LONDON, ENGLAND (July 6, 2009) – Bonhams has announced the latest fixture on its calendar of car auctions with the introduction of a sale of fine motorcars and automobilia to form part of the “Weekend de l’Excellence Auomobile” in Reims, capital of France’s Champagne region.
This latest announcement heralds the latest in a succession of sales which Bonhams holds in association with established automobile events, including Retrombile in Paris and the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The “Weekend de l’Excellence Automobile” draws on Reims’ historic association with motorsports as the former site of the French Grand Prix. Today, amidst the historic pits and grandstands at the Circuit de Gueux en Champagne, the Weekend celebrates classic cars and motorcycles from 1925-1969. The introduction of an auction from Bonhams represents the first sale to take place at the event, which otherwise focuses on spectacular demonstrations and displays. Dates for the “Weekend de l’Excellence Automobile” 2009, have been confirmed as 26-27 September.
The introduction of a new sale at Reims represents Bonhams long-term commitment to the European market, with a series of perennial sales fixed in the calendar. However, to account for the introduction of the new Reims sale at the end of September, and the unusually early timing of Retromobile in January 2010, Bonhams has been obliged to make some changes to its sale calendar for the next twelve months. As a result, the annual Gstaad Ferrari Sale, held each December, will not be taking place this year.
James Knight, International Managing Director of the Bonhams Motoring Department comments: “The introduction of a new, start-up sale at the “Weekend de l’Excellence Automobile” at Reims is a welcome addition to our portfolio of sales associated with high-profile automobile events. Regrettably, when finalising the schedule of sales for 2009/2010 we realised that we wouldn’t be able to hold the Gstaad sale this year given that Retromobile has been brought forward to January as it simply wasn’t feasible for us to put together the catalogue for such an important sale whilst halfway up a mountain in Switzerland! However we are really excited about the potential of the new sale in Reims and the opportunity to partner with such an established automobile event.”
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