All of my articles whether published or unpublished which focus on the automotive auctions worldwide.
Goodwood 2022 Bonhams Auction Review
On June 24 of this year, I was fortunate to be in attendance at the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed auction which was my first insight into a professional car auction, a section of the automotive industry of which I am fascinated. The second I stepped through the Goodwood House into the tent behind, I felt at home, as if the auction tent was where I was meant to be. Where other people would feel out of place due to the sheer amount of money and class inside the tent, I felt right at home among the classics. While it did lead to one of my biggest mistakes at the Festival of Speed (not asking to meet Sir Jackie Stewart when he was 5 metres ahead of me), the auction itself was a wild battle of wits and wallets. This piece will cover some of the cars I was most pleased to see, as well as a story of a car a contact of mine bought at this very auction.
2017 Force India VJM10 and Force India-Mercedes VJM02
The first two cars that caught my eye were not actually offered together but were offered from the same source being the Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team. As the Aston Martin team used to be Force India via a few seasons as Racing Point, they decided to offer two of their former Formula One cars at this auction, as well as two at the Revival sale this weekend. The first of these, being the 2017 car, was a race driven car and was used in nine Formula One Grand Prixs of the 2017 season, with eight of these races being point scoring races, including a 5th place at the 2017 Mexican GP. It was driven by Esteban Ocon in this season and was also the car a young George Russell tested in a practice session before his Williams move. The second car is an earlier Force India car, from the era in which they used the Indian flag livery which is still one of the most striking liveries of the modern era. This car significantly though was not race driven but was a test car used in pre and mid season testing and was driven by three drivers being Adrian Sutil, Giancarlo Fisichella and Vitantonio Liuzzi. This car does also come without the engine as a show piece unlike the other Force India but this car, in my opinion, is far more striking and beautiful than the pink BWT car. Both of these cars sold in excess of £100,000 each which is remarkable considering they were offered from a middle of the pack team.
2019 Aston Martin DBS Superleggera ‘No Time to Die’
Upon first glance with this car, it may just look like a ‘standard’ DBS Superleggera but with delivery mileage with 850 from new. Questions will then arise to the £400,000 – £500,000 estimate price on a car worth just under £200,000. Well, the questions can be answered by watching the latest James Bond film ‘No Time To Die’ as this was the car driven by Lashana Lynch in one scene of the film. Though it was only used in a short scene of the film, it is still classed as a ‘Bond car’ and therefore that hikes the value up massively. When filming for No Time to Die began in 2018, Aston Martin themselves were unable to find a DBS to loan to EON Productions and therefore asked an esteemed client for a loan of his car which he accepted. It has since been fitted with commemorative plaques, solidifying it as a true one of one DBS. As a sidenote, this car was also driven by Martin Brundle, Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll before the 2021 British GP. This car eventually sold for £414,000.
1995 RUF BTR 2 Convertible
RUF are a car manufacturer that has always had a small place in my heart despite my acknowledgement for them coming from gaming rather than reality. Due to licencing issues, the games I grew up playing never featured Porsche and instead they used RUF as they’re a separate entity but very similar cars. I saw my first RUF in fact at the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed being a RCT Evo and this year featured two of the special cars. The one in question here though is the BTR2, based on the 993 Convertible but they added a single turbo to the 3.6 litre engine, two years before the legendary 993 Turbo graced showrooms. Even by today’s standards this car is quick, with a 3.7 second time to 60mph and a top speed of 191mph, this rivals modern Porsche 911s and even some modern supercars. RUF are most famous for their CTR Yellowbird which hit 213mph in the late 80s and their insane CTR3 based on the Porsche Carrera GT with an alleged top speed of over 230mph. The BTR2 did not sell unfortunately but seeing a RUF CTR Yellowbird in the public car park made up for it.
2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S Edition
Of the early 2010s main supercars, the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren has always been the one that, at the time, I would always oppose as such a massive fan of the Ferrari 599 and Lamborghini Murcielago but as Ferrari and Lamborghini have gone on to make cars that don’t live up to those two, the SLR has snuck into my heart. The 722 though even at the time I had to give credit as a very special car. Built to celebrate the Mercedes 300 SLR ‘722’ driven by Juan Manual Fangio and Sir Stirling Moss at the 1955 Mille Miglia, there were only 150 SLR McLaren 722 Roadsters made, and this is number 1. This was also one of only 10 ‘dealer show cars’ which were sold via Mercedes showrooms rather than direct to clients. Originally delivered to the US but later converted to European specification and with 10,200 miles from new, there’s no surprise with the £550,000 – £750,000 estimate. Though it did not sell, this SLR is much more than just a Ferrari 599 rival, it is the car that battled the Ferrari Enzo, Porsche Carrera GT and Lamborghini Murcielago SV and, debatably, it won.
1993 Jaguar XJ220
Having only seen one example of this car before, I was extremely happy to see another Jaguar XJ220 and surprisingly, it was the first one I saw with the correct engine. The first XJ220 I had seen was the prototype car fitted with the V12 but this example was a production version with the 3.5 twin turbocharged V6. One of only 270 produced, the XJ220 was the world’s fastest production car in 1992 at 217mph and this example is one of only 69 right hand drive cars produced. With only 7500 miles from new and having constantly been serviced by the legendary Don Law Racing, this car unfortunately did not sell with the estimate of between £375,000 and £425,000. This would not be the only XJ220 we saw on our trip, as the following day we saw a Jaguar XJ220 S by TWR at Joe Macari in London which makes this Spa Silver example look plain and boring. However, it is a truly special car and I just wish there was more opportunity to see cars like this.
1973 AC 428 Fastback Coupe by Frua
Now this is the special story car I had to feature. So a friend of mine attended this auction at the same time as me, and he asked me to find him a car he could spend less than £80,000 on and a car that would be interesting and fun to drive. After many hours of discussion with him, we set our eyes on two cars, this and the Jaguar XJS Lynx Eventer shooting brake but it was later withdrawn. The AC is a very good example of an Anglo-US hybrid vehicle, much like the original AC Cobra in that it features the styling from the British and the engine sourced from the Ford Galaxie, being the 428ci 7.0 V8. It was supposedly styled to look like the Maserati Mistral and, granted, it shared some performance with it with a 140mph top speed. However, it was priced much higher than the Aston Martin DB6 and therefore only 51 examples were created. With only 40 estimated to be left, my friend decided this was the car for him and through a tough bidding war with an esteemed Italian collector, he won the car for £75,900. This car is special and one of my favourites from the sale simply because I feel like I helped it get bought. He has since recommissioned some of the internals and was preparing a European tour.
