Although it was a bit subdued than years past, the Goodwood Festival of Speed was back to relatively normal this year, and as usual there was a collector car auction among the festivities, conducted by Bonhams. Naturally, Bonhams’ Goodwood sales are heavy on racing and sports cars, and this year’s headliner was the works Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 TT3 that finished fourth at Le Mans in 1972. Sadly, that car didn’t meet reserve at a £1,300,000 ($1,799,640) high bid. Neither did another of the star cars, the ex-Peter Sellers, ex-Earl of Snowdon Aston Martin DB5 convertible, which went unsold at a £920,000 ($1,273,464) high bid.
Indeed, fewer than two-thirds of the cars on offer found new homes, several of them post-block, but in dollar terms there were three that brought seven-figure prices and every car on offer was interesting, especially to our American eyes that don’t see things like Lagonda Rapides or prewar MGs every day.
Our friend Chris Sharpe was on hand to note the Goodwood cars’ condition for us, and described the festivities as “tiring and fantastic in equal measures.” It’s a very welcome bonus to get first-hand accounts from across the Atlantic any time, and especially so in these days of limited event attendance and difficult logistics. Some of the most interesting sales (and no-sales) from Goodwood are outlined in detail below.
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