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Bonhams has confirmed a strong result from its Zoute Sale, held October 11 at Knokke-Heist, Belgium, during Zoute Grand Prix weekend. Of 72 vehicle lots offered, 53 sold, a 76 percent sell-through rate, for a total of €10.2 million.
"We're delighted with the outcome of the Bonhams Zoute Sale," said Michael Squire, Bonhams' Head of European Sales. He credited a no-reserve collection of mostly Italian sports and supercars, plus a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, for showing "the breadth of vehicles that clients sell through Bonhams."
The sale marked the 14th year of Bonhams' partnership with the Zoute Grand Prix and drew record interest: more than 800 registered bidders from 36 countries and over 1,000 attendees in the room.
Keller Brothers Collection Sells Out
The headline lot was the Keller Brothers Collection, twelve predominantly Italian sports and supercars from the 1960s to the 2000s. All twelve sold, a 100 percent sell-through, for a combined €3,593,750.
Leading the group was a 1970 Lamborghini Miura P400S, one of 114 late-specification ventilated-disc cars, finished in Giallo Fly over its original Nero leather interior. It sold for €1,725,000 including premium. Alongside it, a 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary, one of 657 built, delivered new in Italy in Rosso Siviglia over Beige leather, brought €517,500. A 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GT from the same collection sold for €322,000.
If you like your Lamborghinis a little later, we recently looked at a single-owner 1998 Diablo VT Roadster with just 13,914 km.
Mercedes, Ferrari and BMW Also Deliver
A beautifully restored 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster sold for €1,265,000. Delivered new in Germany in white with a tan leather interior, it had undergone a frame-off restoration, with expert reports from 2012 and 2017 rating it in the highest possible condition. The 300 SL has been having a good year, too: one took Best of Show at the Concurso de Elegancia Costa del Sol.
A 1968 Ferrari Dino 206 GT, the 28th of just 152 built, sold for €563,500. Highly original, it retained its matching-numbers engine and gearbox and was thoroughly mechanically overhauled in 2023.
A 1979 BMW M1 Coupé went for €437,000. Delivered new in Germany in red with black leather and fabric, it is currently registered in France and had been with the same owner since 2010. Rounding out the headliners, a 1953 Mercedes-Benz 300 S Roadster, one of only 141 built, sold for €345,000. It was extensively restored between 2003 and 2010 and has been used sparingly by its current owner since 2017.
Zoute also drew a crowd of nearly new exotics this year, but Bonhams' result shows the classic end of the market holding firm. Prices quoted above include the buyer's premium; if that term is new to you, here is our guide to buyer's premiums and auction fees.
What's Next for Bonhams
Bonhams moves next to its Golden Age of Motoring Sale on October 30 at its New Bond Street headquarters in London, the traditional curtain raiser to the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. That sale includes seven veteran cars hidden since WWII. After that comes Retromobile Paris at the Grand Palais on February 5, 2027.
Full results are available on the Bonhams website.