Considering this was the first auction I have properly attended, the Bonhams Goodwood Festival of Speed auction was truly spectacular. Even with some of the cars not mentioned prior such as a McLaren P1 GTR, Ferrari Dino 246 GTS, a former Michael Schumacher Bennetton B193B, a Lamborghini Aventador Miura Edition, a Frazer Nash BMW 328 Roadster and even a Land Rover Defender 90 by Bowler with only 2700 miles from new. When I was walking around speaking to some of the people attending to buy, I did not feel out of place one bit and I really wish I could get into the field of covering automotive auctions because I absolutely love it.
MECUM KISSIMMEE 2022 PREVIEW
As 2021 comes to a close, the start of the 2022 auction season begins with a supercar selection in Kissimmee.
The Mecum Kissimmee sale is one of the first major sales of the new year and it is not starting the year off slowly, with many ultra rare supercars and classics set to cross the auction block between January 6th and 16th. It is only fitting that some of these cars get a special mention before the sale takes place, just to show how special this auction is.
2020 MCLAREN SPEEDTAIL
The first car to focus on in this auction is the most expensive car offered for sale being the 2020 McLaren Speedtail. Inspired by the legendary McLaren F1, the Speedtail was limited to only 106 examples, in reference to the F1, and features many details also inspired by the F1 such as the central driving position, but with many modern McLaren features like the somewhat controversial front wheel covers. This one is finished in Volcano Yellow and has only 194 miles from new, coming from a famous collection also being the Michael Fux collection. Anyone who knows this collector will know they have a knack for brave colour specifications and so the interior leather of this Speedtail matches the exterior paint colour. This example is number 100 of the 106, with 1036bhp from a 4.0 twin turbo V8 with hybrid electric motors and has an estimate price in this auction of $3,500,000 to $4,000,000, which based on previous sales which have accumulated just over $3,000,000 for each, is easily reachable.
1992 FERRARI F40
Next is a staple of the prestige auction market being the Ferrari F40, some would say the most iconic supercar of all time. This examples is rarer than a lot of other F40s as this is a 1992 model year car, the final year of production for the F40 before the development of the V12 F50 began in 1993. It is thought that only 22 were produced in 1992 and this example was the 19th one produced meaning this is within the final 5 F40s made. Finished in the standard red over black colour scheme, the F40 is one of the most iconic cars ever built from the legendary twin turbocharged V8 that brought the car over the 200mph mark with 478bhp, to the beautiful design work by Scaglietti that made it one of the best poster cars of all time, up there with the Porsche 911 Turbo, Lamborghini Countach and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. This example with just over 8000 miles from new has an estimate of $2,800,000 to $3,200,000 and with the rising prices of F40s over the last ten years, this is certainly a price it could sell for.
1965 SHELBY GT350 PROTOTYPE
It is not just European exotica that will be auctioned by Mecum as the US based auction house have hundreds of American muscle cars which will cross the block between January 6th and 16th from CSX chassis Shelby Cobras and Dodge Charger Daytonas, to Chevrolet Corvettes and Plymouth Hemi Cuda Convertibles. However, the most significant of all these cars has to be this 1965 Shelby GT350 R, also known as the Flying Mustang. This was the original prototype for the GT350R platform, meaning it was driven by Le Mans winning driver Ken Miles and Bob Bondurant in the initial testing phase. This is also the prototype for the racing version of the Ford Mustang, making it one of, if not, the most important Ford Mustangs ever made. The estimate price on this car is between $3,500,000 and $4,000,000 which would make it the most expensive Ford Mustang ever to sell at auction, eclipsing cars such as the Gone in 60 Seconds Hero car ($1,000,000), the 1971 Mustang Mach 1 Trans Am ($1,100,000) and even the legendary Irish Green Ford Mustang Fastback from Bullitt ($3,745,000).
2020 LAMBORGHINI HURACAN SUPER TROFEO EVO
This next car is a little bit of an enigma as it is not street legal but is being sold in a street car auction. This is the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo, a car used in one-make manufacturer racing series Squadra Trofeo GT. Underneath it is a Lamborghini Huracan RWD but made into the ultimate racing machine with the same 5.2 litre V10 engine but with added fins, wings and front splitters. This example has also never been driven, so it was delivered to the owners and does not have a single mile on the odometer even though it looks so fun to drive. Finished in the black and gold Roger Dubuis livery, the main sponsor of the racing series, this car has an estimate price of between $300,000 and $350,000, rather cheap for something as special as this, as well as being cheap compared to the rest of the cars on this list.
1994 PORSCHE 911 TURBO ‘BAD BOYS’
Upon initial inspection, this 911 Turbo is nothing special compared to the rest of the list. Yes it may be only one of 350 produced for the US market and is the final year of the rear wheel drive 964 Turbo, but at the end of the day it’s just a 911 Turbo. Well in fact this is a famed movie car and has had a fairly eventful life. For this is the same Porsche 911 Turbo driven by Will Smith with the passenger of Martin Lawrence in the 1995 movie Bad Boys and is registered with the same plate as worn in the film, with the rear plate spelling BAD BYS1. This car was also owned by Michael Bay, the director of the Bad Boys films as well as Transformers and Armageddon, but later appeared at many events such as winning 1st place at Pinehurst Concours D’Elegance before returning to the red carpet at the premiere of Bad Boys For Life. Due to this car’s significance, the estimate price of this car is between $1,500,000 and $1,700,000 which I think is fitting for one of my favourite film franchises of all time.
2016 PAGANI HUAYRA COUPE
Of all the Italian manufacturers, my true love is Pagani. The way they manufacture cars is a work of art, the Zonda was a true example of a car that can be built to challenge the big guns of Ferrari and Lamborghini and succeed, but with the Huayra I never had the same loving connection that I did with the Zonda. However this example is simply stunning. The full black exterior carbon contrasted with the yellow pinstriping and wheels as well as the red interior and logo on the front splitter is truly fascinating and there doesn’t seem to be a bad angle on it. With 725 actual miles from new, this car is essentially brand new and is number 70 of the 100 Huayra Coupes produced. The price estimate on this car is $1,800,000 to $2,000,000 and on a car that can allegedly reach 222mph and get to 60mph in 2.8 seconds, that seems a very worthy price.
2021 ISO RIVOLTA GT ZAGATO
The final car focused on from this auction really is a fascinating and rare one. This is the 2021 Iso Rivolta GT Zagato, a car built as an homage to the original Iso car, the Iso Grifo AC3 which was produced in the 1960s in Italy and eventually raced at Le Mans under the name of the Bizzarrini 5300 GT. In 2019, Zagato spent 2,500 hours designing and building this car and it was completed in 2021 where it was showcased at Pebble Beach during Monterrey Car Week. Underneath it has the V8 from a Chevrolet Corvette, just like the original Grifo, and with very similar European styling to create a masterpiece of a car. This car will be one of only 19 produced and is the only one which will be US based, with 169 miles from new. With many unique styling details such as the ten spoke rims and the styling cues from the retro era justify this car as being something truly special. While no estimate price is listed for this car, expect the value to be higher than $500,000 when the hammer comes down.
