Shelby collection smashes estimates at Bonhams' Greenwich sale

By Marc McLaren
News
 | 5 Jun 2018
Shelby collection smashes estimates at Bonhams' Greenwich sale

Carroll Shelby's legacy is clearly as strong as ever – 23 cars from his collection were up for grabs at the weekend's Greenwich auction, and all 23 sold for handsome prices.

Almost every single lot was bought for way above the upper estimate, with two – a 1999 Shelby Series 1 and a 1987 De Tomaso Pantera GT5-S – going for an incredible £140k each above what they were expected to.

In total, the 23 cars made a mammoth £1.62m: roughly twice what the collection was estimated to sell for.

Shelby collection smashes estimates at Bonhams' Greenwich sale

1999 Shelby Series 1 went for £233,804

The auction, which took place on Sunday (3 June) at the Greenwich Concours d’Elegance in Connecticut, saw a slew of world records set as the Shelby collection changed hands.

Among them, the aforementioned Shelby Series I went for £233,804, a 1965 Shelby 427 Continuation Cobra sold for £194,095, and a 1966 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350 Continuation Convertible made £150,591.

Probably the most incredible sale, though, was that of the '87 De Tomaso Pantera: that vehicle was bought for £168,966 despite having no engine or transmission. Then again, it was extensively used by the Shelby team as a test vehicle while they were building the Dodge Viper, and its original 5.8-litre Ford V8 was regularly swapped out for units such as the V10 powertrain which ultimately ended up inside the Viper. 

You can view a full gallery of the Shelby collection, and what each car sold for, here.

Shelby collection smashes estimates at Bonhams' Greenwich sale

Mercedes 300SL Roadster made £668k

Outside of the Shelby cars, the big stars of the auction were a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible that made just under £1.1m, and a 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster that was bought for £668k. We've put together a full gallery of highlights from the sale here.

“Our Greenwich auction was the best to date in terms of interest, attendance and sales figures,” said Eric Minoff, Bonhams' Head of Sale for Greenwich.

“Fresh-to-market classics with sound provenance and original condition cars brought the most attention, including bids from collectors from around the world. We’re very pleased with the results and it’s always a pleasure to partner with such a great event as the Greenwich Concours.”

READ MORE

Bonhams' Greenwich auction: the highlights

In pictures: the Carroll Shelby car collection 

Bonhams' Aston Martin auction: the highlights