Rare veteran cars cross the block at Bonhams|Cars Golden Age of Motoring sale

After selling his Gladiator bicycle business, Alexandre Darracq was a mobility pioneer who began developing an electrically powered carriage before turning his attention to the combustion engine. A range of single, twin and four-cylinder cars soon followed before one of Darracq’s cars – a 22-litre, V8-engined Goliath – snatched the World Speed Record in 1905 at 109.6mph. 

The Darracq 12hp Twin-Cylinder offered for sale was formerly owned by the chairman of the RAC, Air Chief Marshal Sir John Rogers, and had been part of the Sword Collection before it was bought by the current owner in 2006. In their hands, the Darracq has proved to be a reliable London-to-Brighton participant, having completed the famous run 11 times with its new owner. 

Just one of those runs was completed since the engine was completely rebuilt in 2019, and the car comes with receipts for that (and a lot of other work) totalling more than £80,000.

A 1910 Lorraine-Dietrich FJ/24 24hp Four-Cylinder Double-Phaeton is also expected to make big money and has been estimated at between £85,000 to £100,000. Lorraine was the first manufacturer to win the Le Mans 24 hour twice and in consecutive years (1935 and 1936). This car spent most of its life in Italy and was subject to a 30-year restoration that included rebuilding the engine, transmission, propshaft and axles. 

As well as some brands you may never had heard of, the sale also has cars from brands you will have heard of, including models like a 1908 Renault Type VS 4½-Litre Vanderbilt Cup Replica (£70,000 to £80,000), a c.1904 Peugeot Type 63A 10hp Twin-Cylinder Rear Entrance Tonneau (£60,000 to £70,000) and a 1904 Renault 6CV Type T Voiturette (£40,000 to £60,000).

Veteran classics are some of the cheapest ways to get your hands on a rare classic, and there are bargains to be found at the Bonhams|Cars sale with a 1914 Lagonda 11.1hp Four-Door Tourer carrying a lower estimate of £17,000. It's been restored after being bought by its current owners in 2022. 

If internal combustion isn’t your bag, then the steam power of this 1900 Locomobile Type 2 5½hp Spindle-Seat Runabout is another option, up for £28,000 to £32,000. It lived in the US before coming to the UK in the 1970s and comes complete with an Examination Certificate, guaranteeing the boiler's integrity.