The recent Bonhams ‘Collectors’ Motor Car and Automobilia’ sale that took place in Oxford for the second year running, achieved total sales of £1,017,317, a record for this venue. With 86% of items meeting their reserves, and 44 of the 51 cars selling, this year’s sale was a success.

The star of the show, as expected, was the 1956 H.J. Mulliner Bentley S1 Continental Fastback. This car reached an impressive price of £166,500, although there were many other extremely well performing lots, such as the 1989 Ford RS200 Road Car, eventually selling for £87,300, showing just how much interest there is in ‘80s Group B cars at the moment.

An Alvis Speed 25 barn find attracted a flurry of bids, finishing up at £31,050 selling to an Irish bidder, smashing the car’s estimate of £18,000 – £22,000. Even the more ordinary classics attracted strong prices, such as a 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo, selling for £21,562 against a a pre-sale estimate of £10,000 - £15,000.

The automobilia lots threw up a few surprises too, including an electric ½-scale Model T Ford, selling for an astounding £9200. Considering the estimate of £4000 – £5000, this children’s toy sold for the price of a real Model T.

James Knight, Head of the Motoring department at Bonhams, comments: ‘This was our second sale at Oxford, and yet again delivered a very strong performance. The test for any new venue is looking at how you perform the second time. I am thrilled that Bonhams and this fabulous venue passed the test with flying colours.’