A 1929 Bentley 4½-litre, recently unearthed from a family barn after 30 years, sold at Bonhams Sale at the Beaulieu International Autojumble for an incredible £695,900.

“The vendor only recently found the car gathering dust in his grandfather’s garage, and expected it to be valued at a fraction of the amount we’ve achieved at today’s auction,” said Rob Hubbard, Bonhams Motoring Specialist. “It was an incredible discovery; the chassis, engine, axle, gearbox, steering box numbers are all present and correct, the interior is completely original in wonderful green leather. For a car that’s over 80 years old, it’s truly astounding.”

The vendor’s grandfather purchased the Bentley in 1935 and is known to have used it for family holidays throughout the 1930s and 1940s. The luxury car even towed a caravan, and is still fitted with the original tow ball. Bidding continued to rise in the lively auction room, and the gavel finally fell to a British telephone bidder.

Also selling well, a 1927 Voisin C12 Tourer achieved £219,900; a 1964 Jaguar E-Type ‘Series 1’ 3.8-Litre Coupe sold above estimate at £113,500, and a 1950 Bristol 402 Drophead Coupe restoration project sold to a British bidder for double estimate at £104,540.

Motorcycles also achieved excellent prices at the sale, with almost 100% of motorcycles sold, bringing the sale total to £3.1 million, exceeding the previous years total.