The Mecum Auctions Kissimmee 2022 sale will take place between January 6th and January 16th in the USA. Not only do they have these listed cars for sale but have a massive amount of other supercars that did not make the list. These unmentioned cars include two 2017 Ford GTs (including a ’67 Heritage Edition), a 1970 Plymouth Superbird, a 1965 Shelby Cobra 289 Dragonsnake as well as a collection of cars from the Michael Fux collection such as a Ferrari SF90, 812 GTS, F8 Spider as well as a Mercedes AMG GTR Pro and standard AMG GTR. The final significant collection being sold is a collection of supercars which is hard to be rivalled with; Aston Martin DB11, Lamborghini Murcielago, Murcielago LP640 Coupe, Murcielago LP640 Roadster, Aventador Roadster, Aventador Miura Edition, Aventador S Roadster, McLaren 570S, 620R, 675LT Coupe, 600LT Spider and two more 2017 Ford GTs, as well as four 2005 Ford GTs. To see all these and the 3500 cars which will cross the block, follow the link here to the Mecum Auctions website.
THE INSANE FRENCH MOTORSPORT AUCTION
In a sale unlikely ever to be equalled, the French based Guikas Collection is set to sell with cars from every discipline of motorsport.
The Guikas Collection is set to be one of the most valuable single owner collections in auction history as over 80 lots are to cross the block at Circuit Paul Ricard on November 19. There are so many different forms of motorsport represented in this collection from Formula One to Prototypes and even customer racing series. Typically with an auction preview, I’d take a few cars to show but in this case it will be easier to simply categorise into the motorsport/road car classes.
The most recognised style of car to be featured in this auction are the Formula One cars but the constructors featured are some more of the unique brands to grace the paddocks. The first is the 1977 March 771 which is one of only two believed to exist formerly driven by Ian Scheckter, brother of Jody, this example raced in only a few race events and did not do so well. Finished in the interesting Rothmans livery this has a top estimate of £320,000. The next F1 car is a little more successful being the Arrows A11B from 1990 which had a best result of 9th at Estoril driven by Michele Alboreto. This specific car had 11 grand prix starts and has a top estimate price of £120,000. The final car is the most expensive of the Formula One cars being the 1999 Prost AP02 which is known as the all French classic. The team set up by four time world champion Alain Prost after buying out the Ligier team, Prost enlisted Olivier Panis as their driver for this championship year, who managed to achieve a sixth place finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix. This car was also used in the Monaco GP of that year and the estimate price of this car is £500,000.
GT1/GT CHAMPIONSHIP
The next class is one of my favourites being the GT1/GT cars starting with the British brute being the Lister Storm GT. Based on a 7.0 litre Jaguar V12 from the XJR-9, and being the largest V12 ever fitted to a production car, the Lister Storm GT is an icon of the British GT grid. A factory car used between 2001 and 2003 with seven podium finishes, this is a highly successful car. Plus having been invited to the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed, it is one of the more publicly seen Storm GTs. The top reserve for this car is £600,000. The next car is on the same legendary scale as the Lister as it is the final V12 Ferrari racing car offered by the factory, other than the XX Series cars. This car is the 2005 Ferrari 575 GTC and is the final example of the 12 produced. Due to this fact and its rarity, this car has a top estimate of £3.4 million, a massive amount for a significant car. Following the theme of rare cars, next is the 2005 Saleen S7R, one of the rarest GT cars in the world. Built with only 15 produced, the S7R was a racing version of the first Saleen supercar, the S7. This one was owned by Zakspeed and raced in the 2006 FIA GT Championship where it racked up three race victories. Due to the rarity and its race wins, it has a top estimate of £700,000, which is fairly achievable for a car that rare. The final car is one of the more iconic racing cars of the 1990s, being the 1993 Jaguar XJ220 C LM, a masterpiece of a car from Tom Walkinshaw Racing. One of only four Jaguar works cars produced for entry into the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans and was one of the three TWR entries but retired after 176 laps. This particular car was re-entered as a privateer in 1995 but against F40 LMs, Venturis, McLaren F1s and the Lister Storms and did not do well at all. The estimate for this car is £1.2 million which again is definitely achievable.
PROTOTYPES
When it comes to the prototypes, there is no real bigger star than the 1976 Renault-Alpine A442 gracing this auction. This is the actual car that won the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans and was the first car by Renault to win the prestigious race. One of just four built, raced in both the Le Mans of 1977 and 1978 and has spent the last 25 years in a French motorsport museum, still wearing its battle scars. Due to the historical significance of this car, the price is predicted to reach £4.25 million. The second prototype is the 1981 Ferrari 512 BB/LM and is one of the most untouched racing cars since it left the track remaining unchanged and uncleaned since Le Mans 1984. One of 25 produced, the 512 BB/LM replaced the 365 BB/LM in competition prototype, with an incredibly beautiful streamlined body and the roar of a five litre flat-12 engine. This Ferrari has an estimate price of £2.55 million. The final prototype covered will be the British 1967 Lola T70 Mk III Coupe. Lola is a name synonymous with early prototype racing, especially when it comes to the battle in Can-Am against McLaren and Chevrolet. One of the most beautiful racing cars of the 1960s, this particular car is one of nine original Lola Coupes and had success racing in Sweden and later the USA in the SCCA. This car has made a few public appearances since it finished racing, significantly at the Le Mans Classic in 2008 and at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. The estimate of this car is £700,000.
GTE/GT3
The next division of motorsport cars are the GTE/GT3 cars which are similar to customer cup cars such as the Porsche GT3 Cup series cars. The first of these is the 2006 Ferrari F430 GTC which was formerly fielded by JMB Racing where it raced 36 times between 2006 and 2011 before the introduction of the Ferrari 458 GTC. This car was developed by Corse Clienti for the international GT2 class, therefore gaining entry to the prestigious 24 Hour of Le Mans event, where it finished fourth in 2008. It was last fielded in 2018 for the Le Mans classic where it featured the livery in the image but is now finished in the blue metallic livery from the 2008 Le Mans race. The top estimate of this car is £600,000. Next is the 2007 Aston Martin DBRS9 which was made as the stepping stone between the standard DB9 road car and the full GT3 specification DBR9, and therefore was offered for the Pro-Am class of Le Mans and the GT Open Championship. One of only 26 offered by the factory, and powered by the 6.0 V12 from the road car, the DBRS9 reached some success with a win in Pro-Am at Brands Hatch and Monza in the GT Class. The car has undergone over £35,000 of rebuilds and has a top estimate of £385,000. The final car of this class is one of the more recognisable GT3 cars being the 2012 Audi R8 GT3 LMS Ultra finished in the very unique ‘FifaWorld’ livery. This is the second generation of the Audi R8 GT3 car, this time featuring the 5.2l V10 which made the car ultra competitive with a 1-2 at the 24 Hours of the Nordschliefe. This car specifically placed third in the 2014 Blancpain GT Series and fourth at the 24 hours of Spa that same year, before it was replaced by the third generation R8 GT3. The top estimate for this car is £300,000.
