Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde á Paris, March 10, 2021
No, it wasn’t at the Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées, it wasn’t during Rétromobile, nor in fact was it even in France. Les Grandes Marques du Monde á Paris was literally aethereal and online only. It also didn’t share the usual exceptional collection of rare, valuable and famous European cars and obscure French marques and models […]
Bonhams “Legends of the Road” February 19, 2021
Bonhams “Legends of the Road” auction is a prime example of the flexibility and effectiveness of “pop-up” auctions in the CoViD era. There were only six lots, but several were exceptional and all had good stories to tell about collecting, preserving and driving. Bonhams, to their credit, produced a full printed and distributed catalog, something […]
Bonhams, Scottsdale, Arizona, January 21, 2021
2021 didn’t open like any other year for Bonhams. The cars were previewed on the finely trimmed lawns of the Westin Kierland as before but the auction was live/online and the consignment was only a third of the lots in prior years. It was a reduction in scale common across the Scottsdale auctions. The bidding […]
Bonhams, New Bond Street, London, December 16, 2020
Missing from Bonhams annual season-ending London auction at its New Bond Street headquarters was one single crucial element: a seven-figure car. They had an Aston Martin DB5 and its successor, a DB6 Vantage Volante. They had a Bentley R-Type Continental H.J. Mulliner fastback, all bid to strong six-figure amounts but all also failed to find […]
Bonhams, London, October 30, 2020 There was no London to Brighton Veteran Car Run but the Spirit Lives
CoViD claimed another victim when the 2020 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run was cancelled. That didn’t deter Bonhams from celebrating veteran and vintage cars (and a road locomotive) on October 30. Re-branded “The Golden Age of Motoring” there was a diverse consignment of vehicles dating from 1900 to 1939. Out of 34 lots offered, […]
Bonhams, Goodwood Speed Week, October 17, 2020
No spectators. No fancy manufacturer exhibits. No posh entertainment. Few period costumes. This was not the usual Goodwood Revival. It was Goodwood for the participants, and it was a unique experience. Here’s what Chris Sharpe said: “Goodwood without any crowds whatsoever was a privilege beyond words. The history of the circuit is one thing but […]
Bonhams, Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum, Philadelphia, October 11, 2020
Strategically positioned on the Sunday before Hershey Week, Bonhams auction at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum celebrates Dr. Fred Simeone’s philosophy of preserving and driving great cars. In 2020 there was no Hershey Week, but Bonhams went to Philadelphia anyway and presented a docket that included some simply marvelous old unrestored cars. None was more […]
Bonhams, Quail Online, Los Angeles, California , August 10-14, 2020
An organization that traces its history back to 1793 should be expected to be traditional, staid and fiercely resistant to anything that resembles innovation. That has not been the case for Bonhams approach to online auctions. In the UK Bonhams started a series of affordable classic auction sales called MPH last year, a venture that […]
Bonhams, Amelia Island, March 5, 2020
This is the first report from the three auctions at Amelia, the last events before coronavirus and COVID-19 upended everything. The reports from RM Sotheby’s and Gooding & Company will follow shortly, along with an extended analysis of RM’s Palm Beach auction March 25-28, which quickly moved to an Online Only format with closing times […]
Bonhams, Grand Palais, Paris, February 6, 2020
“Those were the days”. Bonhams Paris auction is set in the best location, the Grand Palais which hosted automobile and aviation shows in the early 20th century when Paris was the center of the automotive world. Bonhams brings back relics of the age once again to luxuriate in the ambience of the Grand Palais, accented […]