Top picks from this weekend’s Bonhams|Cars auction

2007 Bugatti Veyron

Estimate: £500,000 to £800,000

The Bugatti Veyron might not be universally loved – some say it’s too heavy, too ugly and doesn’t drive well enough – but it’s impossible to ignore its significance. Introduced in 2005, it felt like a rule-breaker in ways its replacement, the Chiron, and other exceedingly fast cars like the Rimac Nevera, Koenigsegg Jesko and Hennessey Venom F5, just don’t, despite their individual achievements.

A brief overview: 1,001PS (736kW) from a quad-turbo W16 engine, a top speed of 253mph (407km/h, the first 400km/h car) and a price tag of £925,000 when new. Zero to 62mph took 2.4 seconds, 0-124mph only 7.3 seconds, and 0-186mph in 16.7 seconds. Wild.

We’ve established that the Veyron is special, then, but this car is even more of a treasure because it’s waiting for someone to actually use it. Since being registered in Switzerland in 2007, this lovely vehicle has covered only 480 miles. Just think, all of those wild performance stats, the truly unique driving experience, and the car has been used for a journey that could be over at a cruise in only eight hours. The estimate is a modest £500,000 to £800,000, a good chunk of money but something of a bargain when you consider how much enjoyment could be had were it to be pulled out of a garage and truly used. 

The Veyron was a Concorde car, and how fun would it be to own something like that?

Tokyo Drift 1992 Mazda RX-7 FD Veilside Fortune Coupe

Estimate: £250,000 to £350,000

We weren’t ready for this, we really weren’t. This is the actual Mazda RX-7 driven by Han, played by Sung Kang, in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. 

One of only two surviving cars used in filming, this FD Veilside Fortune Coupe wasn’t used for drifting sequences but was instead used for stunt and static scenes in the third film in the Fast and Furious franchise.

Commissioned by Universal Studios from Veilside Co Ltd, it was fitted with the 'Fortune' wide-body kit, Andrew Premier Series Racing Evolution 5 19-inch wheels and Pirelli P Zero Nero tyres. Finished in the on-screen iconic orange and black paintwork with its original ‘#71 HANS’ markings, its twin-rotor turbocharged engine was rebuilt by tuner RE-Amemiya only 5,000 miles ago, the car having covered 66,785 miles in total.

With only one previous owner from new (excluding Han), if you don’t buy it, we will. And before you wonder, yes, we’re writing about this car listening to Tokyo Drift by the Teriyaki Boyz.

1966 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Series 2 Coupe

Estimate: £240,000 to £280,000

The Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 is so often overlooked in the world of 1960s Ferraris – let’s face it, you’ll probably think of a Ferrari 250 or 275 GTB over a 330. But take a moment to look at what one of these cars offers and quite quickly you’ll start building a case for retiring later, taking on a paper round and perhaps even selling a lung.

The 330 GT 2+2 is a gorgeous car, designed by Pininfarina and unveiled at the 1964 Brussels Motor Show, replacing the 330 America. It had a 4.0-litre ‘Type 209’ V12 with 304PS (221kW), and seating for four, perfect for a long European drive on roads without overhead gantries, variable speed limits, speed bumps and average speed checks.

The Series 1 was built from 1963 to 1965, distinguishable by its four headlights, while the two-headlight Series 2 was in production from 1965 to 1967. It’s a Series 2 you see here, chassis 8505, built in 1966 and first delivered to a customer in Switzerland, where it stayed until 2003 with a few different owners over the years, before moving to Belgium.

Ultimately, it’s a beautiful, front-engined V12 1960s Ferrari. If that sentence alone doesn’t get you interested we probably can’t be friends.

2017 Force India-Mercedes VJM10 F1 car

Estimate: £70,000 to £90,000

As you can see, this is a 2017 Force India-Mercedes VJM10 Formula 1 car, specifically the test and development car that racked up more than 2,500km in testing to help Force India’s race cars to secure fourth in the F1 Constructors’ championship. In fact there was only one race in which the team didn’t score any points at all.

Sadly it doesn’t have an engine or gearbox. But consider this: this Formula 1 car is estimated to sell for less than the price of a new Audi Q8. Admittedly a Q8 could be driven, but still, this is a real Formula 1 car. 

Driven in testing by Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, Alfonso Celis, Lucas Auer and Nikita Mazepin, it was later liveried in the 2020 Racing Point colours when the team was bought by Lawrence Stroll and used as a show car. Still finished with those colours, it comes direct from the Aston Martin F1 team, with everything aside from its Mercedes hybrid 1.6-litre turbocharged powertrain and its eight-speed gearbox. 

Could you get hold of one of the original hybrid powertrains? It’s unlikely, but a quick call to TDF and you could soon find yourself driving a modern F1 car with a lovely, high-revving Judd V10 in the back.

1948 Ford F-1 'Woodie' estate car

Estimate: £40,000 to £50,000

From an F1 car to an F-1 car… Would you just look at that. This is a 1948 Ford F-1 'Woodie' Estate Car, and quite frankly it’s one of the coolest looking cars we’ve seen this weekend. Quite a statement, we know, but come on, it’s like a Morris Traveller went on holiday to the USA and came back six months later with a new haircut and jacked like a Californian bodybuilder.

This is one of only three ‘woodie’ estate cars ever made, built on the Ford F-1 light commercial chassis in – surprisingly – Cork in the Republic of Ireland. The post-war F-Series was available with eight different weight ratings, F-1 through to F-8, and in a number of different body styles, from panel truck to school bus and pick-up. 

This particular example was sold new to the US Consulate in Northern Ireland, used by the security guards for the Consul General. It has a 3.9-litre V8 and three-speed manual gearbox, and following its stint in Northern Ireland it headed to Llangendeirne in Wales before going to Hampshire in 1996, then restored locally in Bosham in 2007. Heading back over to the Republic of Ireland in 2013, it then came back to the UK with its current owner in 2017. 

It might not be powerful, it might not be fast, but it’s unique and rare – surely a Bonhams|Cars bargain?

1994 Dodge Viper R/T 10 Roadster

Estimate: £45,000 to £55,000

Need we say anything other than this is a one-owner Dodge Viper for the same money as a Toyota Rav 4?

This car was bought direct from Chrysler in 1994 and has covered just 8,900 miles since new, meaning there’s plenty of fun to be had with its 8.0-litre V10 engine. Launched in 1991, what began as a passion project in Chrysler's Advanced Design Studios quickly evolved into a fully-fledged new car development programme, with the first prototype shown at the 1989 North American International Auto Show. It was that show and the overwhelming positive sentiment from the public and media that secured the money to bring the project to life, and by January 1992 the car was in customer’s hands across North America. 

Yes, the Viper bites from time to time, but imagine pulling up at a set of traffic lights in the Viper and looking across at someone in a Toyota Rav 4. We can all agree who would be winning at life in that particular scenario. A loud V10 engine and 406PS (298kW) beats a hybrid Toyota motor every day of the week.

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Photography by Peter Summers and Bonhams|Cars.