Simon is from an old British motor-racing family. He started his career at Coys, leaving to co-found Bonhams Europe in Geneva. Over the next decade, he staged high-profile auctions around the world, branching out on his own in 2006 to found Kidston SA, a consultancy responsible for some of the larger deals you rarely hear about. Simon also judges at Pebble Beach and is “the voice” of the Villa d’Este Concours and the Mille Miglia.
See interviews with Simon in La Gazette Drouot, Porsche Christophorus, Classic Driver, Robb Report, Le Monde Edmond, Hagerty, Dupont Registry, Financial Times, and Detour.
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Here are the latest articles from Simon:
Artistic Drive – “A roaring motor car … is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace.”— Filippo Marinetti, a founder of the Futurist art movement Picture the scene: a quaint cobbled London mews that once housed the horse stables of the Kensington aristocracy but had since become a mecca for classic-car collectors, the global center in the trade… Read more
1994 McLaren F1 – This F1 was built in 1994 and originally finished in Midnight Blue Pearl over a black interior and dispatched to its first owner in Japan. In 1999 the F1 was sold to a collector in Germany, and he returned the car to the factory in 2000 for a series of upgrades to LM specifications. This… Read more
1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV – Completed on October 29, 1971, this P400 SV, chassis no. 4912, was originally finished in Bleu Medio over a Pelle Bleu interior and was shipped new to the U.S. through Modena Car U.S.A. Notably, it was the only Miura SV to be finished in that color. It is one of 11 single-sump Miura SVs to… Read more
2018 Bugatti Chiron – This Chiron is the first U.S.-specification example ordered and is presented unregistered and in as-new condition. Finished in black with red highlights inside and out, as well as red brake calipers, this is a truly sinister-looking Chiron. As a brand-new car, it is still accompanied by its factory extended warranty. The car includes a number… Read more
1995 McLaren F1 – Single-owner McLaren F1 Chassis 044, 37th off the assembly line The first fully federalized McLaren F1 to be imported to the U.S. One of seven U.S. F1s. Original Base Silver paint and black/gray Connolly leather The car was purchased new by the consignor in July 1996. He then embarked on a European road trip covering… Read more
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Alloy Gullwing – Derived for sport, this aluminum Gullwing did not see competitive use. Completed on April 20, 1955, 5500208 was appropriately finished in metallic silver gray over a blue leather interior. The 300SL was also outfitted with Rudge wheels, the NSL motor and Plexiglas windows per aluminum-build specifications. On May 27, 1955, the alloy Gullwing was shipped… Read more
1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype – Chassis number: 0666 TRThe development of the Ferrari 250 TR began in early 1957 with the car presented here, 0666 TR, which has the distinction of serving as the first prototype for the 250 Testa Rossa series.0666 TR made its debut at the Nürburgring 1,000 Km, coming 6th in qualifying and 10th in the race.… Read more
1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Prototype – A car, especially at auction, has to have that “wow” factor to excite bidders, and this one really did The Miura presented here is, quite simply, unlike any other. Issued production number 576, this Lamborghini represents the end result of a project undertaken by the factory’s chief development engineer and test driver, Bob Wallace, to… Read more
1964 Porsche 904 Carrera – This was the last Porsche racer you could collect at the factory and drive home This Porsche, 904017, was one of 31 examples destined for American shores. Originally finished in silver with a blue velour interior, the 904 was sold to local Porsche dealer and successful racer Don Wester of Monterey, CA. It was fitted… Read more
1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C Speciale Teardrop – Decried by some as vulgar when new—the British press notably nicknamed the coachwork “Phony and Flashy”—time has been kind to Figoni’s work.While all Teardrops were quite unique, chassis 90034 may well be the most unique of all. It is the only example built on the longer Lago Speciale chassis—some 11.8 inches longer than the SS.… Read more
1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Merlin Special – Chassis 64GX left Crewe as a standard Phantom II saloon, but in the late 1970s, Rolls-Royce collector Nicholas Harley of London decided to create a showcase of British engineering might. The restoration that ensued spanned approximately seven years, during which time the Phantom II frame was lengthened, reinforced and fitted with this lovely Gurney Nutting-inspired… Read more1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Series I – The Mondial evokes the larger and more powerful 375 MM. Those who can live without the extra eight cylinders will find their reward in the bankThis Ferrari 1954 500 Mondial was the sixth of 22 Series I motorcars constructed. Scuderia Ferrari prepared a group of Mondials to compete at the 21st Mille Miglia and retained… Read more
