A Rolls-royce silver ghost Roi-de-Belges Tourer took pole position at Bonhams’ June sale in Kettering, being bid up to an above-estimate £331,500. The absolutely immaculate car was always expected to do well at an event which is held at the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts’ Club Annual Rally and features a strong line-up of the club’s favoured cars – and most importantly, the right buyers.

So it’s no surprise that the rest of the sale went just as well, with a 90% sale rate for a total of £1.25m. The 1912 40/50hp Silver Ghost Roi-de-Belges Tourer had languished for years in a chicken shed before being rebuilt from the ground up. In a quirk of fate, the Belgian collector who bought it discovered that the other Ghost in his collection wears this one’s original front axle, so maybe a swap is on cards.

Interestingly, this car – as beautiful as it is – represents approximately half the value of an original matching-numbers example of the breed. This car was followed in the top ten by three Bentleys, lots 220 (1935 3.5-litre Drophead Coupé), 215 (1963 S3 Continental Convertible) and 218 (1936 4¼–Litre Sports Saloon) which sold for £68,600, £63,100 and £47,700, respectively.

The sale total of £1.25m includes lot 212, a 1913 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost that sold privately just before the sale and also featured a Roi-de-Belges body similar to the top seller’s. Restoration projects featured too, with a couple of truly scary 20/25hp basket-cases, one a 1938 hearse (£3220) and the other a 1937 sports saloon (£1955). One other interesting lot was a 1939 Wraith, bought from Bonhams last year as a project and the intended recipient of a Merlin V12 – but the owner’s plans changed and it was sold here for £3450, about £5000 less than it was bought for last year. The Merlin engine sold separately for £20,700.