September 2019 Classic & Sports Car 207THE MARKETPLACE
The ex-Nigel Mansell Williams
FW14B, which dominated the
1992 Formula One season and was
known as Red Five, set a new
auction record for a Williams
Grand Prix car at the Bonhams
Festival of Speed sale on 5 July. But
there was just as much interest
behind the headlines, as two of the
other marquee lots failed to sell.
While Red Five fetched £2.7m,
Old Mother Gun, the Bentley that
won Le Mans in 1928 and finished
runner-up the following year, failed
to sell, so too the long-chassis Alfa
Romeo 8C-2300 that had been
expected to reach £4-5m. Bidding
stopped at £3.3m for the Alfa, while
the Bentley closed unsold at £1.4m.
A brace of pre-war MG racers
fared better. The Charles DodsonMagnette that won the 1934 RAC
TT crossed the block for £189,750
against a £160-240,000 estimate,
while a J4 Midget with strong
history eased past its expected
£180-240,000 to £255,875.
One of the four work Austin-
Healey 3000 rally cars achieved
£230,000 (£200-250,000), and the
pick of the road cars was perhaps
the 1998 Jaguar XJ220 that sold
squarely within its estimate at
£414,000. An Aston Martin DB4
Vantage did likewise at £465,750.
At Bonhams’ Chantilly auction,
held on 30 June, an ex-Juan Manuel
Fangio and Jean-Pierre Wimille
Gordini surprisingly only edged
towards its lower estimate.
Expected to command £620-
890,000, it sold for £618,619.RED FIVE HIDES RACERS’ NON-SALE
From top: one of the
most famous Williams
Grand Prix cars has added
another record to its name;
sub-10,000-mile Jaguar
XJ220 sold well; interest
was high for two ex-RAC
TT entrants from MG, with
both finding new homesHONDAS GO HIGH AT HOME
A pair of Honda NSXs hit startling prices at Japanese auction house BH’s
Tokyo sale in June, where an as-new 2005 NSX-R with a mere 560km on the
clock commanded ¥48,400,000 (£360,000), and a not quite as fresh 860km
1995 Type-R/92R sold for ¥30,800,000 (£229,000). Both surpassed their
upper estimates, by ¥400,000 and ¥800,000 respectively.
Top lot was claimed by a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7, one of only
13 imported into Japan and with one owner since 1976. The 95,000km
Touring went for ¥72,820,000 (£542,692).
Two cars are so far confirmed for the next Tokyo auction, a rare 1969
Toyota 2000GT ‘MF12L’ and 1982 Lancia 037 Rally Stradale.Original Grand Prix White
1995 Honda NSX Type-R
had been expected to sell
for £185-225,000