Bonhams Fairfield Concours d’Elegance, Westport, Connecticut, September 18, 2011
Report and photos by Rick Carey, Auction Editor
Bonhams returned to the Fairfield Concours d’Elegance for its second year and, in common with the concours, expanded to two days with an opening day sale of automobilia and Rolls-Royce and Bentley parts from the estate of Bob Jefferson.
One of the Fairfield Concours special classes was barn finds and one of the class highlights was the Bugatti Type 57 Ventoux Coupe which headlined Bonhams’ auction on Sunday. It was joined in the auction by several other barn finds and near-barn finds which both matched the concours’ theme and gave attendees the intriguing possibility of turning a lump into next year’s concours star.
There were a number of very good values among the vehicles sold making attendance a great opportunity for collectors looking for unusual and unusually economical ways to add interesting vehicles to their collections. The Bugatti at $337,000 was not one of them, but was a sound buy in a complete, running car ready for restoration.
Bonhams Fairfield Concours d’Elegance 2011 – Auction Report
(See Reference – Auctions Explained, A Note on Conditions and Character).
Lot # 705 1955 Austin-Healey 100/4 Roadster; S/N BN1L223573; Engine # 1B214732; Black/Red leather; Estimate $55,000 - $65,000; Modified restoration, 2- condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $42,000 -- Silver painted wire wheels, Dunlop SP Sport blackwalls, leather word strap, quick release full cap, Lucas driving lights, no bumpers, aluminum cylinder head, electronic ignition, overdrive 4-speed. Tonneau cover, but no top or side curtains. Attractively restored with good cosmetics. Not like new but good enough. A car for rugged British-style drivers who don't need weather protection. Apparently they were thin on the ground in Westport and only able to come up with this much. It might have bought the car if the seller were desperate (or despondent), but not in normal circumstances.
Lot # 717 1973 Ferrari 246 GTS Dino, Body by Pininfarina; S/N 4366; Yellow/Black vinyl; Estimate $150,000 - $170,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3 condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $142,000 -- Kenwood cassette stereo, Uniden scanner, no A/C, Cromodora Dino 14x6 1/2 alloy wheels, BFG Radial T/A. Good repaint and interior. Bad dash covering. Old undercoat on chassis. Originally Nocciola Metallizato (Hazelnut) with Tobacco interior. It would have been much more unusual and appealing in the original color scheme. In its present mediocre condition the reported high bid should have been ample to buy the car.
Lot # 718 1927 Franklin 11B Sport Touring; S/N N/A; Maroon, Putty fenders/Putty leather; Beige cloth top; Estimate $16,000 - $18,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $17,000 plus commission of 17.00%; Final Price $19,890 -- Decent older paint and interior. Thin nickel, pitted windshield frame. Chassis and underbody quickly sprayed. A usable, cosmetically redone, sound old car that doesn't rise to the stature of restored. No Reserve. Recognized as a CCCA Full Classic (tm), this is a sound and usable car for a bargain price, maybe the least expensive way to participate in CCCA events in the world. It may be mid-estimate but it's also a real value.
Lot # 721 1927 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Trouville Town Car/Sedanca, Body by Brewster; S/N S241FP; Engine # 22417; Black/Grey leather; Beige cloth; Estimate $20,000 - $30,000; Unrestored original, 4 condition; Hammered Sold at $34,000 plus commission of 17.00%; Final Price $39,780 -- Lefthand drive. Bosch drum headlights, drum cowl lights, jump seats, rollup division, dual sidemounts, trunk rack. Started life as an Oxford, later fitted with this Town Car coachwork by the second owner and later permanently enclosed in its present condition. Mostly complete, straight and sound but tired and aged. Needs everything. A straightforward restoration project with the formal body or a candidate for adaptation to something more sporting, the bidders obviously saw the potential in this PI and bid accordingly.
