8 Head-Turning Highlights from the Upcoming 2025 Festival of Speed Bonhams Auction

The Festival of Speed Bonhams Auction never fails to deliver an irresistible blend of classic elegance, motorsport pedigree, and cutting-edge performance—and the 2025 edition raises the bar once again. With cars ranging from pre-war legends to 21st-century hypercars, this year’s auction features vehicles with impeccable provenance, ultra-low mileage, and serious collector cachet. Here are eight upcoming lots from this year’s sale that caught our attention.

2023 Mercedes-AMG ONE Coupé

Estimate: £2,400,000 – £2,800,000

The Mercedes-AMG ONE is the most extreme expression of AMG’s ambition; a hypercar born from hybrid Formula 1 technology. Power comes from a mid-mounted 1.6-litre V6, modelled on hybrid technology featured in the Mercedes-AMG F1 W06. The unit revs to a mighty 11,000rpm, and is supported by four electric motors for a combined power output of 1,049hp, which drives a rear-biased four-wheel drive system through a seven-speed single-clutch automated manual transmission with a four-disc carbon racing clutch. 

Lewis Hamilton reportedly purchased two examples, one for himself and one for his father, Anthony. Other notable owners of the AMG ONE include former McLaren-Mercedes F1 driver David Coulthard, former Mercedes F1 driver and 2016 F1 world champion Nico Rosberg, and former Mercedes F1 driver Valtteri Bottas.

This example, registered new in the UK on 1st June 2023, is as close to factory-fresh as it gets, having had just one meticulous owner. Most notably, it’s optioned with the rare Motorsport Styling Package—an £85,000 upgrade of visual theatre, including AMG Silver Arrow paint, Petronas Green accents, magnesium wheels, and bespoke interior detailing inspired by Mercedes-AMG’s F1 livery. Only 275 units will ever be made, and few will be this comprehensively specified.

1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster

Estimate: £850,000 – £950,000

Delivered new to the United States, this car is a fully matching-numbers example with a painstaking restoration completed in December 2021—a process documented with exceptional detail and precision.

It retains its original colour scheme and remains unused since restoration, essentially offering its next custodian the rare experience of owning a “new” 300 SL. Long owned by a dedicated enthusiast since 1995, this Roadster blends concours condition with intimate, long-term stewardship.

2007 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Coupé

Estimate: £500,000 – £800,000 (No Reserve)

Eighteen years since it first reshaped the performance car landscape, the Bugatti Veyron continues to inspire awe.

This example is as pristine as they come: one owner, only 770 kilometres, and delivered new to Switzerland. Finished in a refined Mocca Brown Metallic over White Coffee colourway, it’s one of just 253 Coupés built and represents one of the most original, least-used examples in existence. Offered without reserve, it’s a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

2009 Spyker C8 Laviolette Coupé

Estimate: £400,000 – £450,000

Among modern collector circles, the Spyker C8 has become something of a cult artefact—a hand-built fusion of steampunk aesthetics, aviation-inspired design, and old-school mechanical charm. This 2009 Laviolette is one of just 250 cars built, and more significantly, one of only 50 hardtops ever made.

Delivered new in the UK via Broughtons of Cheltenham, it famously took on the Goodwood hillclimb at the 2009 Festival of Speed, piloted by Spyker VP Hans van Rennes. Just 7,300 miles from new, and presented with an exceptionally detailed service record.

1963 Aston Martin DB4 ‘Series V’ Vantage Sports Saloon

Estimate: £350,000 – £400,000

The Series V DB4 Vantage represents the final—and arguably most desirable—iteration of the DB4 line. Only around 55 Vantage saloons were produced, and this beautifully preserved example has had just three private owners since new, the last of whom acquired it in 1984.

Its original interior has been retained, offering that wonderfully honest patina so rarely seen in restored cars. Meanwhile, the matching-numbers engine was professionally rebuilt in 2020, covering just 350 miles since. As a bridge between the early 1960s grand tourers and the soon-to-arrive DB5, this is an Aston of quiet significance and elegant restraint.

1928 Bentley 4½-Litre Tourer by Vanden Plas

Estimate: £280,000 – £320,000

With its original Vanden Plas coachwork, windscreen, and rare D-Type gearbox, this 1928 Bentley 4½-Litre Tourer offers not just provenance, but continuity. Its ownership history is known from new and includes the distinguished McAlpine family, stalwarts of British engineering and motorsport patronage.

Under current ownership since 1990, the car has been maintained with a level of dedication that borders on obsessive. Well known in Bentley circles and presented in outstanding condition, it’s a thoroughbred from the golden age of British motoring—and a potential entrant for top-tier vintage rallies and concours events.

1992 Jaguar XJ220 Coupé

Estimate: £300,000 – £350,000

Once hailed as the world’s fastest production car, the Jaguar XJ220 is enjoying a long-overdue renaissance. This particular example is one of just 69 right-hand-drive cars built, and remains largely original—finished in a tastefully subtle shade, fitted with a Stage 1 factory brake upgrade, and presented in sound mechanical condition.

Though it requires recommissioning, this is a rare opportunity to acquire one of Jaguar’s most ambitious projects—still undervalued relative to its performance, rarity, and design.

1987 MG Metro 6R4 ‘Group B’ Rally Car

Estimate: £250,000 – £300,000

Among the most notorious silhouettes of the Group B rally era, the Metro 6R4 is a paradox: compact, brutal, and utterly unforgettable. This is the original MG Metro 6R4 that the late Colin McRae bought for his own use while still a works Subaru WRC driver. It is a former National rally-winning car that Colin bought for his own personal enjoyment.

Under current ownership for the past 16 years, it’s been treated to a bare-metal restoration and is now fully MoT’d and ready to go. For collectors of rally heritage, few cars deliver the same blend of mechanical savagery and historical prestige.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re in the market for a groundbreaking hypercar, a concours-level classic, or a rare piece of motoring artistry, Bonhams' 2025 Festival of Speed auction delivers. With several cars on offer boasting single ownership, ultra-low mileage, or storied provenance, this year’s sale is shaping up to be one of the strongest yet.