1924 Bentley 3 Liter Red Label – Any slowdown in Vintage Bentley values due to the current economic climate is likely to push owners toward a cup of tea rather than Valium{vsig}2009-10_2371{/vsig}Chassis 356 was the first “Red Label” Bentley produced, and it was this model that was to lay the foundations of Bentley’s financial success. The final specification of the first Red… Read more
1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Coupe – It may not have been quite the “discovery” that the press suggested, but it was eagerly awaited {vsig}2009-5_2321{/vsig} Francis Richard Henry Penn Curzon succeeded to the peerage in 1929 on the death of his father, becoming the Fifth Earl Howe. At that time he resigned his seat in the House of Commons and began… Read more
1932 Daimler 40/50 Double Six Sport Saloon – The long hood is a bit like a padded medieval codpiece{vsig}2009-4_2310{/vsig}This 1932 Daimler Double Six 40/50 Sport Saloon is, without question, one of the most imposing automobiles ever constructed by the legendary British marque-or any maker of exclusive luxury vehicles. While only 26 Double Sixes were built over a decade, the vast majority had a… Read more
Making Sense of $43 Million at Maranello – Buyers will pay over the odds for a perfect, no stories road car just to feel they have the best available{vsig}2008-8_2210{/vsig}Machiavelli was Italian. So were Mussolini and Enzo Ferrari (not that I’m comparing them). And although he isn’t, Scuderia Ferrari’s director Jean Todt has probably lived there long enough to qualify. I grew up in… Read more
1928 Mercedes-Benz S-type Saoutchik Roadster – The underbidders stopped bidding when they thought the car wasn’t selling-bad luck, as it was{vsig}2008-5_2173{/vsig}The 6.8-liter S-type was produced in four series from 1927 to 1930, with a total output of some 170 cars. This car is from the original 1927-28 series, of which just 26 were built. It was ordered new from Mercedes-Benz Inc.… Read more
1929 Bentley 4½-Liter Tourer by Vanden Plas – I’d put this price down to the mystique of an auction and congratulate the owner on courage worthy of a Bentley Boy{vsig}2008-4_2157{/vsig}Walter Owen Bentley’s automotive efforts were directed from the outset toward sporting motor cars, and the initial 4-cylinder, 3-liter models proved lively until burdened with saloon bodies. Bentley’s solution was to double displacement and… Read more
1904 Rolls-Royce 10 hp Two-Seater – Such luxury was the equivalent of today’s private jet, a powerful symbol of its owner’s status and forward thinking{vsig}2008-3_2144{/vsig}The Midland Hotel, Manchester, was the site of a significant meeting in automotive history on May 4, 1904, when the Hon. Charles Rolls arrived by train with his business associate Henry Edmunds, to meet Frederick Henry Royce.Both… Read more
1971 Lamborghini Miura SV – The last SVs finally received separate lubrication for engine and gearbox, so the engine didn’t have to swallow metal shavings from missed shifts{vsig}2007-12_2103{/vsig}Factory records indicate that chassis 4882 was finished on November 29, 1971, as production number 627. The original paint color was Fly Yellow with a black leather interior. The car was originally delivered… Read more
1931 Bentley 4½ Liter Supercharged Boattail – It never won a major race and proved almost sale-proof, but the macho Blower Bentley is Britain’s ultimate vintage sports car {vsig}2007-11_2091{/vsig} Though only 50 production Blower Bentleys were built, experts estimate that 43 still exist. Of that number, few if any are as untouched as this car. Indeed, no less a vintage Bentley… Read more
1937 Jaguar SS 100 2 1/2-Liter Roadster – Once favored by impecunious young Spitfire pilots and cads about town, the SS 100 is now a blue chip collectible with price to matchFounded in Blackpool by William Walmsley, the Swallow Sidecar & Coachbuilding Company branched out into motor manufacture in 1926, its first major success being an attractive sports saloon on the Austin Seven… Read more
1952 Ferrari 225 Sport Spider by Vignale – The 225 S should be on every Ferrarista’s shopping list: it has 12 cylinders, a five-speed gearbox, egg-crate grille, and it makes all the right noisesDeveloped in a period of triumph and passion, Ferrari’s big-engine sports racers from the mid-1950s personify the company’s racing legend.Tipo 340 Tuboscocca chassis 0160ED was assembled on January 10, 1952,… Read more
1955 OSCA MT4-2AD Coupe – No regular OSCA MT4 had made anything like this at auction recently-and probably not even at the peak of the sports car madness in 1989{vsig}2005-7_1851{/vsig}Chassis 1153 is undoubtedly one of the most original surviving OSCAs in the world today. Only the patina of age would distinguish it from a new car. The chassis and engine… Read more