Lot # 722 1952 MG TD Race Car; S/N TD12427; Engine # XPAG/TD2/LHX12835; Yellow/Black vinyl; Estimate $20,000 - $30,000; Modified for competition during restoration 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $15,000 plus commission of 17.00%; Final Price $17,550 -- Full width roll bar, cycle front fenders, bucket seats, fuel cell, 5-point harness, aeroscreen, oil cooler, open hood sides. VSCCA logbook. Well used but tidy. This is a bargain entry into vintage racing, fun, reasonably safe and eligible for plenty of events. A good value.
Lot # 723 1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Coupe; S/N DB6/2722/L; Engine # 400/2697/V; Metallic Dark Blue/Dark Blue leather; Estimate $300,000 - $375,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $310,000 plus commission of 12.26%; Final Price $348,000 -- Blaupunkt multiband radio, chrome wire wheels, P/W. Good paint, chrome and interior. Wiper scratched windshield, stretched driver's seat cushion. Old undercoat repainted and flaking off in wheelwells. This is a reasonably good and consistently maintained example but the price is optimistic for its history and condition.
Lot # 724 1925 Peugeot Quadrilette Type 172 Two-Seater; S/N 10811; Green, Black fenders/Black vinyl; Black cloth top; Estimate $15,000 - $20,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $13,500 plus commission of 17.00%; Final Price $15,795 -- Lefthand drive. Phares Besnard kerosene headlights, large right side acetylene spotlight and kerosene taillight. Superficial repaint, quick interior, old top and oily, dusty chassis and engine. Rough and ready but extremely cute and likely to be very enjoyable whether in this condition or as the subject of a reasonably priced and straightforward restoration (although why bother?)
Lot # 725 1986 Bertone X1/9 Coupe, Body by Bertone; S/N ZBBBS00AXG7157264; Black, Grey/Black vinyl, Brown cloth; Estimate $8,000 - $12,000; Unrestored original, 3+ condition; Hammered Sold at $5,000 plus commission of 17.00%; Final Price $5,850 -- A/C, CD stereo. Original, but not like new, a used car with 55,198 miles. A curiosity, to be sure, and modestly priced as well.
Lot # 726 1987 Maserati Quattroporte 4-Dr. Sedan; S/N AM33049A005616; Silver/Saddle leather; Estimate $8,000 - $12,000; Unrestored original, 3- condition; Post-block sale at $2,000 plus commission of 17.00%; Final Price $2,340 -- A/C, Alpine CD stereo. Fair repaint, dirty interior. A typically tired and ignored, but not entirely neglected, QP III. It is sound and original except for the repaint and doesn't show any obvious body rot. Capable of consuming significant miles in an hour of highway driving at prodigious fuel cost and presenting a visage that is one of the most aggressive-looking 4-door sedans ever built and they are still high speed 4-passenger sedans to be reckoned with even in the era of M-series BMWs, Cadillac CTS-Vs and AMG Mercedes. No bidding interest on the block and passed but later acquired at this price by a quixotic bottom-feeder who appreciated the luxurious interior, generally complete condition and potential as a commodious tow car for diminutive Lancias ... or conversion of the interior into furniture and of the 4-Weber 4-cam V-8 into an impressive coffee table base. At much less than a dollar a pound, this is filet mignon at a hamburger price.
Lot # 728 1964 Lancia Flavia Convertible, Body by Vignale; S/N 815334-2093; Engine # 8158006196; White/Red leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $60,000 - $80,000; Recent restoration, 2- condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $42,000 -- White hardtop, AM-FM. Excellent paint, chrome and upholstery freshly done and very sharp, but steering wheel spokes are pitted, radio and dash plastic knobs dull and oxidized. Done, but not finished. The only Lancia buyer in the room apparently preferred its Italian antithesis, the Maserati Quattroporte, a wise decision in view of the less than thorough attention to details in this Flavia's so-called restoration. A disappointing car that was reasonably bid to this level and no higher.
