The 7 best cars to buy at the Bonhams|Cars Zoute sale

1. 2006 Wiesmann GT MF4 Coupe

Valued at £112,000 – £138,000

Definitely a left-field way to start this list, but we just had to highlight it. It’s of course the Wiesmann GT MF4 Coupe and it offers scintillating performance, lightweight, artisanal design, fit and finish and oh… a manual gearbox paired with a 4.8-litre BMW V8.

Love the classic look but find the old Morgans a little too archaic? No matter. With an alloy chassis and fibreglass bodywork, it’s decently sophisticated under that XK140-aping aesthetic. 

One of just 118 manual cars made, this example comes with a full Wiesmann service history spanning its 16,000 miles and 17 years of service. Unlike some more blue-chip high-price collector cars, this is a sportscar that’s ready to go and begging to be driven.

2. 1994 Bugatti EB110 GT

Valued at £693,000 – £1,040,000 

An EB110 selling without reserve. Now we’re talking. The product of Bugatti’s Italian dalliance in the 1990s, the EB110 did in fact largely lay the foundations for the luxury hypercars we know and love today, including the Veyron and Chiron. Four-wheel-drive, four turbochargers, acres of leather and a tasteful appointment are facets all modern Bugattis share, going back to the EB110.

This car is rather unique for, if you hadn’t seen it, the colour. Exactly how many are in this Indian Red spec isn’t known, but given that fewer than 140 EB110s exist in total and less than 100 GTs, this must be an incredibly rare beast, if not unique. Unlike the Wiesmann, this Bugatti has led a life of shelter and stagnation. Having covered some 4,400 miles in its first few years, the red Bug went into a museum in 2005 and hasn’t really moved since. So if you want to drive it, it’ll need some investment. We strongly encourage you to do so, though.

3. 1997 Saab EX Prototype

Valued at £52,000 – £78,000

Jumping back down the budget ladder has yielded possibly the only true one-off on this list. Built with factory and local authority cooperation by a dedicated fan of the marque is this… Saab. Yes, a Saab. It’s the 1997 EX Prototype, essentially a modern coach-build that’s designed to be as low and wide as possible on the wheelbase of the 900. Built with Saab parts where possible the EX also utilises the famous 2.3-litre 224PS (165kW) turbocharged engine. 

What a thing. It’s certainly worth every one of the 3,000-4,000 working hours it took to build. You’ll be the talk of the Saab owner’s club if you can grab this no-reserve one-off beauty for a steal…

4. 1959 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’

Valued at £4,335,000 – £6,070,000

Well, we weren’t going to not feature it, were we? Yes, from a home-built Saab, to a Ferrari that could cross the block for over £6million. It’s the star of the Bonhams Zoute sale show, a 250 GT Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’, in a rather distinctive ‘Oro Chiarro’ (light gold). This car has lived a bit of a life in terms of paint. While not the colour it was when it left the factory, it is what the second owner – who procured it just a few months after it was first delivered – painted it without delay. After that, it went black and red throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, before the car was returned to gold in 2016 during a restoration which also saw the car reunited with its original engine. 

This also happens to be the 77^th and therefore the last long-wheelbase TdF built by Scaglietti. With Classiche certification obtained in 2018, this is a distinctive and well-regarded example of the breed. As it should be for upwards of £4million…

5. 1990 Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5 16 Evo II

Valued at £104,000 – £156,000

Fancy a bit of that road-going motorsport pedigree but for around one 40^th of the cost? Look no further than this absolute weapon, the unmistakable Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5 16 Evo II. It really is hilarious that this thing is at the other end of a story that began with Mercedes execs not wanting to race…

Number 309 of 500 built, this car has basically had one owner in its entire history, but that’s not to say it hasn’t been used. Quite the opposite in fact. The car served as a long-distance shuttle for the owner – a high-flyer in the Swiss Watch industry. Over his years of commuting, he clocked up no less than 155,000 miles. Very typically of Mercedes in this era, the car’s excellent endurance and resilience impressed the owner so much that he never saw any need to get rid. It just went on and on and the owner couldn’t part with it, instead retiring it as a more leisurely machine.

There have been no modifications in its life, no accidents and the car has been maintained meticulously. What a fabulous thing, with a great story.

6. 1929 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix two-seater

Valued at £864,715 – £1,210,601

Another Bugatti, though not the one you’d expect. A full 65 years prior to the EB110 above – which itself was manufactured almost 30 years ago – this Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix two-seater was built.

One of the last eight Type 37s, this 1.5-litre Bugatti is highly original and very well-known among the global Bugatti community. With plenty of paperwork to back up its history, the car is known to have been with the same owner from new for a full 30 years. René Durey wasn’t the first owner however. That was Charles Faroux, only the man who founded the Le Mans 24 Hours. He reportedly got good deals on new Bugattis in period, due of course to his standing in the community and with Bugatti. So he used to buy them and flip them. The car, while ordered by Faroux, can’t have been with him for very long. Still, an interesting tidbit in the history of an undoubtedly stunning car. 

7. 1970 Alfa Romeo Autotutto F11 Minibus

Valued at £51,000 – £69,000

One of the cheapest and, we have to say, one of the coolest lots at the Bonhams Zoute sale, is this incredible Alfa Romeo bus. Autotutto literally translates to ‘all purpose’ and it was a vehicle Alfa produced regularly alongside its more sporting offerings, first introducing it back at the 1954 Turin Motor Show. 

This 1970 example features a 1,300cc Giulietta power plant, and has been professionally restored inside and out. It’s even Alfa Romeo Classiche certified. 

So what do you think of our selection of Bonhams Zoute sale examples? The variety is, if we do say so, spectacularly large. Let us know your pick, or other cars we should have highlighted. Of course, all will be up for grabs when the sale goes live on 8^th October. The best bit? You can watch it all happen on the stream below.