Before a single car had even hit the hill at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, Bonhams was already stealing headlines with one of its most cinematic, eclectic car auctions in recent memory. Kicking off just before the weekend, the 2025 Bonhams|Cars sale racked up a staggering £10.2 million (~₹110 crore) in sales—the highest for any UK car auction this year—moving everything from pre-war coachbuilts to F1-powered hypercars.
“This outstanding result… truly reinforces Bonhams|Cars’ position as the market leader in the UK,” said Tim Schofield, Head of Department, who credited global participation and a renewed appetite for collector-grade whips. “The extraordinary results in this sale underscore the ongoing passion for exceptional motorcars.” It wasn’t just the totals that impressed. Bonhams set a world record for a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Coupé, and hammered down the UK’s most expensive registration plate ever sold at auction—₹6.6 crore for ‘JB 1’ from the Jack Barclay collection.
Now, let's dive into the auction's highlights:
10. 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mk2 Fuel Injection Saloon
One of the final iterations of Aston’s gentlemanly DB6, this Mk2 with fuel injection brought just the right amount of old-school elegance to the party. Clean, understated, and likely to only rise in value as the DB5s keep climbing out of reach.
9. 2018 Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé
Luxury on four wheels, and a quiet reminder that even the newest Phantoms are starting to build collector value—especially when they’ve barely been driven and still smell like Mayfair.
8. 1928 Bentley 4½ Litre Tourer by Vanden Plas
A pre-war behemoth with matching numbers, charismatic coachwork, and just the right kind of pomp to make Goodwood’s old-money crowd bid with feeling. A reminder that vintage still sells—if it’s got the right pedigree.
7. 1992 Jaguar XJ220
Long snubbed, now revered. Jaguar’s once-maligned ‘90s halo car continues its redemption arc on the auction circuit—there simply isn't anything in the world quite like this (other than perhaps the infamous Bugatti EB110). This example came with excellent provenance and not too many miles, ticking all the right boxes for collectors finally ready to admit they were wrong.
6. 1963 Aston Martin DB4 Series V Vantage
A Vantage-spec DB4 is special in any context, and this Series V example drew healthy interest. There’s something about this generation’s proportions that feels both perfectly British and timelessly menacing.
5. 2022 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series Project One Edition
Sold exclusively to AMG ONE customers, this limited-run GT Black Series had motorsport flair baked in. It’s not every day a track beast comes with a built-in AMG loyalty badge.
4. 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
A topless 300 SL will always command attention. This one, beautifully preserved and subtly specced, embodied the auction’s vintage luxury high notes—without veering into cliché.
3. 1992 Mazda RX-7 Veilside Fortune Coupé
Tokyo Drift flashbacks, anyone? One of only two surviving hero cars from the 2006 film, this outrageous RX-7 sparked a bidding war. Not a drift missile, but a garage queen with provenance and movie star charm. Pop culture meets collector clout.
2. 2007 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Coupé
A world record for a Veyron Coupé at auction, this Mocca Brown-over-White Coffee one-owner car had just 478 miles on the clock and a Swiss history as exotic as its badge. Call it hypercar royalty in retirement.
1. 2023 Mercedes-AMG ONE Coupé
Formula 1 tech. Road legal. One of just 275 made. This delivery-mile AMG ONE featured the elusive Motorsport Styling Package and was as close as a civilian can get to strapping into a Silver Arrow. No surprise it topped the charts.
