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Bonhams Greenwich 2015 – Auction Preview

1935 Jaguar SS90 (photo: Pawel Litwinski)
1935 Jaguar SS90 (photo: Pawel Litwinski)

The Bonhams Greenwich 2015 auction will be held Sunday, May 31st at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance in Connecticut. Held at the waterfront Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, Bonhams’ 8th annual sale will feature more than 90 automobiles and a wide-ranging selection of automobilia.

A supercharged 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Cabriolet with coachwork by Gangloff will headline Bonhams’ 2015 Greenwich Concours sale.This Bugatti is best known for its long ownership in the collection of car collector and Bugatti historian Miles Coverdale of Long Island. Mr. Coverdale acquired the Type 57C in the early 1960s and would retain it until his death in 2000, keeping it over the course of four decades in the company of a number of other Bugattis (Est. $900,000 – $1,100,000).

Bonhams will also handle the sale of cars from the Estate of civil engineer Geoffrey Howard, including examples of both the SS90 Roadster and Jaguar SS100 Roadster. As the forerunner to all Jaguars, the SS90 is one of the rarest of all and dates from the transitional era of the company and the dawn of the Jaguar marque. SS Cars Ltd. of Coventry, England, would build just 24 of the SS90 model (the 90 denoting the car’s claimed top speed of 90 mph) – one prototype and 23 production examples. The aesthetic father of the SS100, only two-thirds of that modest production run are known to survive, making them one of the most sought after models that are rarely sold publicly. Correct and original but in need of refurbishment, Howard acquired the car nearly 45 years ago and began a restoration that, ultimately, he would not have time to finalize (Est. $250,000 – $400,000).

Alongside the SS90 is an example of its successor, the SS100, by which time the magic name Jaguar had been added to the brand. Capable of 100 mph, these cars provided privateers and the company with numerous competition victories, sold well and set the company on the road. This 1938 Jaguar SS100 Roadster, too, was purchased by Howard nearly 45 years ago and has been in his stewardship ever since (Est. $280,000 – $380,000).

In addition to these two pre-war models is another leaping cat, a 1958 XK150 3.4-Liter Roadster (Est. $120,000 – $140,000) that for many years was Howard’s daily driver, together with his own tribute to the marque that he loved so, the first example of his replica of the SS100.

Additional offerings at the Bonhams Greenwich 2015 auction include:

  • 1973 Porsche 911 RS 2.7, matching-numbers Series 1 RS Touring model, originally delivered to Brazil, completely restored (Est. $550,000 – $700,000);
  • 1958 Fiat Abarth 750 GT Zagato Coupe, Rebuilt, uprated motor (Est. $100,000 – $125,000);
  • 1932 Duesenberg Model J Tourster, Coachwork by Billings in the Derham Tourster style (Est. $625,000 – $875,000);
  • 1939 Delahaye 135M Competition Convertible Coupe, Coachwork by Henri Chapron, complete, unrestored condition (Est. $300,000 – $500,000);
  • 1967 Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Convertible, Recent restored example (Est. $100,000 – $140,000); and,
  • 1938 Mercedes-Benz 320 Long Wheelbase Kombination Roadster, Sindelfingen open two-seat coachwork, original and well-preserved, CCCA Full Classic (Est. $750,000 – $850,000);
  • 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo, 33,000 original mile example (Est. $110,000 – $200,000); and
  • 1959 Porsche 356A Convertible D, Fitted with a correct type, more powerful 1600 Super motor (Est. $140,000 – $180,000).

Held in association with the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance, the Bonhams Greenwich auction will be held Sunday, May 31, 2015 at the Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich, Connecticut, only 30 miles north of New York City. Admission comes with purchase of a catalog for $40, which admits two people. Previews for the motor cars and automobilia will take place on Saturday, May 30th from 10am to 5pm. The automobilia sale begins at 9:30am on Sunday, May 31st with the motor cars to follow at 12:30 pm.

For more information, visit Bonhams.com/Greenwich.

[Source: Bonhams]