6 cars set to fetch over £1million at the Bonhams|Cars Zoute sale

1959 Aston Martin DB4 4.7-litre Works Prototype

In 1990, Aston Martin chairman Victor Gauntlett and service and parts general manager Kingsley Riding-Felce hatched a plan to buy an Aston Martin DB4 and restore it at Aston Martin Works, thoroughly upgrading it at the same time. This was a restomod before the term was coined, and one that was carried out in-house.

The 1959 car they sourced was in poor condition, but all the rot was replaced with fresh steel and the chassis shorted by five inches, matching the spec of a DB4 GT. Independent rear suspension was incorporated, as per the original designer’s intent. The same package became available as a retro for the DB5 and DB6. Meanwhile, the engine’s capacity was increased to 4.7 litres and mated to a ZF five-speed gearbox.

It was given a Design Project chassis number – DP2155 – adding to the desirability of this very special Aston Martin DB4. It’s guided at £1.1million to £1.3million.

1956 Porsche 550 RS Spyder

The Porsche 550 was a prolific high achiever in motorsport categories for smaller-engined sports cars. Thanks to a combination of light weight and a willing quad-cam four-cylinder engine, it consistently punched above its weight at world class venues and events including the Carrera Panamericana, Le Mans, the Mille Miglia, and the Targa Florio.

Of the 90 cars built, only ten competed at the Le Mans 24 Hour, and chassis number 0082 – first owned by Équipe Nationale Belge – was one of them. Unfortunately it was disqualified on a technicality, but it has a rich competition history from the 1956 and ’57 seasons. Among its notable results was a class win at the 1,000km of Montlhéry and third at the Reims 12 Hour.

Given its history, this Porsche 550 is a shoe-in for invitations for all manner of historic race meetings and has a guide price of £2.8million to £3.3million.

1951 Ferrari 340 America Berlinetta

While Pininfarina is the carrozeria most closely associated with Ferrari, primarily because of the longevity of the relationship between the two organisations, the first to be approved by Enzo Ferrari was Touring, and their first collaboration was the 166 MM Barchetta. The car’s family resemblance to this 340 America Berlinetta is clear to see. The 340 used the V12 engine from Ferrari’s contemporary Formula 1 cars, the dry-sumped 2.0-litre producing 233PS (171kW).

There were 22 340 Americas built. Ten were bodied by Vignale, four by Ghia and eight by Touring. Of those eight, only two had enclosed bodywork, making this a real rarity. One notable owner of this example was Jaques Swaters – racer, team manager and Ferrari collector – of Garage Francorchamps who bought it in 1953.

In 2011, it won the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours at the Goodwood Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard soon after being painted black. It went on to win at further events, too. Bidding is expecting to reach £2.5million to £3.3million. 

2010 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss

Things take a turn for the modern now with this garish Mercedes-Benz SLR. You certainly won’t lose it in a carpark thanks to its special order red paint. The SLR was built between 2003 and 2010, with two special editions along the way.

First, there was the 722 edition, which had its V8 engine uprated to 659PS (485kW). Then came the Stirling Moss edition which took that engine and added revised front – and rear – end styling. The roof and windscreen were deducted, contributing to the carbonfibre-bodied car’s 200kg weight reduction. 

Like all SLRs, the Stirling Moss was built at the McLaren Technology Centre, the British company having designed the car. The collaboration began soon after Mika Häkkinen has won the Formula 1 World Championship for McLaren-Mercedes.

This example is the 75^th of 75 made and has had only one owner. It was supplied new to a Swiss customer and has recently undergone recommissioning work in the UK. It’s guided at £1.3million to £2.1million. 

1926 Bugatti Type 35A Grand Prix Two-Seater

In the early days of grand prix racing, it was common for constructors to build cars for private teams, allowing them to compete at the very pinnacle of motorsport. Bugatti was no exception, and its legendary Type 35 was popular among private entrants. In all, 140 were built and, of those, just 20 found homes in the UK when new. The French-made straight-eight racer was popular for its combination of power and agility.

This example has been in the same family ownership for 60 years. In 2002, it was due a restoration which was completed six years later. As part of the work, the engine was upgraded for power and durability. It now features a five-bearing crankshaft, high compression pistons and high-lift cams. It has covered a mere 2000km since the work. It’s guided at £1million to £1.2million.

2011 Aston Martin One-77

The second Aston Martin in our list only just tips into seven-figure territory with the upper end of its estimate. The One-77 was Aston Martin’s flagship, first teased at the 2008 Paris Motor Show where just one corner was revealed. A mock-up appeared at the following year’s Geneva Motor Show before it was revealed in full at that year’s Villa d’Este concours. 

The carbonfibre monocoque was home to Aston Martin’s V12 that had been worked on by Cosworth and increased to a capacity of 7.3 litres. The front wings, formed from a single sheet of aluminium, each took three weeks to form.

Only 77 were build (as hinted at by the name) and this is the very first of them. Its Swiss owner has kept it as part of a collection and the car has covered a scant 550km. The Bronze Pearl paint is contrasted by Kestral Tan trim, but the most notable part of the colour scheme is the rose gold switchgear – a £40,000 upgrade when new. The car is guided at £670,000 to £1million.