FERRARI CLASSICS
Moving away from motorsport now, there are two classes of road cars that need to be focused on in this incredible auction. The first section of road cars are exclusive for Ferrari as these three cars are some of the more valuable cars in this auction. The first is the 1955 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Competizione by Pininfarina which is one of the best looking early Ferraris made. The predecessor to the legendary 250 GT Tour De France, this 250 GT was first presented at the Turin Motor Show in 1955 with very similar styling to the 375MM Berlinetta. Of the six 250 GT Berlinetta Competiziones made, this is one of just three bodied by Pininfarina and with the historical significance, there is no surprise that the top estimate of this car is £7.5 million. Next is a more recognisable Ferrari classic being the 1958 250 GT Cabriolet Series I. While some would say the later Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder is the more desirable option for classic drop top Ferraris, the Series I 250 GT is still up there. Number 23 of just 40 produced, this car is fitted with an immaculate teal blue leather interior and with matching engine and gearbox numbers. The top estimate on this car was always going to be high and so £6 million fits the legendary reputation of the 250 name. The final classic Ferrari is the 1967 275 GTB by Scaglietti. A first generation short nosed 275, this car is filled with history as its first owner was an heir of the Moet & Chandon champagne fortune and was raced in period by Claude Bouscary, becoming French GT Champion in 1967. This car even changed hands between these two with a swap deal involving a 7.0 V8 AC Cobra. This is one of only 24 short nose 275s with period racing history and with a racing engine and gearbox installed, along with the original engine, the estimate price on this beauty is £2.4 million.
ICONIC CLASSICS
The final class of cars that can be showcased from this auction are the iconic classic cars. The first is a very rare 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C which was delivered new in 1965 to ‘the French Elvis’ Johnny Hallyday and is one of only 10 Grifos with the ‘riveted’ body designed by Drogo, famous for designing the Ferrari 250 GT Breadvan. It is also one of the seven riveted Grifos to survive which only adds to its value. It has been fully restored in 2021 to its original interior and burgundy colour and has a top estimate of £1.7 million. The next car has a much more iconic shape as it was the ideal poster car of the 1970s, the 1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopio by Bertone. One of only 157 examples made and finished in black over black interior, this car had an amazing feature with the rear window acting similar to a periscope, explaining the name. It has just been subject to £60,000 worth of recommission work and due to this, the top estimate price is £750,000. The final car to cover in this auction is a British rarity being the 1987 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagato. One of only 14 left hand drive manual cars produced and with just over 15,000km from new on the odometer. This Vantage is bodied by the legendary Italian coachbuilder Zagato which adds the iconic double bubble roofline plus the angular 1980s shape somewhat reminiscent of the Lotus Etna concept car. This car has a top estimate of £385,000.
The Guikas Collection will cross the auction block at Circuit Paul Ricard on November 19 with all the cars mentioned above plus more including a collection of 60s and 70s Italian tourers, a group of French classics, some cult classic cars and even some more racing cars.
RM SOTHEBY’S LONDON PREVIEW
As the auction year comes to a close, RM Sotheby’s London auction is always a highlight and this year is no different.
Car auctions are incredible, even when not sat in the room with a paddle. A common occurrence of my year is to sit down and watch live luxury car auctions. Be it from the sunny hills of California for the Monterrey auction sales or be it the glamour of the Paris auctions or the sheer class of the Ville D’Este sale, there is always a car selling for everyone’s tastes. The next major auction to grace my gazing attention is the RM Sotheby’s London sale. Typically a good auction, this London sale provides all manner of automotive goodness and here are some of the highlights crossing the block on November 6.
1952 JAGUAR C-TYPE
The first car is a real heavy hitter in terms of value as it is a 1952 Jaguar C-Type. An often overlooked Jaguar, without this car Jaguar would not have produced other legends such as the D-Type, the XKE and later, the even more legendary E-Type. Initially there were three works cars of the C-Type made to race at Le Mans where it won in both 1951 and 1953, cementing itself into the history of the legendary race. In the time between 1951 and 1953, 53 customer cars were built so people could drive a pedigree British racing car on the road. This particular example has matching body-engine-chassis numbers making it one of the purest examples of a C-Type to date. A unique factor to this car is that initially, under the ownership of its first owner, the Jaguar straight-six engine was swapped out for a Plymouth slant-six but the engine stayed with the car until it was eventually swapped back. The estimate for this car is £4,000,000 to £4,500,000 making it the most expensive car of the auction and therefore the most highly anticipated.
2016 FERRARI LAFERRARI
The next car is this incredibly coloured Ferrari LaFerrari. In a colour not often selected by Ferrari customers, Rosso Vinaccia is a colour hard to come by, as it is usually reserved for limited run models such as the 599 GTO, SA Aperta and the Icona Monza series. When this car was first delivered, it went to accomplished Ferrari dealer Niki Hasler to sell to the customer in Switzerland where the car was hardly seen before it arrived in the UK with its second owner. Unfortunately this car kept itself hidden away with a rare appearance at the Stoner Park car meet being the only time it made its mark on UK soil. Due to its fairly quiet life, this LaFerrari only has 918 miles on the odometer and has recently been seen at Duncan Hamilton where it is believed to have been on sale. The estimate for this car is higher than ‘standard’ LaFerraris based solely on the rare paint colour and near delivery mileage with a price of £2,200,000 to £2,500,000.
1987 PORSCHE 959 KOMFORT
The Porsche 959 will always be a legendary car. A bastion of technological advancements and, though for a short period of time, the fastest car in the world at 197mph. After it was defeated by the Ferrari F40 reaching 201mph, it remained the first, and at the time only, car to reach 60mph in less than four seconds thanks to its clever all wheel drive system. Using the same engine from the Porsche 935 Moby Dick, which would later go on to power the legendary Group C 956 and 962, this car had 444hp meaning it would often outperform the bigger Italian V8s and V12s. Only 292 Porsche 959s were produced as after the cancellation of Group B rallying, Porsche lost 50% on every one they produced and ended up cutting production short. This particular car has been a common sight in the West London area as it has commuted around there for the last 21 years owned by the same family and accruing just over 14,000 miles. Given the low mileage and one person ownership since 1992, the £800,000 to £1,000,000 price is highly justified especially when considering without this car, such cars as the 956, 962 and even, to a degree, the 911 GT1 would just not exist.
