A preview of Bonham's end of year sale at Mercedes-Benz World
The slight increase in ambient temperatures and resultant thaw of the Surrey snow meant I was able to get to the preview of the Bonhams Auction at Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands. The improvement in weather also meant that a few classic cars made an appearance on the roads, and while en route to the event I was surprised to see an immaculate Jaguar E-Type Coupe along with a gorgeous (and very yellow) Lamborghini Islero out and about.
It was my first visit to Mercedes-Benz World, and I have to say I was impressed. It offers an interesting mix of car showroom and museum, with a pleasant coffee shop. I wouldn’t mind trying some of the driving experiences offered on the short circuit and skid pan some time in the future, especially if it was in a Mercedes SLS AMG, a white example of which was on display on the AMG floor.
As to the auction itself, Drive Cult has already featured the star car of the auction, the Ferrari 550 Barchetta Zagato. In that piece I commented that I was unsure what the car would look like with the roof up, and I am pleased to report that Zagato have engineered a reasonable roof arrangement which is actually better than Pininfarina’s effort on the standard Barchetta.
The Zagato was one of my pics for the auction for its uniqueness alone, but what of the other cars on offer? Naturally, there are a number of Mercedes, including a 600 Pullman once owned by Elvis Presley. Hopefully he didn’t shoot it, as he is said to have done to his De Tomaso Pantera when it wouldn’t start! However, for me the Mercedes 300SL Gullwing is one the one to have. This example was restored in 2002 and seemed to be in top condition. Bonhams estimate it will sell for between £350,000 to £400,000.
Staying with German cars, I was rather taken with a Porsche 356B Cabriolet. I’m a big fan of the 356 but ususally prefer the coupe (with thoughts of building an Outlaw version), but this Cabriolet was nicely presented and with an estimate of £50,000 to £55,000, half that of the 356 Speedster also in the auction.
I went to the auction with my Dad and he was rather taken with a 1941 Cadillac Series 62 Touring Sedan. I have to say I know very little about pre-1960s American cars, but the catalogue indicates that it is fitted with a 150bhp V8 and a three-speed manual gearbox. It was very nicely presented with paint shining under the bright lights. Bonhams estimate it will make between £16,000 - £20,000.
Both Dad and I agreed on the final pick, a Datsun 240Z. Very nicely presented in silver, this 1971 example has spent most of its life in South Africa with the warm climate probably assisting in keeping the car in such good condition. The 240Z is a great looking car and they've always been a relatively rare sight on UK roads, since most of the production went to the States.
Bonhams estimate this example will make between £10,000 to £15,000. If the 240Z had a cooler badge than Datsun on the nose it would probably make double that.
The auction takes place tomorrow and the online catalogue can be found here.
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