1988-89 Porsche 962 Group C - Sold for $491,000

The Porsche marque provided some of the biggest figures at Bonhams’ Quail Lodge sale. Apart from an Interserie 917 Spyder making a new world record for any Porsche sold at auction ($3,965,000), other big-selling examples of the famous Stuttgart manufacturer included this 1988-89 Porsche 962 Group C car which achieved $491,000.

New for 2010 was the decision to split the now-traditional Quail Lodge auction over two days, with both sections of the sale commencing with a large selection of automobilia. Thursday was mainly devoted to the Amalfitano collection of Porsche-related cars and collectors’ items, with Friday – the day when the 'Quail Lodge - A Motorsports Gathering’ event takes place – seeing the bulk of the lavish catalogue sold.

The open 917 in its '70s psychedelic livery looked fabulous. Whether the buyer will convert it back to 1970 Gulf coupé specification remains to be seen – but doing so would then allow the car into the Le Mans Classic, as well as buying into that light blue and orange ‘Steve McQueen’ legend.

Other significant Porsches moving into fresh ownership included the super-rare 1992 964 Carrera 4 Lightweight ($133,500), the wonderful white/green 1967 2-litre 910 ($799,000) and the (non-Amalfitano) 1967 911S ‘Sport Kit II’ ($210,500).

Two typically ‘Pebble Beach’ cars sold well: the 1948 Daimler DE-36 'Green Goddess' Drop-Head Coupé for $502,000 and the 1930 Mercedes-Benz 38/250 7.1-litre Supercharged 'SS' Sports Tourer, for a walloping $2,537,000. Moving a little more up-to-date, the bright blue 1960 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster and matching hardtop wowed partygoers at the McCall party on Wednesday night, and the $612,000 achieved by this super car was well deserved.

1970 Porsche 917 Interserie Spyder - Sold for $3,965,000

The 1961 Fiat-Abarth 1000 Bialbero coupé, resplendent in its Cunningham racing livery sold well for $337,000, as did the 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Ascot Sport Phaeton ($403,000). Of the non-sellers (of which there were more on Friday than Thursday), it was a shame that neither the 1976-77 Porsche 934/5 (an ex-Gelo racing car no longer in the iconic red/yellow livery) nor the 1974-75 Gulf-Cosworth GR8 (for many years a museum exhibit) found new owners.

Shares in Brasso will rise as the new owners of the 1908 Thomas Flyer Model F 4-60hp Tourer ($733,000) get to grips with their new baby, while the $667,000 achieved by the ex-Ernst Loof racing team, Sandizell-owned 1937 BMW 328 Roadster shows how much the value of these very modern-for-their-day, event-eligible cars has risen in recent years.

Impressively, the automobilia and spares sales held on both days posted the highest ever total at this venue: $1.185 million.

“We are very honoured to have been selected to offer these incredible motor cars at auction,” said Mark Osborne, head of Bonhams’ Motoring Department.

“We are very pleased with the results and the satisfaction of having met or exceeded the expectations of our discerning and growing clientele.”

Please CLICK HERE to see the full results for the 12-13 August 2010, Quail Lodge sale.

Text: Steve Wakefield
Photos: Classic Driver