1976 PORSCHE 934
Sticking with legendary Porsche cars, next we have the 1976 Porsche 934 which was based on the 930 Turbo, the fastest car Porsche had ever made at the time. It was destined to race in Group 4 which required near to standard body configuration and a weight that did not exceed 1120kg. This car replaced the very significant Porsche 911 RSR 3.0 and in doing so, changed from a naturally aspirated straight six to a turbocharged one, which was a struggle for some owners to deal with initially as the power was deployed later than usual due to the turbo lag. This particular car has a large racing pedigree, being raced between 1976 and 1982 as one of 30 privateer driven cars at a multitude of racing events with 18 race victories and 29 podiums out of the 69 races it entered. This car has been restored to its original specification with its initial livery also and is eligible for many classic car events such as Rennsport Revival and Le Mans Classic. All this and more for the estimate price of £875,000 to £975,000.
2006 ASTON MARTIN DBRS9
The next car is a bit of a British brute as it is the Aston Martin DBRS9, the stepping stone between the road going DB9 and the GT1 monster being the DBR9. It still features the same 5.9 litre V12 as the other two cars but was configured for the FIA GT3 Championship before the GT1 championship broke down and integrated into GT3. This car was one of the 26 examples manufactured by Prodrive and was purchased by an Aston Martin Works team, Barwell Motorsport and was entered into the 2006 British GT Championship where it had great success, becoming the only Aston Martin DBRS9 to win the British GT Championship Drivers Championship and overall Championship. Since its victory, this car has travelled extensively such as to Australia before being returned to the UK in 2019 into the collection of an esteemed Aston Martin collector where it was restored to original specification and into the original livery worn by the car when it won the championship. The estimate for this car is significantly lower that I was expecting being a massive piece of Aston Martin racing history but this means someone should be able to pick up a bargain at £180,000 to £220,000 estimate.
1993 ASCARI FGT PROTOTYPE
The final car selected for this piece may not be as expensive or mind-blowing but the story behind how the car came to being as well as the story after is too interesting to leave out. This is the Ascari FGT Prototype but it was not built initially by Ascari Cars. It was built by Lee Noble who presided over Noble Motorsport before they became the low volume British supercar manufacturer they’re known as now. After Noble designed this car, he was approached by Ascari who subsequently purchased the car and the rights for it. After the purchase, Ascari entered the FGT into the British GT Championship and used this car as a pre production prototype for the Ascari Ecosse, even though the steering wheel as well as other elements still had ‘Lee Noble’ written all over them. After the eventual decline of Ascari after the KZ1 and A10 supercars, this car was not accounted for until the current owner discovered the FGT prototype in a barn where it had laid for 13 years. With the help of Lee Noble, they undertook a three year restoration of the FGT, getting it back to full working condition as well as upgrading the fuel injection system and ECU to give it 420hp. For this interesting piece of British engineering and design, the buyer would be expected to pay between £60,000 and £80,000.
Though many of the bigger cars have been discussed in this piece, there are plenty more incredible cars being offered by RM Sotheby’s on November 6 for their London sale such as a Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Blower, a Jaguar XJ220, a pair of Zagato bodied Porsche 356s, a pair of Zagato bodied Aston Martin V8 Vantages and even a Ferrari F2003 Formula One Show Car.
Artcurial Sale of Champions Preview – 2021
Artcurial is not an auction business that I cover very often as they are fairly niche compared to some of the more mainstream auction houses such as RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams and Gooding and Co. This is their Car of Champions auction which is one of their flagship sales of the year alongside their Paris sale in February. In previous years they have sold cars such as Mercedes-Benz 300SLs and Ferrari F40s but this year their sale features a lot of very special cars plus some that I believe could exceed their estimate prices and potentially become a future classic. The estimate prices listed will be the top estimate to show the highest price the seller expects the car to be at, just for clarity.
Starting with the top cars in the auction beginning with a motorsport legend. The first car in the auction is a 1993 Subaru Impreza Prodrive which is nothing but one of the most important rally cars of all time, being an ex-McRae and Burns car. It is restored to full group A specification having had a full racing history and being the first Impreza to score points in the World Rally Championship with another legend at the wheel, Ari Vatanen. In the 1993 season, Subaru began by entering Legacy RS rally cars which won the Lake Como 1000 with Colin McRae at the wheel, but Prodrive had entered an Impreza Turbo into the race and this exact car came an incredible second place. After this achievement, becoming the first Prodrive Impreza to score points, Prodrive dressed this car in the famous blue and yellow 555 livery and was given the infamous plate of L555 BAT for the 1994 season. The estimate on this car is £650,000 which for a rally car of this significance, I believe is entirely possible to reach that estimate, if not exceed it, as Audi Quattro S1s and Peugeot 205 Evos are nearly £1,000,000 now. Sticking with the theme of rally cars, another highly anticipated car to cross the auction block is a Group B car not many people would know about. The car in question is the 1986 Citroen BX 4TC Evolution which has an interesting history. This is before Citroen took off with stage rallying, with their peak coming in the mid 2000s in the Sebastien Loeb era. It was built by Citroen with limited resources because of a limited budget. With the 380hp four-cylinder turbocharged engine from the Peugeot 505 Turbo as well as transmission from a Citroen SM. Due to these elements, the BX did not race many rallies with no success but it is still a very unique car. The estimate for this car is £350,000 which in my opinion is a bit high as it had no success but maybe the uniqueness of it will add to the value. The other cars expected to sell for a high price include a 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Coupe with a top estimate of £600,000, a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider Conversion also with an estimate of £600,000 and a 1960 Aston Martin DB4 with an estimate of £450,000.
The next category of cars to be detailed are cars that interest me personally be it that they are special in my eyes or just unique and to be looked out for. The first of these is the 2017 Aston Martin Vantage GT8. This car is the V8 version of the stripped out track focused Aston Martin GT series which consisted of the V12 powererd GT12 and this, the V8 GT8. One of only 150 produced, the GT8 is the most powerful and lightest Aston Martin Vantage ever made with a baritone roar of an engine note to go with it. Initially the series were inspired by Aston Martin’s racing cars with the GT12 being a version of their GT3 winning Vantage, but the GT8 was inspired by the lower class of Aston racing car being the GT2/GTE series. This example is finished in Ferrari Rosso Corsa and has the desirable manual transmission option with six speeds and this car is practically brand new with only 25km from new. This car is number 67 of the 150 produced and is offered at no reserve but the estimate predicts it should sell for £240,000 which is certainly achievable. The next car that caught my interest was the 1969 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow ‘Travel Estate’ which certainly falls under the category of unique. This car was ordered new to New York in 1969 but the owner wanted it to be more exclusive than the standard Rolls Royce and so commissioned it to be transformed into a Shooting Brake estate model of the Silver Shadow by a coachbuilder. It was later sold on and auctioned off in 2006 by its second owner. The third owner wanted to take the Silver Shadow to the next level and so added a folding picnic box to the car as well as a mini fridge powered by the car, a 25 litre water tank with a shower head and even a gas stove with a bottle hidden in the boot. This incredibly custom Rolls Royce has an estimate price of £150,000 mainly due to the customisations fitted to the car so hopefully it sells. The final car that caught my attention is an overlooked supercar from Lamborghini’s history that sadly many people seem to forget about. The glamorous styling of the Lamborghini 400 GT Espada Series III especially finished in such a glorious shade of green is always a sight to behold. Inspired by the Marzal concept, the Espada is designed as a 2+2 GT to rival the more successful Ferrari 365 GTC but powered by the V12 of the legendary Miura SV. With much fewer numbers than the 365 GTC, the Espada is a rare car especially the Series III of which there were just over 1000 produced but at the time it was the highest selling Lamborghini car between 1968 and 1978. This car has travelled just 1300km from new and has an estimate of £130,000 which again is reachable but Espada’s do not have a great record at auction so this could be a no sell.
