Well...at least we were there!
Wednesday 16th December 2015
JLR's Defender 90 registered S90 HUE, billed as the '2,000,000 Defender', was sold at auction by Bonhams in London this evening.
We were privileged to be invited along and would have loved to have acquired this wonderful Land Rover for the Dunsfold Collection.The car was being sold for charity, with the proceeds going to the Born Free Foundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Born Free founder Virginia McKenna was there, speaking fondly of her long association with Land Rovers and commenting on the fact that hers were usually very muddy and often had a sheep in the back, quite contrary to the immaculately presented S90 HUE!
Bidding started in the room at around £30,000 but quickly rose to an eye-watering number, and the final bidding was in the hands of two anonymous bidders on the telephone. These two slogged it out until master auctioneer Robert Brooks of Bonhams was forced to pause, while one of the telephone bidders sought advice from we know not whom. Brooks' comment that he was 'phoning a friend' caused much merriment in the room, but finally the bidding ended and Brooks knocked down the Defender for £400,000....excluding buyer's premium.
Surely the most expensive Defender ever? And one cannot help but wonder whether it will ever turn a wheel, let alone go off-road.
