Frenzied Bidding Sees Barn Find Bentley Top £739,000

Filed under: Auctions,Classic News |
1954 Bentley R-Type Continental FastbackBids were flying around Barons’ Sandown Park saleroom on April 21st, when an extremely rare 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback ‘barn find’ restoration project went under the hammer. With an estimate of £200,000-£400,000, the car attracted frenzied bidding before it was finally secured by its new owner for £739,212*. This was the highest price Barons has ever achieved for a car – and other strong sales on the day brought the auction total to over £1 million, another company record for Barons.
It was not an easy bidding battle to win, with bids coming in from around the world. Barons’ staff were taking bids from 10 potential buyers over the telephone, 20 on the internet and a further 15 in the saleroom itself, as the bids began climbing in increments of £50,000 then tapering to increments of £25,000 before reaching the final, remarkable figure.
In the end the car went to a British owner, who will be adding this magnificent machine to his private collection. When restored his new acquisition – which has not been driven in 15 years - could be worth over £1,000,000.
1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback InterioryChassis BC52C was commissioned in 1954 by the Welsh racing driver R D Weatherall and was originally painted in his racing colour, Royal Purple. It still bears the registration number RDW 536. A subsequent owner, a doctor from Yorkshire, had the car re-sprayed in white, the colour it retains to this day.
Barons’ director Tony Cavell said, “This was an absolutely fantastic result. A ‘lost’ car always attracts collectors’ attention, and when it’s such a rare, iconic and valuable machine, that interest can lead to a frenetic bidding battle such as we saw yesterday. It will be fascinating to see the ‘journey’ the Bentley now takes, as its restoration commences.”
“This was the first sale that my fellow director Peter Gascoigne and I have fully assembled and presided over since we took the reins at Barons earlier in the year. We couldn’t have been more delighted with how things turned out, from the atmosphere in the saleroom to the final result. To top £1 million for the first time for Barons is a tremendous achievement, and it has been a privilege to play a role in finding a new home for a truly remarkable car.”
Other strong results achieved included the very beautiful 1934 Rolls-Royce 20/25, which drove past top estimate to sell for just under £41,000*, and a stately Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III, which sold for £23,500*.
Year
Make
Model
Sold @ Inc
1953
Bentley
R-Type Continental Fastback
£739,212
1934
Rolls-Royce
20/25 Saloon
£40,892
2001
Aston Martin
DB7 GTS Coupe
£25,772
1965
Rolls-Royce
Silver Cloud III
£23,532
1951
Chevrolet
Styleline Custom
£19,052
1974
Triumph
Stag
£14,292
1987
Mercedes
300SL Convertible
£10,876
1935
Austin
7 APD/E Military Tourer
£10,042
1963
Mercedes
Evocation 500K
£10,000
1968
Ford
Escort 1100 De Luxe
£9,756
2000
Rover
Mini Cooper 500LE
£8,132
1991
Peugeot
205 Cti
£7,964
1996
Alfa Romeo
V6 Spider
£7,852
1989
Bentley
Eight
£7,852
1966
Wolseley
Hornet Heinz 57 Crayford
£7,852
1987
Mercedes
300SL
£7,068
1987
Harley Davidson
1200 Custom
£6,732
1989
Alfa Romeo
Spider
£6,620
1989
Land Rover
Range Rover Vogue SE
£6,452
1986
Bentley
Eight
£6,172
1989
Citroen
CX 2500 Gti
£5,612
1977
Mercedes
200
£4,716
1972
Fiat
500
£4,604
1961
Mercedes
180 Ponton
£4,268
1998
Mercedes
SL320
£4,212
1996
Daimler
Six (X300)
£3,988
1995
Daimler
 Double Six LWB
£3,752
1985
Austin
Rover Mini Hot Rod
£3,652
2002
Land Rover
Range Rover
£3,596
1979
Daihatsu
F20 Taft
£3,484
1991
Mercedes
300CE
£3,204
2000
Mercedes
CLK 320
£3,036
1974
Reliant
Scimitar GTE SE5A
£2,924
1999
Jaguar
XJ8 4.0 V8
£2,364
1990
Mitsubishi
3000 GTO V6
£2,364
1978
Rolls-Royce
Silver Shadow I
£2,252
1990
Mercedes
300SE
£1,916
2002
Vauxhall
Vectra
£1,142
1950s
Child's pedal car
£531
Bologna Chronograph
£142
Rim Chronograph
£130
SALE TOTAL
£1,038,010
 
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