London Motor Week signs off with auctions by Bonhams and RM Sotheby ’s. Held on successive days the pair offers a commendably broad offering covering the earliest cars to modern classic supercars
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Bonhams kicks proceedings off with its Golden Age of Motoring Sale. It used to target only veteran cars but has opened up to include Vintage models in recent years, which means a diverse and appealing offering.
From the very earliest days a 1900 De Dion-Bouton single-seater quadricycle, estimated at £50-60k offers a great way of entering the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Owned by the vendor since 2017, as well as being Brighton Run eligible, it’s suitable for ‘Tuf-Tuf ’ and ‘Creepy Crawly’ events.
For those unfamiliar with Veteran cars a 1903 Gladiator 10hp twin-cylinder encapsulates what a model of this era should look like. This example, estimated at £170220k, has completed more than 40 Brighton Runs and received extensive mechanical refurbishment three years ago.
The sale also includes the only known surviving Auge – a 1900 8-9hp twin-cylinder with history dating back to 1910, which comes with a £140-160k estimate. The most modern car of the sale is a 1925 Stanley 20hp (est. £55-65k), one of the last models from the marque that favoured steam power over petrol.
RM Sotheby’s sale takes place the following day and its oldest car, a 1902 Oldsm