The final group of cars are examples I think will exceed their estimates due to them being potential future classics. The first is a odd car among the car world as some love it and some hate it based on its fairly outlandish design and that is the 1972 Alfa Romeo Monteal. Originally conceived as a concept only to show the best car that Alfa Romeo could make, and so they made it. It was planned to have the same 1.6 litre engine as the Giulia Ti from the time but by production it received an upgrade to a big V8 from the T33 prototype racing car. Regarding the styling some regard it as a bit of a pig much like how the later Alfa Romeo SZ was classed as a marmite car among aficionados but I believe the Montreal is a staple of 1970s styling especially with the Lancia Fulvia inspired rear end. This car has an estimate of £65,000 which is a good value but classic Alfa Romeo’s such as this one have been steadily rising in price the last few years and given the condition of this car, it could probably exceed the estimate. The next car has a lot of history and accolades backing up why I believe it will exceed it’s estimate price and the car itself is special as is, as it is a 1991 Alpine A610. The A610 is one of the rarest cars that Alpine ever made and it is connected to a legend in Alpine’s history. Jean de Alexandris was an Alpine test driver and former pilot for the team, having raced the original A110 as well as later Alpine cars such as the A310. The fact he owned it from new to the date of this auction should add a significant amount to the value of the car, and with a £50,000 estimate, I believe the car should exceed that margin. The final car is one of the most interesting cars I would suggest was ever made being the 1973 Studebaker Avanti II. The Studebaker story has always been strange due to financial burdens but it is on record that since it’s inception in 1962, the car has never ceased production but has instead had updates to constantly improve on the car. However so few have been produced and sold that people struggle to notice. This is the second generation built between 1966 and 1983 based on a fibreglass body shell which made it fairly unreliable plus the massive 6.5 litre V8 from the Corvette at the time, but the fibreglass body did make it light compared to other muscle cars with a kerbweight of only 1450kg. Visually it’s a true American barge with a three spoke steering wheel, wood on the interior but not a massive length which you’d see on cars such as the Buick Riviera or Cadillac Eldorado, this has the styling similarly to British sports cars such as, surprisingly, the Triumph GT6. The price on this car is said to be £24,000 which quite honestly should be easily exceeded.
Bonhams Zoute Sale Review
As we reach the back end of the year, the auction calendar is thinning out as many of the main events such as Monterrey and the Goodwood events have concluded but despite the weather getting colder and car events becoming more sparse, there are still a few auctions that can blow any petrolhead away. Bonhams recently held a sale in Belgium at Knockke-Heist which had a couple of heavy hitting sales as well as some more interesting cars that don’t often cross auction blocks, plus some cars that have truly hit future classic status with some of the prices they are reaching. This piece will go through each of these categories of sales cars, giving some in depth detail into some of the lots.
Beginning this article we have to start with the two top sellers which are two iconic supercars from the 1990s. The first of these cars is the 1994 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport which was for a brief period of time, the fastest car in the world with a top speed achieved of 218mph. The EB110 came at a funny time for Bugatti as they had recently resurfaced thanks to the endeavours of Romano Artioli of bringing back the Bugatti brand. It was launched in 1992 as a fresh start into the supercar market and the Super Sport was the third model in the EB110 line up following the standard car and the GT. The EB110 Super Sport launched in 1993, a mere six months after the initial models with over 600hp thanks to new fuel injectors attached to the ECU. The horsepower figure of this car was 611hp and with weight being decreased by 202kg due to carbon fibre bodywork and magnesium BBS wheels. Speed wise, the EB110 SS could get from 0-60mph in 3.14 seconds and up to a top speed of 220mph. This specific EB110 is finished in Grigio Chiaro and had just under 30,000km on the odometer before the sale. When taking into context that the new price of an EB110 SS was £380,000, a price which would later lead to Bugatti going bankrupt until VW saved them in 1998, the sale price of this car was £1,900,630. EB110 prices have been increasing a lot over the last five years and soon I would predict these cars reach the same price status as 90s rivals such as the Ferrari F50 or the Jaguar XJR-15. The second top seller is a car that always stars at auctions and seems to be a staple of every top auction, being the 1989 Ferrari F40. The car that is regarded as the prettiest supercar of all time, the most complete supercar of all time. Built to celebrate 40 years of Ferrari manufacturing sports cars and was the final Ferrari car to be approved personally by Enzo Ferrari before his death. It is therefore seen to be the ultimate Ferrari supercar, the first car to breach the 200mph barrier, albeit only by one mile per hour, all finished in Rosso Corsa and in left hand drive. The 3.0 quad cam V8 is seen to be one of the best engines that Ferrari ever made and due to that engine’s success, they even took the F40 racing in the BPR World Series where they would often challenge top spec McLaren F1 GTRs and sometimes even the Porsche 911 GT1s. The final sale price of this F40 was £1,559,492 which is a high price for an F40 but due to the fact it was initially sold to Garage Francorchamps, the legendary racing team which ran 512BB/LMs and significantly a 250 GTO at Le Mans. It also had only 1,790km from new which would have helped with the value.
