The Bonhams|Cars On the Grid sale in Abu Dhabi for the F1 season closer is always a big one with a great variety of machinery. From F1 racers to supercars and hypercars, to modern classic sportscars, these are the top sellers from Bonhams’ middle eastern tentpole sale.
9. Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0
Sold for £364,491 including fees
We begin with a staple blue-chip car from the past 20 years. Sportscars don’t get much more ‘collectible’ than Porsches and Porsches don’t get much more collectible than the 997 911 GT3 RS 4.0. This sign-off halo car for the Mezger engine, hydraulic steering and the 997 generation 911 as a whole was the last of its kind before the bigger, heavier, more sophisticated 991 911 took over. Even with a sturdy 16,000+ miles on the odometer, this example crossed the block for £364,491 including fees.
8. Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV
Sold for £382,257 including fees
The next top seller on our list is another end-of-an-era car. The Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 Super Veloce was the final howl for the Bizzarrini-designed Lamborghini that powered almost every Raging Bull since the original 350 GT. The Aventador’s V12 that replaced it was cleaner, more powerful and designed with VW Group oversight. It also didn’t sound as good somehow, so it’s not surprising the Murcielago SV is a beloved model in Lamborghini’s recent history, with this example selling for £382,257 including fees.
7. Ferrari SF90 Stradale
Sold for £400,460 including fees
Rounding off a trio of supercars at the bottom of our top nine highest sellers is a much more modern example. The Ferrari SF90 Stradale democratises hypercar performance, offering as it does almost 1,000PS (735kW) of hybridised twin-turbo V8 power to anyone with the cash. Still, the fact it isn’t a traditionally limited Ferrari supercar hasn’t dented values too much, with this one selling for a sturdy £400,460 including fees.
6. Maybach 57 S Xenatec Cruisero Coupe
Sold for £455,068 including fees
Now we’re getting a little bit weird and wonderful. Here we have one of eight Maybach 57 S Xenatec Cruisero Coupes ever made. Because when Maybach refused to make a Coupe, German coachbuilder Xenatec took the initiative. Happily, Maybach did in fact approve of the project but, quite unhappily, there were just the eight takers for this million-pound coupe. The project ended up seemingly killing the coachbuilder so the Xenatic is arguably the ultimate white elephant – in this case literally – and a bit of a bargain at £455,068 including fees.
5. McLaren-Mercedes SLR 722
Sold for £673,500 including fees
On a weirdly related note is another rare and decadent Mercedes coupe built by someone other than Mercedes. Of course, the McLaren-Mercedes SLR is a bit more than a coachbuild, serving as Merc’s halo model for a solid seven years. It arguably peaked with the 641PS (471kW) 722 version of which this is an example, which was a celebration of Sir Stirling Moss’s 1955 Mercedes Mille Miglia triumph. This example is in a rare Digenit Blue paint hue and has barely delivery miles on it. Even with a need for recommissioning, this time capsule hypercar made £673,500 including fees.
4. McLaren P1
Sold for £955,643 including fees
Rarer than the SLR, quite significantly faster and more capable, is the all-McLaren, home-grown hybridised P1. Now itself over a decade old, the McLaren P1 has aged into a bit of a hypercar icon even though values aren’t up there with its closest rivals (as we’re shortly to see). This car is number 43 of the 375 P1s built. It’s quite a loud spec and comes with the £20,000 Track Mode 2 upgrade which allows the P1 to ride in close to its most aggressive settings on the road. Having covered 4,422 miles since new, it sold for £955,643 including fees.
3. Porsche 918 Spyder
Sold for £1.274million including fees
Not quite as much for some reason unbeknown to us, as these tend to go for, with this one being no exception. We of course speak of the Porsche 918 Spyder, Stuttgart’s hybrid hypercar foil to Woking and Maranello. Granted, this one has done less than 500 miles in its life but it’s not exactly a one-of-one PTS special being Black with a black interior. Yet it still went for £1.274million. Yes, that’s over £300,000 more than the P1. We’d definitely consider having the McLaren as well as that 4.0-litre Porsche we saw earlier for the same money…
2. Porsche 964 RSR
Sold for £1.683million including fees
In fact, given how expensive Porsches are proving in this roundup, we’re starting to wonder if the 4.0 is a little undervalued. That said, this thing makes it look about as rare as a base Carrera. It’s a 1993 964 Carrera RSR Strassenversion. Yes, a road-going race car that is one of just two made. It’s covered less than 10 miles in its life and is a very unique specification, with a few more luxury trimmings in the cabin than you’d expect of a race car. You won’t be shocked to note then that even in this semi barn find condition, it made £1.683million including fees.
1. McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21
Sold for £2.184million including fees
From road-going race car to just, well, a full-on race car. Recently restored and sold by McLaren itself is a McLaren-Mercedes MP4-21, specifically Kimi Raikkonen’s F1 car from the 2006 season. Most famous for its Monaco drama, where Kimi and the MP4-21 were on for second place behind Fernando Alonso on pace. Then a fire during a safety car period put it and its famously stern driver out of the race. The new owner needn’t worry, there isn’t so much as a paint bubble to tell what happened. You’d hope not for £2.184million including fees…
Report by Ethan Jupp
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