The Golden Age of Motoring: Bonhams presents an array of veteran and Edwardian beauties

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Bonhams's Golden Age of Motoring sale is, by now, a firmly-established fixture on the pre-war car collector's auction calendar. Anyone who's looking to add a veteran or Edwardian car to their collection is unlikely to find a better selection anywhere else, and those who haven't quite got room for another car can still take home a souvenir in the form of some early motoring literature or automobilia. There's always a wonderful selection, so we look now at some of the highlights for 2024.

There are Brighton cars to suit all manner of requirements. Those who are inclined in the ways of Mr. Toad, or who want to take family and friends to Brighton, should find the twin-cylinder 1904 Darracq 12hp tonneau (£180,000-240,000) suitably swift and capacious. Those with tighter budgets, on the other hand, would do very well 1904 Renault Type T 7CV, which carries an extremely reasonable £40,000-60,000 estimate. And even if it is only a single-cylinder two-seater, it's not excessively basic—the passengers do have the luxury of a folding hood, which is a privilege afforded to only a few Brighton travellers.

The most unusual car by far, however, is the 1901 MMC 8hp (£80,000-100,000) on account of its very Victorian brougham body, which gives it the appearance of a sort of ghost of Sherlock Holmes's London. It should be understood that the body is not original to the car, although it is a genuine brougham of c.1900. The car had been discovered in a barn in Peckham, Kent, in 1932, and was very soon put back on the road, but by the 1960s the condition of the body had deteriorated and so the brougham was sourced to replace the two-seat bench. The car was shipped to an American museum in the 1970s but returned to Britain in 1990, since when it has been in single family ownership. Having last participated on the Veteran Car Run in 2018, it will now require some recommissioning.

Two very grand Edwardians also deserve a close look. If you're a prospering engineer like J. F. Haskins, then certainly the car for you should be an opulent Wolseley-Siddeley, like the 1907 Type B 30hp Roi-des-Belges (£40,000-45,000) on offer. It will be wonderful to see the car back on the rally scene once more, as it has been laid-up for a long time and will need some recommissioning, although it has been started and driven very recently.

Of course, anyone with a sense of grandeur will be spoilt for choice between the Wolseley-Siddeley and the even more unusual 1908 Vulcan 20hp Roi-des-Belges (£30,000-50,000), which was originally supplied to Australia and one Frederick Dodds of Newcastle, New South Wales. At the time, it was fitted with a detachable van body, and was retained by Dodds at least until 1919. It seems to have had a smooth transition into preservation as it was used for a parade in Newcastle in 1947, although it same stage the van body was lost. Shortly thereafter, it was bought by John McLean of Sydney, a founder member of the Veteran Car Club of Australia, and in the 1960s it went on display at Giltrap's Auto Museum in Queensland. It came to Britain following the dispersal of the museum collection in 1989, and has been resprayed and retrimmed since 2008, but since 2016 it has remained largely unused.

The Bonhams Golden Age of Motoring sale takes place on New Bond Street, London W1, on Friday, November 1st. To see more, the full catalogue can be viewed here.

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