The next category of cars featured in the Zoute sale are the cars that did not sell via not meeting their reserve prices. There are a few big cars that did not sell to the surprise of many people especially some of the classic cars and a few modern classics. The first of these cars is the 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Speedster. This is the rarest version of the Vanquish Zagato series made up of the Coupe, Volante, Speedster and Shooting Brake, with all versions having 99 examples except the Speedster with only 28. It is believed that 99 of the Speedster variants were planned but only 28 of these 99 were completed. This example is finished in Solar Bronze Satin and is number 25 of the 28 built. With a new list price of just over £1,000,000, plus this version being a collaboration with German bicycle manufacturer Storck to create the Vintage Edition of the Zagato Vanquish series with only three being made, it was thought that this car would reach its estimate of £720,000 to £1,100,000. However this car did not hit this reserve as the Zagato Vanquish series are still to live up to their high list price at auctions. The main manufacturer that did not sell too well at the Zoute sale was Lancia, with four of their cars not selling at reserve price. Two of these cars were estimated at over £700,000 being the 1955 Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider America at a top estimate of £1,000,000 and the 1959 Lancia Flaminia Sport Zagato with a top estimate of £700,000. Both of these cars are usually desirable classic cars that often sell but with the luck of the auctions they both did not unfortunately sell. There were two other Lancias that failed to sell, being another Aurelia, the smaller and more pedestrian B20 model which failed to sell with the top estimate of £300,000. The final Lancia that failed to sell was a very early Lancia being the 1949 Lancia Aprilia which failed to sell at a top estimate of £120,000. Other cars which failed to sell in the Zoute sale were the 1957 Alfa Romeo 1900C Super Sprint, two Facel Vegas being an FV1 Cabriolet and an FV2 Coupe, a 1954 Jaguar XK120 SE Roadster and the 1937 Lagonda LG45 Rapide Tourer Replica.
There was another car that failed to sell at the Zoute sale but I did not include as it would feature in the future classic and interesting car section. That car is the 1990 Alfa Romeo 75 Turbo Evoluzione IMSA racing car, which was the first Alfa Romeo works team to race in the Italian Superturismo Championship. This championship would race under Group A rules and so would host the likes of BMW M3s, Audi A4 Quattros and the occassional BMW 320i. This particular car was raced by a host of Italian drivers such as Gianni Morbidelli and Nicola Larini who was racing for Ligier in F1 in the 1990s. This car had good results winning five races in the 20 race campaign in 1990 and managed to finish third overall in the standings. Unfortunately this car did not sell especially finished in an incredible Martini livery, but that’s the way of the auctions but it had a fairly high reserve of £160,000. The next interesting car to cross the block was a 1991 BMW Z1. The Z1 is most memorable for it’s doors, as some cars are, but the Z1’s doors don’t go up or go out, they go down. The BMW Z1’s party piece is that the doors move down into the chassis and disappear into the body of the car. An incredibly unique car which is also fairly rare, with only 8000 examples made. This particular car is finished in Magic Violette metallic and only shows 16 kilometres on the odometer making it one of the lowest, if not the lowest mileage BMW Z1’s on the market. Low mileage aside, the price this car sold for is utterly ridiculous price of £89,321 which is close to Ferrari F430 money. This car may be a future classic but with prices such as that, it is unimaginable where the prices will go. The final interesting car is a very very special car as it’s a barn find. There’s nothing more incredible than finding an amazing classic car in a vegetative state especially a car as special as this one. The car in question is the 1956 Paris Motor Show Jaguar XK140 by Ghia. This is the exact car shown by Jaguar at the 1956 Paris Motor Show and is one of only four Ghia bodied XK140 Coupes produced making it even more special. The state of the car is fairly poor but also very beautiful with rust affecting all of the exterior body elements, but compared to images in period it looks sad. Jaguar in the 1950s sent many coachbuilders XK140 bodies to redesign their car and Ghia and Bertone are possibly the most famous of these coachbuilt cars. The sale price for a rusted XK140 by Ghia was £242,000, which is a decent price considering the restored cars can go for £450,000.
THE AMAZING PORSCHE COLLECTION SELLING AT AUCTION IN SWITZERLAND
RM Sotheby’s Open Roads February auction happens to feature one of the greatest Porsche collections ever to come to auction with a car for everyone.
In the latest batch of automotive auctions, RM Sotheby’s have three online only auctions taking place over a few days each to replace some traditional auctions. The Swiss auction is by far the most special as it features a sole collection of some of the most collectable Porsche’s of all time. With many of the lots consisting of limited edition 911s plus a few even more special cars, this is an auction not to miss.
LOT 301 – 2010 PORSCHE 911 SPORT CLASSIC
The first car in the sale is the 2010 Porsche 911 Sport Classic which is one of the most interesting Porsche’s ever built. Built as a celebration of 911s of the past but with the (then) latest engine being the 3.8 flat six, this car is a combination of classic styling and modern engineering. Featuring stylistic elements such as the Fuchs style black wheels, the black surrounds on the headlights which is a homage to the 911 Turbo RSR, the ducktail spoiler fairly reminiscent of the legendary 911 2.7 RS and the chequer style interior as a reference to the original 911. The Sport Classic was also a run of 250 cars meaning it was incredibly rare. This particular example is number 12 of the 250 run and has 25000 km from new which makes it an extremely desirable model. The top estimate price for this car is around £275,000 which is quite a high price but is possible for them to reach prices such as that given their desirability.
LOT 302 – 2011 PORSCHE 911 GT2 RS
The next car to sell will be this 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS which even now remains to be one of the most visceral and aggressive road cars that Porsche have ever made. Built as a lightweight version of the standard GT2, it was the first road going Porsche 911 to exceed 600 hp and with a Nurburgring lap of 7m 18secs, it is still a rapid car by today’s standards. It was built as a real drivers car with no PDK option available, only a stick shift manual, and with the Porsche RS rear rollcage, it is known as a true racing car for the road. Some road tests of the car even claim it would hit a top speed of up to 205 mph which is exceedingly close to Carrera GT speeds. With only 500 built with this example being number 72, it was a limited series car which is why the estimate price on this car (with 6000 km from new) is £355,000 and most likely it will hit that price over the coming days.
LOT 303- 2016 PORSCHE 911 R
Is this the ultimate modern Porsche 911? Featuring the 4.0 flat six from the GT3 RS, without the wing or interior rollcage, and with a manual gearbox, some say it is the best 911 given it has all the qualities of the fastest 911s with the comforts of a manual gearbox and the standard Carrera shape. Despite this, it is somehow 50kg lighter than the GT3 RS meaning it rivals cars such as the Lamborghini Huracan Performante, Aston Martin GT8 and the BMW M4 GTS. This particular 911 R is finished in Paint to Sample Gulf Blue which just looks incredible with the silver wheels to contrast, and with a brown leather interior, it is incredibly desirable. This example is number 401 of the 991 built, celebrating the 991 generation of the car and has an estimate price of around £300,000 which is fairly high but given its the ultimate 911 its a price worth paying.
