A replica of the Ferrari 250GT Spyder California specially created for the 1986 Paramount hit film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' sold at Bonhams Collectors' Motor Cars and Automobilia auction yesterday for a fantastic £79,600 - double its pre-sale estimate of £30,000-40,000.
However, the top lot of the sale was a 1938 SS Jaguar 2½-litre Drophead Coupé which sold for an outstanding £100,500.
Despite current travel problems, the sale was a great success and made £1,313,000 with the cars selling 93% by lot and 97% by value. There were a high number of telephone bids and some attendees showed great tenacity overcoming transport difficulties with one visitor driving all the way from Italy.
 The £100,500 1938 SS Jaguar 2½-litre Drophead Coupé |
There was a fierce bidding war for the Ferris Bueller Ferrari, with eight telephone bidders competing against others in the room. The car finally sold to an American buyer. Only around one hundred genuine 250GT Spyder California's were created by Ferrari between 1958 and 1963.
Existing examples are very rare and expensive so Paramount chose to commission and build a replica for filming purposes.
A young Matthew Broderick stars as Ferris who fakes illness to miss school, and convinces his girlfriend Sloane and his best friend Cameron to take Cameron's fathers car and have a day of fun before heading off to their different colleges.
Two Bentleys sold by a single owner were also highlights of the auction - a 1962 Bentley S3 LWB Saloon and a 1997 Bentley Continental T Coupé making £43,300 and £65,300 respectively.
 The bright yellow 1936 Lotus Elite, sold for £44,950 |
A bright yellow 1936 Lotus Elite which won many racing victories beat its pre-sale estimate of £20,000-25,000 to fetch £44,950, while a c.2004 Suffolk Jaguar SS100 made £50,450 and a 1950 Morgan F Super Roadster sold for £23,575 far exceeding its estimate of £9,000-12,000.
James Knight, International Managing Director of Bonhams Motorcar Department comments,
"We were pleased with the success of the sale despite transport problems, with our excellent team offering a good service to vendors and buyers alike," said James Knight, International Managing Director of Bonhams Motorcar Department.
Bonhams' next sale of collectible and historic automobiles takes place in Monaco on April 30.
