11/10/2006 Bonhams and Goodman in Sydney 22nd October 2006
Once again, the Sydney auction house has unearthed some rare 1950s’ Mercedes-Benz motor cars, such as the 300SL ‘Gullwing’ and ‘Car of the Stars’ Type 300 S. There’s also a (RHD of course) 2004 Bentley Continental GT estimated at AUS$260,000 - 290,000, that’s around market price in Europe.
The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL ‘Gullwing’ may well have had an interesting history as copies of documents in the auction house’s possession from Daimler-Benz show that this example was given to HIH Princess Soraya of Iran, on the occasion of the visit of His Imperial Majesty the Shahinshah to the works in Stuttgart.
The car is believed to have had just four owners only, and that there is no reason to doubt the present indicated mileage of 40,313. Meticulously restored over a period of three years under the supervision of the knowledgeable and fastidious vendor it was the overall winner of the NSW Mercedes-Benz Club Annual Concours. The estimate of AUS$480,000 - 550,000 (285,000 – 328,000 EURO) is competitive and the car presents well in the catalogue.
BSA Goldstar Clubman 1962 - AUS$16.000 - 22.000
Mercedes-Benz Typ 300 S 1954 - AUS$150.000 - 180.000
Costing more than the 300SL when new, the 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300S Coupé, estimated at AUS$150,000 - 180,000, is one of just a limited run of coupés and cabriolets sold to a discerning international clientele. This particular car had been delivered new in September 1953 to the Mercedes-Benz agent in Buenos Aires, Argentina and is elegantly finished in silver with red leather interior.
There are two more Mercedes in the sale, a 1974 Mercedes-Benz 600 at AUS$55.000 - 80.000, and a 1970 Mercedes-Benz ‘Pagoda’ 280SL at AUS$45,000 – 65,000, as well as an example of that other well-known car manufacturer from Stuttgart, a 1980 Porsche 928 Auto Coupé at AUS$ 18,000 - 26,000.
Of the other cars there’s some home-grown Australian muscle in the form of the 2004 Holden Monaro CV8 (fitted with a supercharger and water-injection, estimated at AUS$ 30,000 - 40,000), as well as that evergreen British sportscar, the metallic blue/Old English White 1967 Austin-Healey BJ8 MKIII for AUS$50,000 - 70,000.
Full lotlisting -
Please note:
The vehicle names/details below are as given by the auction house, in $Aus.
We have used an approximate conversion to show Euro estimates.
Car
Estimate $Aus
Estimate EURO
Austin Healey 3000 BJ8 Mk III 1967
50.000 - 70.000
29.762 - 41.667
Bentley Continental GT 2004
260.000 - 290.000
154.762 - 172.619
Chevrolet Corvette C4 Coupe 1984
40.000 - 50.000
23.810 - 29.762
Holden Monaro Ex- Pro Hart 2004
30.000 - 40.000
17.857 - 23.810
Mazda RX7 1985
8.000 - 14.000
4.762 - 8.333
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing 1955
480.000 - 550.000
285.714 - 327.381
Mercedes-Benz Typ 300 S 1954
150.000 - 180.000
89.286 - 107.143
Mercedes-Benz 600 1974
55.000 - 80.000
32.738 - 47.619
Mercedes-Benz SL Pagode 280 Auto 1970
45.000 - 65.000
26.786 - 38.690
Motorcycles BSA Goldstar Clubman 1962
16.000 - 22.000
9.524 - 13.095
Porsche 928 Auto 1980
18.000 - 26.000
10.714 - 15.476
An excellent entry, all of which can be seen with photographs and descriptions on the Classic Driver Car Database.
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Bonhams & Goodman
7 Anderson Street
Double Bay
NSW 2028
Australia