London, UK – Bonhams has announced a new and exciting presence at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed on 9-12 July. New for 2026, Bonhams will present The World's Smallest Car Auction alongside an engaging vehicle display within the Brooklands Paddock.
The World's Smallest Car Auction is designed to attract and demystify the auction process to a new, younger audience of future car collectors at a time of unparallelled generational wealth transfer. It's aimed toward a more youthful buyer, probably bidding and buying at auction for the first time, showing them the thrill of the sale process, no matter the scale of the car bought, and priming them to become the consigners and collector car buyers of the future.
Bonhams will host a live charity auction twice daily throughout the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The Bonhams' auctioneer will bring the gavel down on a selection of beautiful, yet accessible, scale models of some of the most famous and storied cars previously sold by Bonhams, including the Aston Martin DB5. This scale model instantly signifies a huge story that's steeped in Britishness as the car driven by Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig across eight James Bond films. Every car sold at Bonhams, no matter how small, has a big story to tell.
Also new for 2026, Bonhams will combine the previous Festival of Speed and Revival auctions into one outstanding sale at The Goodwood Revival on 19 September. Bonhams will use its Brooklands Paddock location to curate a display of outstanding vehicles that will headline the forthcoming Goodwood Revival Sale, connecting curious collectors with a hand-picked display of historic race cars.
Alongside The World's Smallest Car Auction will be a 1925 Bugatti Type 35C that will be sold without reserve at the Goodwood Revival with an estimate of £500,000 - £700,000. Continuing the spirit of the small car theme, the Bugatti Type 35C will be presented beside a Bugatti Baby 2, a 75% scale, fully electric reincarnation of the real car from Hedley Studios, which has also been consigned to the Revival Sale. A 1936 Aston Martin 2-litre Speed Competition two-seater with an estimate of £500,000 - £600,000 will also be presented. Given their age and provenance, both the Bugatti and Aston Martin could almost literally be driven from the sale room to the start line of the Goodwood Revival races.
The Bonhams display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed will be presented entirely in the new Bonhams brand – the first time that cars have been displayed within the new elegant, contemporary identity. The new Bonhams brand was launched at the company's recently opened US flagship sale room on 111 W57th Street in New York on 12 February. It will now roll out across Bonhams' global network of sales, from fine wine to fine art, and from watches to cars, with upcoming vehicle sales at the Laguna Seca Auction on 13 August, the Goodwood Revival Sale on 19 September, the Autumn Stafford Motorcycle Sale on 10-11 October and the Zoute Sale on 11 October.
Julie David, Global Managing Director of Bonhams Car, Motorcycle and Automobilia department, said: "Bonhams has been a proud partner of all Goodwood's Motorsport events, almost since their inception, and we've sold some of the world's most famous and collectable motor cars at Goodwood's Bonhams auctions. This year, we'll continue in that proud tradition, but in miniature, auctioning scale models of some of the most iconic cars ever sold by Bonhams. With the Festival of Speed and Revival events now ever closer in timings, we've taken the important decision to preserve the quality and quantity of the cars our vendors and buyers expect, to create one standout collector car sale at The Goodwood Revival. Festival of Speed goers will have a preview of the storied and significant cars being offered at the Goodwood Revival, all presented in the new, engaging Bonhams brand."
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and antiques, motor cars and jewellery. The main salerooms are in London, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong, with auctions also held in Knightsbridge, Edinburgh, Paris, San Francisco and Sydney. With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 60 specialist areas. For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com.