A remote island? Bonhams at the Goodwood Members Meeting

I started by talking about shipping containers, which are celebrating their 70th anniversary this year and make it possible to transport cars from one continent to another so they can be auctioned off at the most suitable venue; then I reflected on Brexit and its effects on the classic car market and Britain’s dangerous isolation, and finally on the complicated situation facing British auction houses operating in a market that has lost much of its international character. It was a good story but too long; I’ll pick it up again to try to make sense of Bonhams’ results at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting on April 19.

Let’s look at the data to understand: Estimates of £4,435,000 compared to last year’s £7,689,000 have dropped to just £2,878,922 compared to £4,835,175 in 2025, while the average price fell from £81,952 to £52,344 this year. And the fact that 72.37% (55 out of 76) of cars sold this year—up from 70.24% last year (59 out of 84)—should not be seen as a consolation, because it is a direct consequence of the significant increase in cars sold without reserve (rising from 22.62% to 30.26%). Before making a final judgment, let’s wait for the 2027 edition of the Members Meeting, but it is fair to ask whether the United Kingdom, once a power that rivaled the United States on equal terms, is becoming an organizer of sales aimed primarily at the domestic market.