Italian classics take the top spots at Bonhams Quail Lodge sale

Bonhams had a jaw-dropping line up of classics on offer at its Quail Lodge 2015 sale. A total of 111 cars were on offer at the 14 September California sale with a total value of nearly £30 million, latest figures from ClassicCarPrice.com show.

Top achiever of the sale was the alloy-bodied Ferrari 250GT competition car that claimed third place in the 1959 Tour de France. The fifth of seven ‘interim’ long wheelbase Berlinettas with short wheelbase style coachwork, this Ferrari had an illustrious racing career, followed by a top-notch two-year restoration, completed in 2014. It sold for just under £5.5 million.  

Another Italian sports car with period race history also made good money. The 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America was raced in the Torrey Pines Road Race by Lou Brero when new, and had been restored by marque expert Tony Nicosia. It sold for £1.2 million, around £80,000 more than any other B24S at auction in the past few years.

And a gorgeously styled Fiat 8V Supersonic also sold for a record price. The 1955 car been in single ownership for more than 40 years, and had just been treated to an exhaustive eight-year restoration. It sold for £1.1 million, according to Bonhams this too is a record-breaking price.

While a large proportion of the cars on offer sold for less than their estimate, there were a few exceptions, including a beautifully restored Jaguar XK140 roadster that went for £130,000 (estimate £70,000-£80,000), and an early split-window Corvette 327 coupe, which also sold for £130,000 - £30,000 above its upper estimate.

For more on this story or to see full results from the sale, visit ClassicCarPrice.com