Coupé has a base price in the U.K. of £199,950 (US$262,000), so someone got a bargain with this car as it was first registered in July 2017and sold with less than 1,000 miles (1,609 km) on the clock.
$142,602 |1936 AC 16/70Hp March Special
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 339
Sold for: £107,900(US$142,602)
A beautiful car from the great AC marque, with ties to the present day. Read the auction description and you'll see that this 1936 AC 16/70hp four-seat sports toureris one of just 23 produced with "Earl of March" coachwork.
The generous wheelbase and low-slung chassis of the six-cylinder AC accommodated sports-touring coachwork that was both stylish and comfortable. Among the most elegant was the four-seater sports tourer designed by Freddy March, heir to the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, whose design team was responsible for some of the finest sporting coachwork of the period. Its is believed that fewer than 600 of these standard 16-hp (12-kW) cars were built before production ended in 1939, with only 23 featuring "Earl of March" coachwork.
For those who haven't made the connection, Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond, 11th Duke of Lennox, 11th Duke of Aubigny, 6th Duke of Gordon and the host of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, is Freddy March's grandson. So the car had a visit home in many respects when it was sold at Goodwood during the festival. Let's hope it went to a good home.
$137,667 | 2012 McLaren MP4-12C Coupé
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 346
Sold for: £104,166(US$137,667)
Another bargain supercar, this 200-mph (322-km/h) 2012 McLaren MP4-12C Coupé has had just one owner and driven 430 miles (692 km) from new. It was sold with a full McLaren service history and had just been serviced by McLaren Ascot. The going price for a well used MP4-12C is in this vicinity, so there's no excuse for putting it in a safety deposit box instead of driving it as intended.
$164,805 | 1964 Bentley Series 3 Continental Two-door Saloon
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 383
Sold for: £124,700(US$164,805)
World-renowned entertainer Engelbert Humperdinck has owned this 1964 Bentley Series 3 Continental Two-door Saloon since 1979. This unique car, which has a very special history and coachwork by Park Ward, was built to order for a discerning collector and professionally restored in 2011/2012.
$105,597 | 1935 Brough Superior 4.2-Litre Drophead Coupé
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 325
Sold for: £79,900(US$105,597)
George Brough's motorcycles are the stuff of legend. They are the most consistently valuable motorcycle marque and you can't buy one for anywhere near the price of this car, as they command price up to five times more.
He also made cars, and when production ceased in 1939, an estimated 25 eight-cylinder and 50 six-cylinder Brough Superior cars had been made, making them among the rarest of fine quality British sporting cars of the 1930s. The full story of Brough Superior cars is in the auction description as three different models were sold at Goodwood and this was the most expensive of the three.
$42,556 |1937 Brough Superior 3½-Litre Saloon
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 327
Sold for: £32,200(US$42,556)
As with the car above, someone got themselves a bargain.
$10,738| Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Childrens' Car
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 150
Sold for: £8,125(US$10,738)
We often write about beautiful childrens' cars sold at auction, and this is one of the better ones, selling for a fraction of the price of some of the more expensive toys we've witnessed cross the auction block. It is an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 replica,hand-built in Germany in 2018, and powered by a gasoline engine running through an automatic gearbox. At three meters long by one meter wide (9.8 x 3.3 ft), it has quite some presence, and the degree of detail work is extraordinary.
$9,912 | Lewis Hamilton Race Suit
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 170
Sold for: £7,500(US$9,912)
Lewis Hamilton is already the most successful British driver in the history of motorsport, and he's a good chance to add a fifth World Championship in 2018, putting him alongside Juan Manuel Fangio and behind only Michael Schumacher in the pantheon of drivers. Indeed, unless something dramatic happens, he's a good chance to move past Fangio in the next few years, so his memorabilia is one day going to be worth a lot more than was paid for this genuine racing suit worn in practice for the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix. Charity auctions usually command much greater prices than non-charity auctions, so this was a bargain in several respects as it was offered for the benefit of Wings For Life Spinal Research Foundation.
$105,597 | 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Spider
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 305
Sold for: £79,900(US$105,597)
Proof that you can buy a gorgeous highly-collectible car for not much is this 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia 1600 Spiderwith coachwork by Pininfarina. The car is a rare right-hand-drive model, had a thorough ownership history, and had been professionally restored in 2017.
$69,384 | Ayrton Senna Bell Helmet
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 168
Sold for: £52,500(US$69,384)
Ayrton Senna da Silva, considered by many to be the best racing car driver in history, met his demise in an accident whilst leading the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix at Imola on May 1, 1994. Senna's memorabilia sells for extraordinary amounts, and this helmet, worn during testing for Williams at Circuit Paul Ricard on March 2, 1994, was no exception.
It is a Bell helmet, painted in Senna's traditional Brazilian colours by Pierre Van Ginneken and decorated with Nacional, Bell and a Rothmans Racing blank pattern logos with a Renault elf tinted visor. It is still fitted with a radio supplied by MRTC for the Williams Team for which Senna was driving in his last season. The helmet was sold with a signed letter from Pierre Van Ginneken, dated Brussels, 11 October 1994, stating that this is the only helmet of this type, painted with this design.
$35,793 | 2010 Jaguar XJ8 LWB 'Armoured' Saloon
Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed Sale | Lot 381
Sold for: £27,083(US$35,793)
This Armoured 2010 Jaguar XJ8 LWB Saloonhas an extraordinary provenance, having been supplied by Jaguar Cars directly to the British Government and used extensively by the late Baroness Thatcher. Apart from being the last official car used by the former Prime Minister, it was also used by another former Prime Minister, David Cameron.
Baroness Thatcher was the UK's first woman Prime Minister, she held the United Kingdom's highest office of state from 1979 to 1990 and was the UK's longest serving Prime Minister of the 20th Century. The car was serviced just before it was sold, came with a comprehensive armour package fitted by Jaguar, had just 22,700 miles (36,532 km) on the clock and, despite that wonderful provenance, it fetched just £27,083(US$35,793). At that price it represented excellent value if you were only intending to get the kids safely to school.