Bonhams Motoring is returning to Paris on 2 February 2023 with Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale. Opening the Bonhams Motorcars Europe 2023 calendar, the sale will be staged in the heart of the city at the Grand Palais Ephémère, by the Eiffel Tower. The sale will offer an array of collectors’ motor cars, spanning more than 100 years of motoring excellence and history.
Ahead of the auction, we look back at the last 10 years of impressive sell-through rates and the many world auction records achieved here, as well as upcoming highlights from the sale.
Winner of the 2005 Tour Auto Regularity Class, 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Coupé
A true dual-purpose car, the DB4GT was was equally at ease on both the circuit and Grand Tour. One of only 30 of its kind produced with left-hand drive, this model was originally shipped to the United States Aston Martin agent, BMCD on 13th January 1961.
In 1997, the car returned to the United Kingdom and was later sold to a gentleman racer and Aston Martin collector who was invited to enter the DB4GT in the Tour Auto and the Concorso d’Eleganza at Villa d’Este in 2001. The car has achieved two 3rd places, three 5th places and on the 2005 event won the Regularity Class outright at the Tour Auto.
Amongst the most beloved of all Astons, the DB4GT remains unmatched for its unique combination of performance and roadability, and this rally-ready model sold for € 1,012,000 in The Paris Sale in 2012.
1935 Aston Martin Ulster ‘CML 719’
With an outstanding provenance and racing history including a 5th place in its class at the 1935 Le Mans 24H, this 1935 Aston Martin Ulster ‘CML 719’ was the star of the show at Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais sale in 2017.
It is of little surprise that it well exceeded its estimate to achieve the astonishing sum of €2,012,500, after an intense exchange between four bidders in the sale room which lasted several minutes and culminated in a round of applause when the hammer finally came down!
1904 Fiat Type 24/32 rear-entrance tonneau
Founded in Turin by a group of aristocratic motoring enthusiasts, FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) built its first car in 1899. Introduced in 1903, the Type 24/32 was an immense success for FIAT and remained in production until 1905, by which time over 400 had been completed.
Chassis number ‘745’, the car offered here, was ordered new by Mr & Mrs George Agassiz of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. On honeymoon in Europe in 1903, the couple visited the FIAT factory in Turin, Italy and were impressed by the Type 24/32. They duly ordered one, which was completed in June 1904 for shipment to Hollander & Tangeman in New York, the FIAT importer in the USA and Canada.
In February 2018, this 1904 Fiat Type 24/32 rear-entrance tonneau fetched €713,000 at auction, in a marathon sale that lasted over 7 hours and achieved and achieved a total of €14,930,317.
1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Cabriolet A
Together with its predecessor the 500 K, the magnificent Mercedes-Benz 540 K was arguably the most noteworthy production model offered by the Stuttgart firm during the 1930s, representing the pinnacle of its pre-war achievements.
Offering elegant two-seater accommodation allied to breathtaking performance, this rare and stylish 540 K cabriolet represents the very best that money could buy in the late 1930s and is a fine example of this classic German model. As its maker said: ‘a car for the connoisseur’.
Formerly owned by His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal, former King of Jordan, the car had been in the ownership of the late monarch’s family for the past 34 years, and sold for €1,581,250 in February 2019.
1931 Bugatti Type 55 Two-Seat Supersport
One of the most important Bugatti sports cars of the marque’s golden era, this magnificent 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Roadster was the star lot of the Bonhams Grand Palais Sale, selling for an impressive €4,600,000 in February 2020 – the most valuable lot across all the collectors’ motor car sales taking place in Paris that week.
The rare example (one of only 29 surviving) of an early French supercar was the subject of much pre-sale attention, being its very first appearance at auction, following an incredible 56 years in the ownership of renowned British Bugatti connoisseur, the late Geoffrey St John, and lately of his niece, Dr Alissar McCreary.
This exceptional and historic car presented a once in a lifetime opportunity to buy one of the most important examples of the golden age of automotive craftsmanship and performance, and was the subject of a serious yet spirited three-way bidding battle in the room before being sold to a Swiss Bugatti collector, whose final bid earned applause from the room.
1992 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Type 964 ‘Works Turbo Look’ Cabriolet
Offered at auction for the first time, Diego Maradona’s 1992 Porsche 911 Type 964 Carrera 2 Convertible Works Turbo Look achieved €483,000, making more than double its high estimate at Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale, the first fully digital Bonhams Motor Cars sale.
The rare 911 was delivered new to ‘El Diego’ in November 1992. Only 1,200 variants of the 964 Carrera 2 Convertible Works Turbo Look were produced in a two-year run. A supercar of its day, the 911 was powered by a 250bhp 3.6-litre Carrera 2 engine with a top speed of 260km/h. Within half an hour of receiving delivery of the car, the footballing legend cruised through the historic centre of Seville, jumping red lights and at a speed of 180kph.
The Porsche was later sold to a private owner on the island of Majorca who owned it for 20 years before it passed through the hands of several private collectors. It was offered in practically original yet well-preserved condition, having covered circa 120,000 kms (75,000 miles) since new.
2014 Ferrari LaFerrari Coupé
One of the world’s fastest, most exciting hypercars, the evocatively titled ‘LaFerrari’ integrates electric power with the iconic V12 engine, a type of power unit used in the very first Ferrari of 1947.
One of only 499 examples of the hybrid hypercar and the first production car to feature the F1-derived HY-KERS hybrid system, this yellow over black LaFerrari had covered fewer than 930km from new and was offered by its second owner.
This 2014 example lit up the auction in the Grand Palais Éphémère, achieving €2,558,750 and setting a new auction world record for a European-specification variant to the applause of the saleroom.