Bonhams Brings The Two Generations Collection to Rhode Island

Bonhams has just added a new stand-alone auction to its April auction calendar dubbed the Two Generations auction. The sale will offer 35 vehicles — comprised mostly of Brass Era cars — and some 450 lots of automobilia acquired by an enthusiast father and his son over 70 years. Most of the lots will be offered without reserve when they land on the Bonhams auction block on April 29. The sale is to be held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. and is a prelude event to the Audrain Veteran Car Tour.

“This collection, lovingly built up over a number of decades, reflects the passion of a two truly dedicated and fastidious collectors. We are proud to offer it in partnership with an event that complements the context of the early motoring themes, the Audrain Veteran Car Tour weekend,” said Rupert Banner, Global Head of Specialists, Bonhams Collector Cars.

Headlining this pack of early vehicles is a 1906 Thomas 50hp Flyer Touring Car with a pre-sale estimate of $400k to $500k. A precursor of identical specification, the Thomas matches the car which won the 22k-mile New York to Paris endurance race in 1908. Formerly part of the Harrah Collection, much of the 50hp’s coachwork and upholstery is original.

Another rare find offered by Bonhams is a 1911 Palmer-Singer 4-50 Seven Passenger Touring with coachwork by Quinby of New York. Aimed at a well-heeled, sporting clientele, only three or four Palmer-Singers are known to remain. The 50hp four-cylinder model of the Two Generations Collection is the only known four-cylinder example and the only one with a Seven passenger Touring body. Like the Thomas, the pre-sale estimate for the Palmer-Singer is $400k to $500k.

Other lots from the pioneering days of the automobile are a 1904 Oldsmobile Model 6C Curved Dash ($45k-$50k), 1906 REO Model A 16hp Two Cylinder Touring ($20k-$30k) and a 1907 Pope Hartford Model L Raceabout ($85k-$115k).

Early Fords include a 1907 Model R Roadster and a 1911 Model T Torpedo Roadster — both have pre-auction estimates of $30k to $40k. A couple of newer FoMoCo creations will also cross the auction block such as a 1935 Ford V8 Roadster ($35k-$45k) and a beautiful 1947 Ford Model 79A Sportsman Convertible ($125k-$175k).

Audrain Group CEO Donald Osborne added, “This exciting sale is a great extension of the relationship between the Audrain and Bonhams, a natural given the passion both share for the magnificent machines and remarkable spirit of the dawn of the automobile” shared. “I can’t wait to see how this is received.”

Check out all the available lots and auction details here