Held at the Peninsula London hotel on the edge of Hyde Park, this year’s RM Sotheby’s London auction finished with a reported 82 per cent of lots sold for a total of £17,435,275, the UK’s largest sale this year. While the star car of the sale – a rare Jaguar XKSS – failed to sell at an £8M high bid, most of the higher-priced cars sold within their presale estimate ranges.
The auction brought a wide range of vehicles. The oldest was a De Dion-Bouton from 1899. The newest was a McLaren from 2020. Our colleague Chris Sharpe attended the London auction in person and provided valuable notes on condition for the cars there. We look at the most interesting and significant stuff in detail below.
Lot 317: 1959 Aston Martin DB Mark III by Tickford
Sold for £40,250
Chassis no. AM30031673. White over black. Unrestored original, #5+ condition.
Equipment: LHD. Chrome wire wheels, wood-rim steering wheel, missing drivetrain.
Condition: Reportedly fitted with the optional Special Series engine at the factory, and sold new to the U.S., where it remained into the 2000s. One of 551 examples of the DB Mark III produced between 1957 and 1959. It requires a complete restoration with some (but not all) parts included in the sale. An even dusting all over doesn’t hide a weird Mother of Pearl metallic spray job instead of its original black. The body is straight and true with good panel alignment. The exterior is in mixed condition and there’s a lot of spares inside, which is shabby and missing plenty of pieces, but nothing looks rotten. Offered from the “Best of British” collection, where it has been since 2014.
Bottom line: The DB Mk III is a seriously handsome car even in this neglected condition. Excellent ones can be worth £150,000. This example is very, very far from excellent but with a committed owner it should come out the other end of a full restoration quite nicely, and deserves to. A full restoration is expensive, so at least the new owner isn’t very far into the project at about half the car’s low estimate.
Lot 306: 1915 Hispano-Suiza Alfonso XIII
Sold for £263,750
Chassis no. 2252; Engine no. 2252. Red and gold over black leather. Older restoration, #2- condition.
Equipment: 3619cc/64bhp twin-cam four-cylinder, four-speed gearbox, skiff body, yellow wire wheels, bulb horn, rear-mounted spare.
Condition: Known, continuous history from 1915 to date with just four owners. Originally sold to and bodied in Australia for a Dunlop executive there. Used extensively in historic rallies in the 1960s and 1970s, reportedly covering about 500,000 miles. Fitted with a skiff-style body inspired by Briggs Cunningham’s Alfonso in the 1980s as part of three-year restoration. It was in the York Motor Museum collection in Western Australia for last 41 years and is now sold by them. It comes with a history file including letters of verification, copy records, and original sales brochure. Good paint with even panels. Smart, very tall wire wheels. Presentable interior that needs a quick polish. Correct looking wood rear deck. Lovely steering and pedals. All the brass is medium polished. The chassis is body painted to a shiny finish, which looks a bit much, but this is still a fascinating car.
Bottom line: Founded in Spain and headed by Swiss engineer Marc Birkigt, Hispano-Suiza (“Spanish-Swiss”) was an automotive powerhouse in the first half of the twentieth century. It built one of Europe’s first production sports cars, and named it after one of the company’s early patrons, Spanish King Alfonso XIII. Capable of 75 mph on the road and 90 in race tune, it was fast, and with a twin-cam four-cylinder engine it was advanced for its era.
The later rebody and the extensive miles covered probably didn’t do this example many favours, but these cars almost never come to market (only 500 were built and few are left) and the result here was a solid one right within RM Sotheby’s presale estimate range.
Lot 336: 1993 Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight
Sold for £770,000
Chassis no. WP0ZZZ96ZPS479075; Engine no. 61N01602. Grand Prix White over black leather. Unrestored original, #2+ condition.
Equipment: 3.3L/381bhp, single KKK turbo, five-speed, roll-cage, thinner glass, aluminium doors, carbon fibre luggage compartment, thinner carpets, rear spoiler, red callipers.
Condition: Single owner from new and represented with 130 km (81 miles) from new. Specified for the South African market but shipped to Asia. Recently refurbished, including a repaint, after storage in a private collection. Very clean and all looks correct for an original untouched (except for the paint) car. The interior has been well cared for. Well stored and it shows cosmetically. Hopefully the mechanical and electrical aspects have been well kept, too.