Lot # 729 2000 Aston Martin DB7 Vantage Convertible; S/N SCFAB4232YK400155; Engine # AM2/00155; Metallic Dark Huntsman Green/Biscuit leather, Green piping; Green top; Estimate $45,000 - $55,000; Unrestored original, 3+ condition; Post-block sale at $29,915 plus commission of 17.00%; Final Price $35,001 -- Automatic. Seats lightly soiled but otherwise pristine with 25,760 miles from new. Bid to $38,000 on the block but closed later for $35,000 all-in. The commission calculation adds the extra dollar. It's a lot of car for the money.
Lot # 730 1989 Ferrari Testarossa; S/N ZFFSG17A4K0080559; Yellow/Black leather; Estimate $55,000 - $65,000; Unrestored original, 3+ condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $45,000 -- A/C, factory alloy wheels, Dunlop SP Sport blackwalls, SF shields. Several owners, but only 19,637 miles from new. Good paint, lightly scuffed driver's seat bolster and belts. The bidders were looking for a bargain, but it was not to be.
Lot # 731 1998 Bentley Azure Convertible, Body by Pininfarina; S/N SCBZK14C4WCX61622; Metallic Green/Parchment leather; Estimate $70,000 - $90,000; Unrestored original, 3+ condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $55,000 -- Clean used car. This would be an ideal Westport cruiser even at the low estimate, a 'station car' for Acura money.
Lot # 732 1953 Jaguar XK 120 Roadster; S/N 674160; Engine # W9314-8; Silver-Grey/Claret leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $50,000 - $70,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $60,000 plus commission of 17.00%; Final Price $70,200 -- Steel wheels, blackwall tires, skirts. Head number A 8002-8. Reproduction data plate. Good older paint, chrome and interior. Once was restored like new, now has plenty of miles and looks like a three year old used car. Dirty, neglected engine and underbody. Worn carpets and top. A good driver. Bonhams offered this car at its Quail Lodge sale barely a month ago where it found no buyers at a reserve of $70-100,000. Offered here at a more reasonable reserve, the reserve was met at $42,000 and determined bidders pursued it assiduously from there in small increments. This is not a very good example of its type, and this is a generous price for it, particularly including the commission.
Lot # 733 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sports Saloon, Body by Gurney Nutting; S/N 109SK; Engine # JE25; Light Grey, Red accent; Grey leatherette roof/Red leather; Estimate $160,000 - $180,000; Older restoration, 3- condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $135,000 -- RHD. Grey wire wheels, wide (yellowed) whitewalls, B-pillar Trafficators, dip beam light, Lucas headlights, fender mirrors, rear-mounted spare. Quick repaint over old paint, sound older interior and wood that needs attention. Old, oily chassis and underbody. A recently superficially freshened old restoration that should have been left alone. The coachwork is not a particularly attractive example of Gurney Nutting's work and the neglected present condition is not far from warranting a complete re-restoration. Within those constraints the reported high bid was enough for the car, even with the Continental chassis.
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About Rick Carey
Interesting comments about the Maserati Quattroporte sale, especially that you could reasonably turn it into a coffee table. I find these cars scary and intriguing just the same. That said, they are not in the same performance ballpark as today’s 12-second quarter mile machines. Those listed are amazingly fast.
I didn’t mean the car as a coffee table base. It is the engine, with a thick glass top resting on the Webers.
I’m a former QP owner and know what it’s like to drive one (mildly exhilarating) and the menacing effect which that gaping grille has when coming up on slowpokes in the lefthand lane.
On the other hand, there are three separate fuse boxes and a wiring diagram which looks like a spilled pot of spaghetti.
It may not be as fast as an AMG, M or CTS-V but there’s nothing like sliding into that capacious butterscotch leather interior with burl wood trim to define luxury or listening to the pulse of eight wide open Weber throats.
For Two Grand? That’s a thrill.
Amazing value at that price. Worth at least $8 to $10k in parts if not trashed. Still if there are no enthusiasts for this sale then a brave person I guess.
PS I have 3 of them…….