The Bonhams Classic Car Auction
On the 7th of June, a number of celebrity-driven classic cars were sold at the yearly Bonhams Classic Car Auction, which was held at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance. The cars that drew the most attention at the auction were the Rolls Royce from the movie The Great Gatsby, the Silver Ghost that was owned by President Woodrow Wilson, the Packard Darrin of Clark Gable, and the Le Mans Special of legendary racecar driver John Fitch.
The Bonhams auction attracted a great number of classic car enthusiasts as well as movie fans, who wanted to catch a glimpse of the celebrity-driven cars from the well-known Ted Leonard collection. Six Bonhams classic car specialists received calls from bidders around the world. A private collector from Japan called in to acquire a car that was worth $130,000.
A US private collector overcame four other bidders to secure the 1938 Packard 8 Victoria that was once owned by Clark Gable. The car was sold for a price of $282,000. The 1928 Rolls Royce Phantom I Ascot Dual Cowl Sports Phaeton that was featured in The Great Gatsby was sold over the phone for $238,000, while the 1923 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost that was owned by President Woodrow Wilson fetched $161,000.
The top sale of the day was a 1934 Bugatti 57 Stelvio Drophead Coupe, which brought in $419,500. Famous driver John Fitch, who is now 92 years old, gave a speech about his 1952 Le Mans Special before the car was auctioned off at $403,000. Other notable sales of classic cars at the auction included the 1936 Porsche 356 Carrera 2 Convertible, which sold for $381,000, and the 1953 Jaguar XK120 Roadster that fetched $106,470.
Total sale at the Bonhams Classic Car Auction reached almost $5 million.