The Bonhams Quail Lodge 2018 auction was held Friday, August 23rd on the grounds of the Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, California, resulting in $37.7 million in total sales and an 82 percent sell-through rate. Held in connection with the Quail Motorsport Gathering, the 21st Bonhams sale held during Monterey Classic Car Week featured 135 vehicles with Italian, British and German cars leading the way.<\/p>\n
The top result at the Bonhams Quail Lodge 2018 auction went to the 1948 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Competizione Berlinetta, which was bought by a private European collector for $3,525,000. European sports cars dominated the sale and led to several auction records. New model benchmarks were set by the 1953 SIATA 208 S Spider that sold for $1,655,000, the 1928 Bentley 6 1\/2-Liter Open Sports Tourer by Barker that was bought by an American collector for $1,655,000 and the 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Record Sport Coupe de Ville — with one-off coachwork by Saoutchik — that achieved $962,000.<\/p>\n
Multiple auction records were set for Porsche models as well. The 1996 911 GT2 Clubsport made $1,105,000, the 1997 993 Turbo S sold for $489,000, 1989 930 Turbo ‘Slantnose’ Cabriolet was bought for $456,000 and the 1991 964 Carrera 4 achieved $156,800.<\/p>\n
The 1921 Stutz Series K Bearcat — a motorcar that’s been in the same family since new — was contested among several bidders in the room and found a home with an American collector for $478,000, setting a new record. Perhaps most fun of all was the bidding match for the sprightly 1948 MG TC Midget. With a determined buyer in the audience and one on the telephone, the bids were lobbed as if it were a tennis match and quickly climbed into record territory. With a final sales price of $112,000, the audience erupted into applause.<\/p>\n
Further notable results included the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Sports Roadster that sold for $3,277,500 and the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet that achieved $1,682,500.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur strength as an international business brought a carefully curated selection of cars together which was appreciated by an equally broad cross-section of buyers,\u201d said Rupert Banner, Bonhams Group Motoring Director. Added Jakob Greisen, VP of US Motoring, \u201cFresh to market cars and especially cars with documented provenance were a key focus, and collectors responded enthusiastically.\u201d<\/p>\n