Bottom line: In 1992, Porsche offered its 964 with the 3.3-litre Turbo S Lightweight package, weighing over 400 pounds less than the standard Turbo S. While 25–50 cars were projected, demand was strong enough that 86 were built, including 19 made in right-hand drive, like this one. The regular Turbo was reworked with larger injectors, higher boost, hotter camshafts and a lightweight, minimalist interior.
Only a handful of these special 964-generation 911 Turbos have come to auction in recent years, and if this one looks familiar, that’s because RM Sotheby’s just reported it sold in Monterey for $923,500. Maybe the deal feel through, but either way it’s reported sold again in London for a similar and similarly realistic result given the rarity and the mileage.
Lot 343: 2000 Aston Martin Vantage Le Mans V600
Sold for £314,375
Chassis no. SCFDAM2S1XBR70265. Bowland Black over black and Magnolia leather piped in black. Unrestored original, #2 condition.
Equipment: 5430cc/600bhp twin Eaton-supercharged V8 engine, six-speed, alloy wheels, power seats, Alpine CD.
Condition: The 37th of 40 Vantage Le Mans V600 special edition examples built to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Aston Martin’s sole outright victory in the great 24-hour race. One of just 18 cars built in right-hand drive form. Accompanied by the owner’s guides showing 15 service stamps, tool kit, fire extinguisher, jack, armrest torch, and history file. Engine rebuilt in 2012 at the factory. Showing just shy of 10,000 miles and very clean with mint wheels, clean leather and carpets. Very good for a low-miles, mid-use car.
Bottom line: When the Vantage came out in 1993, its twin-supercharged V-8 boasted 550bhp and 555 lb-ft. These were the days when a Corvette-eating Dodge Viper made just 400bhp. The Ferrari F50, which came out two years later, made 513. Jokingly referred to as the “brute in a suit” when it was new, it was based on an old design (the Virage) and had plenty of power but was never very good at putting it down. Most of the car magazines of the day called it unpredictable or downright scary, but Aston nevertheless gave it more grunt in 1998 (600bhp and 600lbft), and built this Le Mans model as a £232,950 sendoff. This is a ridiculous car, but ridiculous can be cool to the right people. While not a record price, this is a strong result at the top of the presale estimate range.
Lot 332: 1958 Aston Martin DB Mark III Drophead Coupé by Tickford
Sold for £297,500
Chassis no. AM30031490. Pacific Blue over red leather with black top. Older restoration, #2 condition.
Equipment: 2922cc six, four-speed with Laycock overdrive, chrome wire wheels, Armstrong shock absorbers, tonneau cover, dual exhaust.
Condition: One of 84 DB Mark III drophead coupes made (out of 551 DB Mark IIIs total). Delivered new to David Brown, then owner of Aston Martin, and mostly used by his wife. Fully restored in the 2010s by Aston Martin Works. Excellent body finish and in a lovely deep metallic blue. The instrument surrounds have been rechromed perfectly. The dash, seats and carpets are all better than new. A very pretty, near faultless car, though the catalogue states “now offered from storage after most recently belonging to a UK-based, Middle Eastern-owned private collection of vehicles,” so some basic mechanical servicing may be in order.
Bottom line: Considering this car’s clean presentation as well as its ownership history with the company boss and man whose initials are on Aston Martins to this day, this price represents a surprisingly good value.
Lot 339: 1936 Delahaye 135 S Works
Sold for £1,096,250
Chassis no. 47188. Blue over black.
Equipment: 3.6-litre six-cylinder, four-speed, aero-screen, cable-operated Bendix brakes, painted wire wheels.
Condition: Excellent race history with competition appearances at Antwerp, Brooklands, Cork, Crystal Palace, Donington, Goodwood, Isle of Man, Le Mans, Montlhéry and Pau, and many victories and podiums to its credit. Raced as a Works car briefly and eventually sold to Siamese Prince Chula and driven by his cousin Prince Bira. Bought by young Johnnie Walker, the whisky heir, and later F1 team owner Rob Walker in the late 1930s, and after a race at Brooklands in 1939 it was declared “Britain’s Fastest Road Car.” Finished eighth at Le Mans later that year, after a broken exhaust burned both Walker’s and his co-driver’s feet. Raced in the postwar years under Walker’s ownership, including a DNF at the 1949 Le Mans and two podiums at Goodwood. Walker sold it in 1952, but bought it back again at a Sotheby’s auction in 1970 at a £5000 winning bid. It has been with the Walker family ever since.
