There will be many professionals in the market who will immediately ask “What busy market?”  Well you could start at Historics at Brooklands last month.  At 9.15 the persistent drizzle had turned into a downpour and with a mix of marquee and outside display, the outlook did not look good.  But by 10.00 the sun was shining, the displays were busy with prospective buyers and Edward Bridger-Stille could afford some stabs at humour as he rattled through the first thirty lots.

And it turned out to be a good day – an 81% sales rate, some traditional auction madness as two bidders doubled the estimate of a Mini based on previous ownership by Madonna and some interesting market indicators.  Many of the lots were offered with no reserve and, together with other cars where a realistic perspective of bid vs estimate had been taken, it gave buyers a reason to assess value in what they were bidding for.

For Aston Martins, it meant that two realistically priced DB9 Coupes and a DB7 Volante all went to new homes but a restored V8 Series III that had been restored, but just missed the boat on detail, remained unsold.

Similarly, the star cars like the Ian Pitney Special Bentley did not find a new home but cars like a Mini Cooper Recreation Racer that was bid to £9400 against an estimate of £12 – 16,000 saw the provisional bid turn into a buy. 

We have been analysing the wider auction market since June from the Festival of Speed through to August’s  multi-million dollar bonanza that surrounds Pebble Beach and that value equation remains whether the asking price is £10,000 or $10 million.

And of course the other side of the Atlantic has seen “No Reserve” as a key sales tool and it was interesting to see the number of cars that even the arch traditionalists at Bonhams had on offer in that category at their Quail Lodge event.  With an 88% sales rate for cars offered, it may be something they will try again!  But the US market is really  booming 

Aside from a 1983 Lagonda, they offered their Aston Martins more traditionally with a DB4 not selling,  a DB6 Vantage achieving $341,000 and V8 Volante beating estimate at $231,000.  That Lagonda with no reserve – well that beat estimate selling at $90,200.

Goodings, in their normal understated way, had a pair of Aston Martins in amongst the massed ranks of Ferraris – a 1957 DB2/4 Drophead failed to sell but a Bertone bodied Spider soared to $3,080,000 including premium.

RM were also at Pebble Beach and sold a DB6 for $440,000 and a V8 Vantage Oscar India for $357,500 both again including premium.

Looking at the Astons put to auction from June to August:

And that three month perspective is one that we have taken on the whole market and it is clear that, as auctions and Sellers have moved to letting the market set prices, as a result sales rates have risen and prices have evened out.

We are continuing to keep you in touch with the Aston Martin market but we will also maintain our analysis of the wider market to make sure that we and our clients are well prepared for what is to come.

© BYRON INTERNATIONAL

Contact us below to have future Auction Reports sent directly to your Inbox.

(Fields marked with an asterisk * are required)

Name*: Email*: Telephone*: Message / Request: I would like to have Auction Reports sent to me as and when they become available. To be added to our mailing list and receive our latest news and offers direct to your inbox, please register by ticking this box:

Type the text below: