More News April 28 (Bloomberg) — Pay attention, 007.
London-based auction house Bonhams is holding its 10th annual sale of James Bond’s favorite runarounds next month. The Aston Martin auction at the manufacturer’s base in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, on May 9 features 46 cars, including a DB5 similar to the model in the 1964 movie “Goldfinger.†Even without any enhancements from Bond’s gadget expert “Q,†the silver coupe is estimated to fetch 160,000 pounds ($233,570) to 180,000 pounds. Success rates at classic-car sales remain relatively high, as more works go unsold in other parts of the auction market. Still, because of the economic slump, buyers and sellers are more hesitant than they were a year ago. The Aston Martin sale is set to make between 3 million pounds and 3.5 million pounds. Last year’s Aston Martin event raised a record 4.7 million pounds from 35 vehicles. “The Aston Martin is the ultimate British sports car of the 1950s and ‘60s,†Rob Hubbard, a Bonhams car specialist, said in an interview. “It’s quintessentially English, and combines European styling with the best of British engineering.†The marque’s James Bond connections are very important to certain collectors, while others regard them as a “distraction,†Hubbard said. “We’ve kept the estimates at the same levels as last year,†Tim Schofield, the head of Bonhams’s London car department, said. “In 2008, a lot of the cars were achieving results near the top estimates. We’ve been telling sellers that they shouldn’t regard those prices as the new market level.†A London sale on April 20 found buyers for 72 of 76 cars. Three-quarters of these sold within or below estimates that were the same or up to 5 percent lower than last year.
‘Material Girl’