Gooding and Company has announced that collector car auction industry expert Rupert Banner has been hired as the company’s senior specialist. Banner’s 30-year career has seen him work for three major auction houses: Christie’s, Sotheby’s and, most recently, Bonhams.
Banner’s appointment marks the latest major defection from Bonhams, and follows industry heavyweights such as Malcolm Barber and Sholto Gilbertson, who both joined RM Sotheby’s in 2024.
New York-based Banner is an expert in UK, US, and European collector car markets, and he previously served as an auctioneer and specialist for Bonhams. His career has seen him manage sales for notable collections, including the Tupelo Automobile Museum and Elton John’s cars. Banner has also achieved record-breaking auctions for prestigious marques such as Bentley, Lagonda and Talbot-Lago among others.
Banner is also a regular participant in classic car events and rallies, including the Copperstate 1000, Tour Auto and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. He has also contributed as a writer and researcher, served as a concours judge and sits on the board of the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum.
“Gooding & Company is the finest and most focused collector car business in the world, consistently delivering the best results for its sellers through its reputation for discretion and integrity, combined with its broad client base and product knowledge,” he commented. “I’m excited to be part of this unique international business and assist its growth.”
The auction house also confirmed that Banner will be joined by newly hired specialists Lance Butler and Ben Willis, who are based in the US and UK respectively. Butler joins Gooding after serving as the auction director for Supercar Blondie’s new SBX Cars auction platform, while Willis joins the company after establishing CARVAULT CO, a consultancy, brokerage and concierge enterprise.
Gooding and Company’s new hires have been made public shortly before its next major sale of the 2024, the London Auction, which is held in conjunction with the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace on August 30. Headlining the sale is a quartet of pre-war Bugattis from the Jack Braam Ruben Collection, a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage and a 1936 Lancia Astura Series III Cabriolet ‘Tipo Bocca’.
“Rupert [Banner] has an unmatched, long-standing reputation for excellence and integrity within the automotive auction industry, and I could not be more delighted to welcome him to our team as a senior specialist,” said Gooding and Company president and co-founder, David Gooding.
“We are confident that Rupert, along with the additions of specialists Lance Butler and Ben Willis, will bolster the continued success and expansion of our global sales and operations.”