Today its 1970s rebody shows older paint over uneven panels but this is acceptable on an old race car. The front grille and some suspension parts are also sprayed over in blue, which looks a bit much. The chassis and exposed mechanicals all look well maintained. The open cabin is smart, save for the steering leather peeling away. A venerable car with a history and class to match.
Bottom line: Many of these Delahaye racers have fantastic stories to go with them, and that is certainly true of this car. Despite its older rebody and generally older condition, it would be welcome at almost any car show or driving event, anywhere in the world. A £1.1M price is a lot of coin by any definition, but provenance costs a lot of money in this world, and this is quite a bit of provenance per pound.
Lot 322: 1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series IV Vantage
Sold for £426,875
Chassis no. DB4970R; Engine no. 3701004SS. Blue over tan leather. Older restoration, #2+ condition.
Equipment: 4.2L, four-speed transmission, wire wheels, oil cooler, GT instrument panel, pushbutton radio, woodrim steering wheel, Smiths dash clock.
Condition: From “Best of British” collection. One of 136 DB4 Vantage coupes. Originally painted black. Represented as matching numbers engine uprated to a 4.2-litre displacement with fast road camshafts. Restored by Clark & Carter Restorations Ltd. in the 2010s. Accompanied by a copy of its Aston Martin build sheet with period maintenance record. Excellent paint with a recent detailed polish shine. The front grille looks perfect. The exterior trim is all perfect, too. With unmarked leather and an immaculate interior, it’s a great cosmetic presentation but it’s the beautiful shape and upgraded engine that really sell this thoroughbred.
Bottom line: The DB4 Vantage added special cylinder heads and three carburetors for more power than the standard DB4, and most examples embraced the handsome faired-in, covered headlights first seen on the DB4 GT. This is a strong result for one, but the quality of the restoration is apparent and it was rewarded by the bidders with a price near the £450K high estimate.
Lot 304: 1902 Haynes-Apperson 4/6-Seater Surrey
Sold for £134,550
Chassis no. 74; Engine no. 74. Green over black. Older restoration
Equipment: LHD. 12bhp two-cylinder engine, three-speed, chain drive, steering wheel (an optional extra in the days of tiller steering).
Condition: 12bhp four-seat Surrey model, powered by a twin-cylinder engine in excess of four litres. Of note is the pioneering early fitment of a steering wheel for the first time on the left-hand side of a production vehicle. Inspected by the Veteran Car Company in 2017. Reportedly part of William F. Harrah’s collection in 1968, as claimed by the Antique Automobile Club of America. It was sold at auction in the 1978 dispersal as a restoration project. The car was restored at some point prior importation into the United Kingdom in April 1990, then for the noted Veteran Car Club member Clive Williams. Then sold in 2000.
Veteran car specialist and VCC member Robert Cleminson was the next proprietor, and he sold the car at auction in 2004 to the current consignor. It has done 30 London to Brighton runs. It reportedly cruises at 25 mph, and tops out at 45. Straight chassis and clean suspension. The wood wheels look strong. The chain drive is immense. Leather clad wheel guards are a great touch. This is a large, impressive Veteran car, and included in the sale is entry into this year’s London to Brighton.
Bottom line: Elwood Haynes was a famous inventor who created satellite, the cobalt alloy, and independently co-discovered stainless steel. He co-founded Haynes-Apperson with brothers Elmer and Edgar Apperson in the 1890s. Indiana’s first carmaker, Haynes-Apperson gained an early reputation for building cars that would run a long distance. This one would have cost about $1800 new (the 1908 Ford Model T cost barely half as much).
The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is the world’s longest-running motoring event. It’s only open to vehicles built before 1905. It is also the premier event for veteran cars, and has gotten increasingly popular over the past several years. Eligible cars aren’t extremely difficult to find but they aren’t exactly getting any easier to find, either. This one, with its repeated successful appearances there, seems like a solid mount. And it brought a sensible price.
