Bonhams Incautious at Bonmont: Little Information puts the Brakes on Bidders

Six-zero-zero-five, that's the “magic” number that saved the Bonhams auction on 29 June in Bonmont (near Geneva). But what number is it? Simply that of one person, bidder #6005, the man who raised the paddle by winning the top lot that alone (spoiler) made more than half of the auction sales. The cold numbers are merciless: a drop in the number of cars from 54 to 44 should lead one to hope that there was more selection, but instead it seems that it was the buyers who were more selective, only 24 cars awarded this year against 37 in 2024. The percentage thus dropped to just 54.54% compared to 68.51% last year (in 2023 it had exceeded 80%). The bid value had also dropped to CHF9,915,000 compared to CHF18,030,000 last year, with a final result of CHF5,704,575 billed. In these cases, it is always important to see the final result, as the average price held up and even slightly exceeded the 2024 price, rising from CHF222,137 per car to a value of CHF237,690. for 2025.

So which car was the one that saved this year's auction?
The super top lot was a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta. Magnificent in its Amaranth with a history steeped in celebrities: the first owner was Augusto Caraceni, a “heavy” name among Ferrari clients, a tailor by trade (but for Aristotle Onassis and Humprey Bogart) and a hobby racing the Mille Miglia. After being converted into a Nart Spider in the late 1980s it came into the hands of Yoshiho Matsuda, sharing the garage with two GTOs, a 288 and a 250, good company! In 1996 it was bought by the current owner who a few years later organised a full Ferrari restoration and restored it to its original specification. It ended in 2017 with the desired Red Book. And to say that this car looked like it was going to be unsold: at CHF2,400,000 the room had cooled and the auctioneer was about to collect it. Then ‘Mr. 6005’ made a single bid: CHF2,500,000 (with commission CHF2,875,000) and it was his.