On a Formula 1 weekend that saw plenty of drama and abysmal weather, the atmosphere at the Bonhams Miami 2026 sale was just as damp. Of the 31 lots on offer on May 3, 2026, 11 failed to sell, with the majority of the rest going for within or below low estimate. It’s unfortunate for Bonhams that the weather was truly dire, because this can’t have helped proceedings.
Nevertheless, there are some interesting trends to keep an eye on – the Bonhams Miami 2026 sale offered some very rare McLarens, most of which failed to sell, and a couple of restomod Land Rovers that fell far short of their pre-sale estimates. Given the extraordinary weather conditions it’s perhaps unfair to judge market sentiment purely on one auction, but it’s certainly something to watch over the rest of the year.
The Bonhams Miami 2026 sale actually got off to a very encouraging start with its first lot, the above 1968 Meyers Manx. Offered directly from the Meyers Manx Heritage Collection, ‘Surf’s Ep’ was a remastered example with a newly built 1904cc air-cooled flat-four running dual carbs. It featured custom upholstery and a skateboard-wheel accelerator pedal, and was signed by Bruce F Meyers. Against an estimate of $70k-$90k and offered at no reserve, it landed on $145,600.
Sadly the next four lots were all no-sales, hailing from across the spectrum of the collector hobby, rather than a particular car genre. The above 2015 McLaren P1 Spider was the most heavily estimated; one of five Lanzante Spider conversions built, it was estimated at $4m-$5m but went home with its vendor.
Elsewhere, a one-of-25 Mercedes-McLaren SLR McLaren Edition failed to sell against a $775k-$875k estimate, while a the second McLaren Elva produced, the XP2 press car, also failed to fly at $1.35m-$1.55m. There was better news with an MSO-fettled 2021 McLaren 765LT – that sold for $683,200 against a $650k-$750k estimate.
Things didn’t get much better in the Ferrari realm, with the ex-Sammy Hagar LaFerrari also failing to sell. This is a car with a very public history, but on the day its $7.5m-$9.5m estimate didn’t spike interest and it went unsold. There were no sales for a 1973 Dino 246 GTS ($600k-$700k est), a 2001 550 Maranello ($350k-$300k est), a Tailor Made F12tdf ($3.5m-$4.5m est), a 1974 Dino 246 GTS ($450k-$500k est) or a 2014 F12tdf Berlinetta Prototype ($1m-$1.3m).
Elsewhere, a 1996 F512 M made $784k against a $750k-$850k estimate, while a 1972 Dino 246 GT made $459,200 against a $500k-$550k estimate.
It wasn’t all bad news at the Bonhams Miami 2026 sale, with ten of the lots landing within pre-sale estimate or just below. The leading car on price paid was the above 2024 Bugatti Chiron Super Sport. One of 80 produced, it had been originally supplied to Bugatti St Louis and had covered 1310 miles. Estimated at $4.4m-$5m, it sold for $4.34m.
Elsewhere, a 2019 Bugatti Chiron Sport sold for $3.024m against a $2.8m-$3.2m estimate, while a red 2008 Veyron 16.4 failed to sell at $1.25m-$1.75m estimate.
The Bonhams Miami 2026 sale saw all of its Porsches find new homes, with a rare-in-the-US European-specification 964 Carrera RS making $313,600 ($300k-$375k est) and a Japanese-specification 993 Turbo WLS 1 in a rare colour and ‘S’-specification factory upgrades making $560k against a $535k-$625k estimate. Two Porsches pushed through their pre-sale estimate: a 1998 993 Carrera S with RWB upgrades ($308k vs $250k-$300k est), and the above 993 Carrera 4 Cabriolet. Not only was the latter a rare specification – Turquoise metallic over a Classic Grey interior – and with just 4285 miles from new, it had been owned by the late actor Gene Hackman since new. Estimated at $60k-$90k, it sold for $184,800.
Elsewhere, the above 2019 Koenigsegg Regera, one of five with the Ghost Package and Environmental Power Upgrade, and the only one in this colour combination, sold for $2.52m against a $2.3m-$3m estimate, while a 2018 Ford GT estimated at $880k-$980k failed to sell, although a 2006 Ford GT did sell for $599,200 against a $625k-$675k estimate. A Smokey Nagata-tuned Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 sold for $151,200 against a $180k-$240k estimate.
There were a couple of Land Rover restomods in the Bonhams Miami 2026 sale. The above Defender 90 ‘City Black’ edition was built by Balmoral Defender and featured a 6.2 Chevy LT1 engine, with 2000 hours of work gone into it via a US-UK collaborative build. Estimated at $400k-$500k and offered at no reserve, it garnered just $156,800. It wasn’t a one-off disappointment, either. The 1973 Land Rover Series III 109 ‘Wildlife Edition’ built by Ramble Rovers, estimated at $175k to $225k, made just $78,400.
Further details
For more information on the Bonhams Miami 2026 sale, head here.
