In 2025, Bonhams Cars Paris returned to its former location, the historic Grand Palais, showcasing an impressive lineup of automotive masterpieces. These headline cars included three prewar Bugattis: a 1928 Type 43, a 1936 Type 57, and a 1924 Type 23.
Other highlights of Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris included the 1978 Schnitzer BMW E21 1.4-litre Turbocharged Group 5 Turbo. This outstanding BMW turbo competition car is the second E21 ‘R-car’ used by the Schnitzer tuning company team. The car had an exceptional racing career from 1978 to 1988, with its peak in 1978 when team driver Harald Ertl won the Deutsche Rennsport-Meisterschaft, marking it as the first and only BMW to hold that title. It was estimated at €750,000 – 950,000 but did not sell.
The lots also included two rare Ferraris, a 1955 Ferrari 555 Supersqualo and a 1950 Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta by Touring. Both cars played crucial roles in shaping Ferrari’s legacy that is synonymous with performance and elegance. The 166 was sold at Sold for €2,817,500, well below the estimate, and the Super Squalo for €1,983,750.
The auction totalled at 17,016,550 euros, with 91% of lots sold, though several items sold below its estimate, as most press reports noted. We were surprised how many cars sold under the 200.000 euro range, like the brown 1970 Ferrari 365 GT 2+2, Sold for €161,000.
Also in the 400.000 range, bidders could get unique exotics like the 2017 X-raid BMW MINI John Cooper Works Buggy and the 1954 Autobleu 750 MM Coupé both sold for €368,000. For the complete results have look at the website of Bonhams.
