As well as the 1925 Type 22 Bugatti that was lifted from Lake Maggiore earlier this year after 75 years underwater, Bonhams has consigned 28 cars from a major Spanish collection for its Retromobile sale, headed by a 1932 Alfa 8C 2300 Monza. Bonhams has estimated the Bugatti to fetch €50-60,000, but is coyly describing the Alfa as ‘refer department’, though it’s expected to make up to €2 million.

The rest of  the collection comprises pre-war cars collected by an Andalusian industrialist, and includes a Bentley 8 Litre with Vanden Plas-type touring body (€400-600,000), Horch 853 cabrio (€240-280,000) and Hispano Suiza H6B Coupe Chauffeur Chapron estimated at €170-230,000. Further down the scale from the same collection is a 1966 Mercedes Benz 230SL automatic also at no reserve, but estimated at €25-35,000.

Bonhams has also consigned a 1931 Avions Voisin C14 ‘Chartre’, one of only two built to a design by Andre Lefebvre, and which took a class award at Pebble Beach in 2006, estimated at  €380-460,000 euros, and a Lagonda LG45 being sold at no reserve but predicted to fetch €140-180,000. There’s also a 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport with coachwork by Castagna of Milan, estimate €550-650,000, in line with recent sales (and near-sales) of 1750s.

From Australia comes a 1926-27 1.5-litre supercharged straight-eight Talbot-Darracq from Australia, which carries a pre-sale estimate of €400-600,000. This is one of the three cars sold when the factory offloaded its team in its entirety in 1927, though it runs the later 1931 stiffened chassis added by subsequent owner Enrico Plate, and has been used by its owner in historic motor sports.