Pay attention, 007. London-based auction house Bonhams is holding its 10th annual sale of James Bond’s favorite runarounds next month.
The Aston Martin auction at the manufacturer’s base in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, on May 9 features 46 cars, including a DB5 similar to the model in the 1964 movie “Goldfinger.” Even without any enhancements from Bond’s gadget expert “Q,” the silver coupe is estimated to fetch 160,000 pounds ($233,570) to 180,000 pounds.
Success rates at classic-car sales remain relatively high, as more works go unsold in other parts of the auction market. Still, because of the economic slump, buyers and sellers are more hesitant than they were a year ago. The Aston Martin sale is set to make between 3 million pounds and 3.5 million pounds. Last year’s Aston Martin event raised a record 4.7 million pounds from 35 vehicles.
“The Aston Martin is the ultimate British sports car of the 1950s and ‘60s,” Rob Hubbard, a Bonhams car specialist, said in an interview. “It’s quintessentially English, and combines European styling with the best of British engineering.” The marque’s James Bond connections are very important to certain collectors, while others regard them as a “distraction,” Hubbard said.
The most expensively valued lot is a Midnight Blue 1969 DB6 Mark 2 Volante convertible, at 320,000 pounds to 360,000 pounds. It is one of only nine DB6 Mk 2 Volantes fitted with a Vantage- specification engine, said Bonhams.
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Source:
Aston Martin for 007 on Sale
Scott Reyburn
Bloomberg, April 28 2009
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601093&sid=aXI6LdDyezfU&
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