A 1913 Rolls-Royce “London-to-Edinburgh” Silver Ghost sold for a million dollar as the top result at the Bonhams Philadelphia Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum 2017 classic car auction.
The rare, exquisitely restored 1913 Rolls-Royce “London-to-Edinburgh” Silver Ghost sold for $1,001,000, as the top result at the 6th annual Bonhams Philadelphia Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum 2017 classic car auction. The sale is famous for its large collection of automobilia and veteran cars from the early part of the 20th century. A rare collection of Connecticut “number 1” plates made $72,500.
Bonhams Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum Sale 2017
The 6th annual Bonhams Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum classic car auction was held in Philadelphia, USA, on October 2, 2017. Bonhams earned nearly $4 million with automobilia 100% sold and a relatively high 86% sell-through rate for automobiles.
“It is always a pleasure to work with the renowned Simeone Foundation Automobile Museum in Philadelphia,” said Greg Porter, Bonhams Motoring Specialist and this year’s auction lead. “The 2017 sale produced a result twice that of the previous year with some results that can only be established at an auction. Rare and original condition cars, particularly those from longstanding named collections, brought the most interest while the early license plates blew away our expectations.”
1913 Rolls-Royce “London-to-Edinburgh” Silver Ghost
The top result at the Bonhams Simeone 2017 sale was $1,001,000 paid for a 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost “London-to-Edinburgh” Sports Tourer with coachwork by Reuters.
This Rolls Royce is one of only 188 London-Edinburgh Silver Ghosts built and is in a concours level restoration. From 1941 to 1968 it was on display in the Henry Ford Museum.
Despite the fame of the marque and the Silver Ghost name, it is very rare for a pre-First World War Rolls Royce to achieve a million dollar at auction. Only six Rolls Royce cars achieved a million dollar at public auction since 2014 with the 1914 Rolls Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost Skiff sold for $1,117,387 at the Bonhams Federiksen sale in Denmark in 2015 the only pre-First World War Rolls Royce with a million-dollar result.
Top Results at the Bonhams Simeone Museum Sale 2017
The rare, exquisitely restored 1913 Rolls-Royce “London-to-Edinburgh” Silver Ghost – without a doubt the star of the show – sold for $1,001,000 after robust bidding. The 1924 Bentley 3-Liter Speed Model was bought for $200,000, while the tremendously original, two owners from new 1913 Stevens-Duryea Model C6 5-Passenger Tourer made $170,500. Following suit, the impeccably preserved 1910 Regal Underslung Model N Roadster was the focus of a bidding war that resulted in an admirable price of $165,000, and the scarce 1937 Mercedes-Benz 230N Roadster “project car” from decades in the same ownership exceeded its high estimate to sell at $149,600.
As for automobilia, sales were extremely strong with numerous lots soaring past their low estimates. The collection of early, exceptional license plates from noted car collector Joel L. Finn was 100% sold, doubling its pre-sale estimate with many highlights. Specifically, the unique collection of Connecticut “number 1” plates made $72,500 and an ultra-rare 1905 Vermont plate made 10 times its estimate to sell for $10,000.
More early motorcars and related automobilia will be on offer at Bonhams traditional London to Brighton Run Sale in London in November and the special The Bothwell Collection Sale in Los Angeles on 11 November 2017. This sale will include a 1913 Indianapolis Peugeot Grand Prix racer, a very rare ex-Eddie Maier 1908 Prinz Heinrich Benz, and 1908 Mercedes Simplex Two Seater Raceabout.
