A vast private collection of Veteran, Vintage and Classic cars, as well as a large number of commercial vehicles and parts has been sold by Bonhams in a special one-off sale from 13-14 June.
The private collection of Michael Banfield, who died last year, represented his life's work and included countless treasures. The highlight of the sale was a 1914 Rolls-Royce 40/50HP Silver Ghost Landaulette, which fetched a colossal £418,140. Banfield bought the car in 1974 and rallied it extensively until the 1990s, when it was selected to represent The Edwardian Formal Car class at the Cartier Style et Luxe Concours at the 1997 Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Also making big money was a 1922 AEC S-Type double-decker bus, which eventually sold for £281,500. The bus was discovered sitting in a field and serving as a chicken coop in 1964, when Banfield decided to purchase it thinking it to be a K-type. He later found out that his father, Charles Banfield, had driven that very bus in the 1920s and began its restoration shortly before Charles passed away.
Another double-decker bus from the same year, this time a Tilling-Stevens TS3A, sold for £216,540.
Away from commercials, a number of Veteran cars formed part of the sale. An ex-Louis Holland 1910 Renault AX 8HP sold for £33,062, and was said to display 'the gentle patination of appreciative use'.
Selling for a much more impressive £177,340 was a 1906 Minerva 40HP Roie des Belges. The car had a fascinating history, having been used during the Great War by the police; it still had blackout paint on the headlamp glass when it was discovered by VCC member Alan Edwards. The Minerva existed in a state of complete disrepair while passing through a number of new owners until, in 1974, it was bought and fully restored by Banfield.
A passion for Jaguars was displayed by XKSS, D-type and C-type replicas, each of which sold for between £40-50,000, but the top money was reserved for a 1963 Jaguar E-type Series 1 fhc, which sold for £54,050. The car had been owned by Banfield since 1982.
Seven historic fire engines and pumps were also included in the sale, the most valuable being a 1913 Merryweather, which sold for £74,300. Tenders from Leyland, Morris, Tilley and Dennis also sold well.
Banfield was a founder and former chairman of the Historic Commercial Vehicle Society, as well as serving on the general committee for FIVA for 21 years and of the FBHVC for 12.
