Bonhams & Goodman- Nov 08 preview

With the lineup of cars Bonhams & Goodman have gathered, their latest motoring auction (including motorcycles and automobilia) to be held on the 16th November promises to be the most significant sale of its type to ever be held on Australian soil.

Highlighting the sale, and sparking serious international interest is the collection of significant Lotus single-seat racing cars previously owned by the late Hon. John Dawson-Damer. From 1971 until 1984 Dawson-Damer developed his collection and it is internationally renowned as the largest privately owned collection of this marque’s racing history, outside the Chapman family.

Top of the list is a highly significant example of the first Lotus to win a world championship: Lotus 25 chassis number R4, ex- Jim Clark and Richard Attwood. Clark won 7 GP races in this very chassis in 1963, on the way to his first driver’s championship. With continuous history supplied, the chance to acquire this perfect piece of world motor racing history is estimated at $1.1 million to $1.8 million.

Other Lotus marvels include a front-engined F2 spec Lotus 16 (est: $320-480,000), an ex-Gregory/Bonnier 18 from 1961 ($260-400,000), and another ex-Clark car in the form of a Type 39 Tasman special, later owned by Leo Geoghagen. A technically interesting but not so well known GP Lotus, the 1969 Type 63 (only 2 ever made), which utilised a Ferguson 4WD system and was used by 2 world champions in period- Mario Andretti and Jochen Rindt- is estimated at a relative bargain of $175-265,000.

Rounding out the GP collection with a nice symmetry is an example of the last Lotus champion, the type 79. This vehicle, chassis 79/5 is an ex-Andretti and Carlos Reutemann machine and is estimated to sell for between $480-620,000.

Still in keeping with the motorsport theme are a pair of scarlet racers- a 1952 twin supercharged 1.5l Grand Prix Alta ($120-160,000) and a well known Australian delivered Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 formerly owned by Lex Davison. This car participated in the first speed event to be held in Victoria in post-WW2 times, in Ballarat in 1947. By 1948 it had been rebuilt with the 2 seater sports bodywork it wears today. Bonhams suggest contacting them direct for an estimate on the contacts below.

In terms of pure road cars, top billing in terms of value has to go to the Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante. 1 of 29 built to this specification and presenting in a striking Aquamarine colour and believed to have covered only 92,000 miles since new, the Aston is estimated to sell at $400-500,000.

A beautiful short-chassis 1938 Lagonda V12 ($150-180,000) will compete with a range of Bentley and Rolls-Royce metal, ranging from the $32-38,000 estimate of a 1953 R-Type saloon to a 1961 RR Mulliner Park Ward Convertible at $160-200,000.

The quality of entries for this sale promises much, with the motoring department at Bonhams confident of exceeding the $5 million mark to cap off what has been a record year. With their global connections a sale of this calibre can only mean good things for the Australian Classic Car industry.

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