The Bonhams Goodwood 82nd Members’ Meeting sale on April 13, 2025 saw the auctioneer renew its long association with Goodwood for a further five years – great news after a rocky 2023-24 for the revered auction name. However, its sale provided a sharp insight into the generational shift that’s been long heralded.
Of the 85 vehicle lots put up for grabs, there was a sell-through rate of 75 percent with a total value of £5.1m – a good result in a challenging UK market. It was a tale of two sales, however; the 2002 Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 VT (main image) is a good example of this generational shift. We previewed the car here, and on the day it burst through its £250k-£280k estimate to sell for £319,700 (inc fees). This was backed up elsewhere, with a left-hand-drive 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello finding a new home for £80,500 against a £50k-£70k estimate, and a 2000 Bentley Azure Convertible landing on £86,250 against a £60k-£65k estimate.
However, British cars of the 1960s backwards appeared to struggle – and struggle badly. The above 1949 Bentley Mark VI 4½ Litre Drophead Coupé, which sold for £64,400 against a £45k-£55k estimate, was a rare highlight of a dismal sale for a collection of five Rolls-Royces and nine Bentleys, with the three of this selection’s most expensive lots failing to find homes (a 1932 Bentley 8 Litre Le Mans Tourer estimated at £500k-£600k, the 1927 Bentley 3/8 Litre ‘The Other Gun’ Competition Special estimated at £500k-£700k and a 1949 Bentley MkVI B80 Speed 8 Special, estimated at £80k-£100k).
A 1912 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Silver Ghost Roi des Belges-Style Tourer sold for £195,500 against a £200k-£300k estimate, and a 1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Vanden Plas-Style Tourer sold for £290,950 against a £280k-£350k estimate.
There wasn’t much better news for other British marques of this era, either. The above 1934 Alvis Speed Twenty SC Oxborrow and Fuller Continental Tourer was estimated at £70k-£100k at no reserve and sold for £42,550, while a 1949 HRG 1100 and a 1954 Bristol 403 Sports Saloon both failed to sell. However, a 1932 Lagonda 3-Litre Special sold for £88,550 against a £70k-£90k estimate.
The Bonhams Goodwood Members’ Meeting 2025 sale saw better news for Porsches, with the above 1985 Carrera 3.2 Supersport Targa, offered from 20 years of single ownership, selling for £80,500 against a £65k-£75k estimate, while a 1978 Porsche 911 SC 3.0 coming from three years of storage and in need of some revitalisation sold for £41,400 (no reserve) against a £20k-£30k estimate. Other Porsche results included a 1978 930 3.3 Turbo Martini, which sold for £149,500 against a £150k-£200k estimate and a 1975 911S 2.7 estimated at £55k-£75k that sold for £55,200. There were two competition 911s up for grabs, too, but we will come to those later on…
The celebrity effect was in play with the above 1972 Mercedes-Benz 600 Saloon. Purchased new by screen legend Jack Nicholson, and later part of the Petersen Collection, it was estimated at £70k-£90k and sold for £126,500. It was a rare highlight of a subdued sale for Mercedes-Benz, with a 1972 450 SLC 5.0 Rallyewagen and a 1968 280 SL failing to sell, while a rare RHD 1957 220 S Cabriolet sold for £58,650 against a £60k-£80k estimate. A 1960 190 SL did sell for £92k against a £80k-£100k estimate, however.
The Bonhams Goodwood Members’ Meeting 2025 sale saw pre-1980 Ferraris largely fall within their estimates, including the above 1967 330 GTC. Estimated at between £400k and £500k, chassis 9537 had spent its early life in Italy before heading to the US in 1970. It had a variety of American owners before returning to its homeland in the 2000s. It was acquired by a Mr van der Walt, registered in the UK and treated to a bare-metal restoration, followed by Classiche Red Book classification. It sold for £402,500.
Elsewhere, the ex-Eric Clapton 1975 365 GT4 BB immortalised in crashed form on the Slowhand album sold for £178,250 against a £175k-£275k estimate, while the ex-Geneva Motor Show 1979 512 BB sold for £172,500 against £150k-£200k. A 1976 Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2 failed to sell, and a 1979 Ferrari 400 Automatic sold for £29,900 against a £25k-£35k estimate.
The pain in the Jaguar market continues, although the Bonhams Goodwood Members’ Meeting saw E-types in particular with sensible estimates, and thus several sales. However, the XK120 and XK150 models appeared to be struggling most, with even very special cars selling under estimate.
The above 1960 XK150 3.8 Roadster had a truly wonderful ownership history, as we profiled here, but it went for £71,300 against an £85k-£125k estimate, while one of 56 RHD XK150 3.8 DHCs (est £85k-£100k) sold for £69k, a 1958 XK150 SE 3.4 (£45k-£55k) failed to find a new custodian, a 1952 XK120 SE formerly of Peter Agg and upgraded by XK Developments (£70k-£100k) went unsold and a 1953 XK120 SE Roadster (£75k-£95k) sold for £63,250.
One of the more fascinating results from the Bonhams Goodwood Members’ Meeting sale was this 1990 Renault 5 GT Turbo. Estimated at £10k-£20k because it was described as in need of recommissioning, it sold for £26,450 – which is more or less what you’d pay for an excellent example. Renault 5 GT Turbos – for the uninitiated, the front-engined, front-wheel-drive cars, rather than the mid-engined homologation specials – have been commanding such figures for a while now.
Although the Peugeot 205 GTi and the Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 have led the way in collectable 1980s/early ’90s hot hatches, the Renault 5 GT Turbo soon followed. More recently, Iconic Auctioneers sold a Fiat Uno Turbo for £30,375 and a Fiat Strada Abarth for £20,250 – again, though, both of those were low-double-digit survivors and in concours condition. The result for the 5 GT Turbo at Bonhams is still an anomaly – there were fully functioning good examples on open sale (and had been for weeks, if not months) prior to the auction. A one-off, then, or an indicator for the next modern classics trend?
With the Members’ Meeting providing a magnificent historical motor-racing spectacle, you might have thought that suitably inspired punters would have taken to the auction with some gusto. It wasn’t to be, with some particularly painful results. For example, the above 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Ti, eligible for the St Mary’s Cup at the Goodwood Revival, sold for £21,850 against a £30k-£35k estimate, while a 1957 Austin A35 HRDC Academy Competition Saloon raced by David Coulthard at the 2016 Goodwood Revival sold for £10,350 against a £20-30k estimate.
Elsewhere, a 1966 Porsche 911 2.0-litre SWB and the ex-Podium Racing Porsche 996 GT3 RS failed to sell, although a 1973 Ford Capri GXL that could count such varied pilots as Niki Lauda, Tom Walkinshaw, Barry Sheene and HRH Prince Michael of Kent settled on £80,500 against an £80k-£120k estimate.
Further details
For more details on the Bonhams Goodwood Members’ Meeting 2025 sale, head here.
