26-04-2025
Where to buy Eric Clapton's Ferrari or Jack Nicholson's Mercedes
Goodwood's motoring events might be famous for the vintage outfits worn by the crowds and thrilling races set against a backdrop of a stately home, but true motor aficionados get more excited about the sale of millions of pounds' worth of historic cars. Partnering with Bonhams Cars, Goodwood kicked off the 2025 season with the 82nd Members' Meeting sale in mid-April. As always there was an eclectic range of vehicles with seemingly something for everyone and many with an interesting backstory.
In terms of sheer 'take your breath away' classic beauty, the 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC Coupé stood out. With fabulous bodywork by Carrozzeria Pininfarina and originally in maroon with beige Connolly leather, its first owner resided in Rome, not a million miles from the factory where it was built. It left its native Italy three years later to be passed between several owners in the USA. This well-travelled car then returned to Italy in the early 2000s before finding its way to the UK in 2011, where it was treated to a £150,000-plus restoration and finished in its current Blu Sera with Grigio leather. This desirable Ferrari sold for £402,000.
There were a couple of options if you were looking for a bit of star provenance in your new old car. An elegant Mercedes 600 from 1972 in Bordeaux Red bodywork with Cognac leather interior was purchased new by the actor Jack Nicholson. This opulent super saloon was state of the art at the time of its build, with air suspension and a mighty 6.3 litre V8 that made it both comfortable and powerful. Nicholson eventually donated the car to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles before it made its way into private hands in 2022. Selling for £126,500, it was a lot of car for the money.
A sportier celebrity-owned motor was the 1975 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB, first owned by Eric Clapton. A little more showy than the demure Nicholson Mercedes, this red Ferrari sports car was supposedly ordered by Clapton after he saw George Harrison's similar car — seemingly, it was not just Harrison's wife, Patti Boyd, that Clapton cast a covetous eye on. However, he only owned the Prancing Horse thoroughbred for a mere 43 miles before it was involved in an accident. It does, however, have the added attraction of being part of rock music history as a picture of the damaged Ferrari appears on the inside-cover artwork for his 1977 album, Slowhand. The next owner bought the car and repaired it over time, repainting it from its original Argento Auteuil to the more traditional Ferrari red it is now. Over the years parts of the car have apparently spent a good deal of time in the vendor's kitchen, and this may well be true, as the Ferrari has covered less than 15,000 miles in the intervening 50 years. On its introduction the GT4 was the world's fastest and most expensive car, and this vehicle is only one of 58 right-hand drive models built for the UK market. The BB of its title officially stands for Berlinetta Boxer, although folklore in the Pininfarina design house claims that the BB moniker was initially named in honour of Bridget Bardot and the car's beautiful bodywork. Seemingly good value, at only £178,250, this Ferrari with a rock star pedigree should continue to rise in value.
In the race car category, a humble Ford Capri on sale at the auction can claim to have racing royalty as well as actual royalty behind the wheel. This 3.0GXL Group 1 Competition Coupé competed in the 1973 Avon Tour of Great Britain and was driven by Prince Michael of Kent, who finished a respectable 16th. It later took place in a race at the Österreichring driven by none other than the three-time Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda. Motorsport stardust was further visited on the car when the British motorcycle world champion Barry Sheene raced in it in a celebrity event at Brands Hatch. The £80,500 selling price sounds expensive, but maybe not for a thoroughbred race car with such a distinguished past.
At the cheaper end of the spectrum collectors could scratch their itch for 1990s nostalgia with one of the era's great 'hot hatches' — a 1990 Renault 5 GT Turbo. These cars are rapidly rising in value due to people revisiting the dream cars of their youth, and this one-owner-from-new car did not disappoint at £26,450.
Bonhams also uses the occasion to promote the next sale at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Highlights already announced include a one-owner 2007 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Coupé with only 770 kilometres on the clock, which is selling at 'no reserve'. It will undoubtedly go for a fine price, but it is unlikely to reach some of the standout sales of the past, such as Juan Manuel Fangio's Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1 car from 1954, which sold for £19.6 million at the festival in 2013.
