Market Intelligence
Fit for Kings
This article looks at the Bonhams auction at the seaside resort of Knokke-Heist in West Flanders, which managed to set a new record despite the cancellation of its main event due to the pandemic. It examines four cars in particular, each of which was made for a member of a royal family, and looks at their sale prices. The article highlights the significance of cars with a royal connection, and how the price of these can be affected by factors such as non-original engines and colour discrepancies.
The Bonhams auction at the seaside resort of Knokke-Heist in West Flanders is now one of the autumn’s classic sales and, with the latest 8th edition under its belt, it managed to set itself a new record.
Until 2019, the auction was held in conjunction with Zoute’s Concourse d’Elegance – which was later joined by the rally – but this year, due to the pandemic, the event was reluctantly cancelled. From London, however, they decided to persevere even without the “main” event.
The result? Splendid: with 20 cars sold out the 30 listed for sale, which translates to 66.66% but if we look at the values, with some €10,370,000 on offer, they could hardly have done better than the €8,139,700 collected, equivalent to 78.49%. If we really wanted to make a comparison, those same takings in 2019 were some 35% higher but that number included 30% more cars plus all the peripheral events. So, all in all the 2020 result was better than 12 months ago. Not bad at all.
