Zoute, 12th September, 2020

A 1959 BMW 507, first owned by King Constantine II of Greece, was the top lot at the Bonhams Zoute Sale on Sunday 11 October 2020, selling for more than €2 million to a telephone bidder, earning applause from the saleroom.

Another regal ride, a 1955 Aston Martin DB2/4 3.0-litre sports saloon, originally owned by King Baudouin of Belgium, successfully sold for €264,500 in the 36 lot sale, which realised a total of more than €8.4 million and had a very respectable sale rate of 75 per cent.

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The monarchs’ motor cars holding court at the eighth Bonhams auction were both sought-after models of the 1950s. The BMW 507 was one of the era’s most expensive and exclusive convertibles, with only 252 cars produced.

King Constantine’s car, fitted with options fit for a king including a Nardi steering wheel, was fully and beautifully restored in the early 1990s and has since taken part in the world’s most prestigious motoring events.

The Aston Martin DB2/4 was also restored, in the early 2000s, to the original specification of King Baudouin, which included the aptly named ‘Royal Crimson’ coachwork with contrasting beige Connolly leather. Originally supplied by the Belgian Aston Martin concessionaire Mannès, the royal motor car was delivered to the Belgian embassy in Paris, for security reasons, and registered on diplomatic number plates.

Another strong performer at the Bonhams sale was the 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta. The subject of a Ferrari-certified concours-standard restoration in 2018, the Pininfarina-styled grand tourer achieved €1,782,500. The Lusso was the second most valuable motor car in the sale.
The top ten lots all achieved their pre-sale estimate prices, with highlights including:
1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster with Hardtop, a rare ‘triple black’ liveried and fully restored example, sold for €851,000.

1957 AC Bristol Roadster, which campaigned in the 1960 Le Mans 24 Hours, sporting number 57, for the Rambaux-Boutin team, sold for €454,250, a particularly high figure for this model, accounted for by its sporting provenance and unique specification.
A 1956 Bentley S1 Continental Coupé, one of 33 left-hand drive Park Ward derivatives produced and first owned by the 'King of Hollywood' Lew Wasserman, sold for €368,000.

Another motor car catching the interest of the bidders was an ex-Belgian Gendarmerie 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 MFI Targa, one of twenty ordered by the Belgian government which were the fastest police cars of their day, sold for €189,750.
Philip Kantor, Head of Department, Bonhams Motor Cars Europe, said: “We were honoured to have been in the company of automotive royalty this weekend and are delighted to have had such a successful sale in these challenging times.
“The overall results – and indeed the number of registered bidders - show that the appetite for exceptional motor cars with interesting provenance and potential is still very strong.
“We are grateful to have had the co-operation and support of the Zoute Grand Prix organisers with hosting this successful auction. We look forward to returning to Knokke-Heist next year and hope to see a number of the motor cars sold this weekend taking part in the 2021 Zoute Grand Prix Rally.”
The Bonhams Zoute Sale was conducted as a traditional live auction, with the Bonhams auctioneer in the saleroom at the CWART in Knokke-Heist, in accordance with current local COVID-19 guidelines, also live streamed across the globe via Bonhams.com.


The next Bonhams Motor Car Sale will be the Goodwood SpeedWeek Sale on Saturday 17 October at the celebrated Motor Circuit in West Sussex.

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