LOT 304 – 2015 PORSCHE 918 SPYDER
The Porsche 918 Spyder is the staple of any modern Porsche collection and is one of the greatest cars Porsche has ever created. When production started in late 2013, the Porsche 918 was regarded as a car in a class of its own, combining electric motors with a petrol V8 to create the ultimate hybrid. It was later joined by the McLaren P1 and the Ferrari LaFerrari in the hybrid hypercar battle of the century, which many would suggest it won. This car is number 389 of the 918 units built and is finished in Liquid Chrome Blue Metallic, a colour which costs £63,000, over a brown mocha interior making it one of only three built in this exact specification. With 5500 km from new and all the unique details, this car certainly deserves its £870,000 top price and compared with the prices of McLaren P1s and Ferrari LaFerraris, it’s a bargain.
LOT 305 – 1995 PORSCHE 911 TURBO CABRIOLET
Unlike other generations of Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolets, this car should not exist. The car was thought up by Fritz Haberl, of MAHAG Munich, a dealership specialising in Porsche, who saw the 993 Cabriolet and approached Porsche over a 993 Turbo Cabriolet. Porsche agreed among financial issues and commissioned 10 to be produced. It used the Porsche 964 engine which was squeezed into the back of the 993 Turbo, as well as adding wide arches and the rear wing used on the Porsche 911 964 Turbo S. The result was stunning, and this example was believed to be commissioned by Willi Weber who was Michael Schumacher’s manager. He made a modification to it in that he replaced the standard gearbox with one from RUF. Given that many people do not realise this car existed, this should sell for the top reserve of £690,000.
LOT 306 – 2018 PORSCHE 911 GT2 RS ‘WEISSACH’
For the penultimate lot of this sale, the 2018 Porsche 911 GT2 RS with the Weissach package. The most powerful road going 911 of all time with 691bhp. Released in 2017 alongside the release of Forza Motorsport 7 as a cover car, the GT2 RS was built as the ultimate track version of the 991 generation which is demonstrated with its mighty fast sub 7 minute Nurburgring Nordschliefe lap time. The colour of this car is interesting as it’s Paint to Sample Azzurro California, used on the Porsche 911 Club Coupe built for the US markets, and is only available as a Porsche PTS colour. It is also a common colour for Ferraris as it was initially a Ferrari colour. Another interesting element of this car is the lack of rear wing which gives the car a more subtle look, similar to that of the 911 Turbo S. The estimate price of this car is £355,000 which should be difficult to achieve but anything can happen in an auction.
LOT 307 – 2005 PORSCHE CARRERA GT
The final lot is a classic in the modern Porsche collection being the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. A staple legend car in the Porsche range, the Carrera GT was built after Porsche developed a V10 engine for a racing project known as the LMP2000. After the project was dropped, Porsche engineers decided to develop a road car using the naturally aspirated V10 and then the Carrera GT was born. With 605bhp, a top speed of 205mph and one of the best soundtracks of any modern car, the Carrera GT is a staple supercar of the 2000s taking on the likes of the Ferrari Enzo, Koenigsegg CC8S and the Mercedes McLaren SLR. The estimate price of this car is £650,000 which is fairly high for a CGT but anything can happen at an auction.
The Open Roads February sale in Switzerland concludes on Sunday February 28 2021.
THE COACHBUILT MASERATI RACING TO AUCTION IN PARIS
After RM Sotheby’s announced a flurry of unique supercars in their Paris auction, Bonhams have responded with a truly one off Maserati.
The group of auctions that take place during the Retromobile Paris event in February are usually very high quality and though the event is not taking place this year due to the pandemic but the auction calendar goes on. This year, Bonhams have a truly uniquely coachbuilt Maserati crossing the block which is utterly one of a kind.
It is called the Touring Sciadipersia and besides the complicated name, this car is one to be taken seriously. Those unaware with Touring’s history could be aware of the new Touring Aero 3, unveiled at last years Salon Prive as a homage to the 1950s and 60s racing cars with certain styling cues taken from vintage cars. Touring are also responsible for the beautiful Alfa Romeo Disco Volante based on the Alfa Romeo 8C, which again is a homage to a previous car. Since Touring were rebranded as Touring Superleggera in 2008, they have commissioned small numbers of rebodied cars based on the classic styling of vintage racing cars.
The inspiration for the Sciadipersia was the Maserati 5000GT but specifically, three Maserati 5000GTs that were built by Touring in the 1950s for some special clients, including the Shah of Persia who was a noted Maserati enthusiast. The Sciadipersia name is actually Italian for ‘Shah of Persia’ so which is another reference to the previous model as a tribute to those cars. It is based on the two door Maserati Granturismo so the car shares the same 4.7 V8 with 454bhp and a top speed of 184mph. The performance though is not the focus, that is the visual elements of the car.
Without knowing this was a Maserati, it would be difficult to distinguish this car as a coach build. The design work is stunning with many of the cues taken from the 50s 5000GT by Touring including the bonnet vents, side intake and squared off rear end. The wheels are unique too with 20 inch, multi spoke aluminium rims. The rear end is very unique and slightly reminiscent to the Zagato Aston Martin DB9 rear end, but with some cues taken from the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante by Touring. The interior remains generally unchanged besides some elegant Italian leather and brushed aluminium trim. The colour is known as Orient Night Sky which is meant to evoke the colour of the night sky, with the aluminium accents hark the car back to the original 5000GT.
When production for this car began, Touring said that there would be 15 coupes with no set price as the owner would specify their car to their own personal tastes. However only one coupe and one spider were made, making this example the only one completed. It was debuted at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show and was later sent to its only owner in Italy who put 11,500km on the odometer. An interesting element to this sale is that Bonhams have included the official original invoice for the commission of this car way back in 2017. The initial cost of the car was £760,620 which is about equivalent to the price now of a Zagato Aston Martin Vanquish or a Porsche 918 Spyder which is really a lot but considering the reserve of this car is between £330,000 and £510,000, it seems like a bargain.
The Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde a Paris auction is set to take place online between the dates of March 3rd and March 10th and so far features many intriguing lots such as an Aston Martin DB4 S2, a Group A Lancia Delta Integrale and a Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat Sport.
The Unique Supercars Offered at RM Sotheby’s Paris
With auctions returning to the classic selling techniques, RM Sotheby’s sale in Paris is attracting headlines with some unique and rare supercars.
The RM Sotheby’s Paris auction will be taking place on February 13th 2021 when Retromobile Paris is usually meant to take place, though with covid restrictions it may not be taking place. Nevertheless the auction calendar rolls on and, like usual, the cars crossing the block are incredibly rare, unique and expensive. Some of the cars though are special because of their rarity and their unknown presence in the supercar world and therefore I find that they are even more special.
1997 ASCARI ECOSSE
When most people think of Ascari, I assume they would think of the KZ1-R supercar or the one off A10 hypercar which was the Top Gear lap record holder for a while beating the Koenigsegg CCX. But the model that people may forget about is the Ecosse, which was a road legal version of their FGT racing car. With only 17 produced, it is a true British rarity, powered by a 5.0 BMW V8 giving it an estimated top speed of 200mph for a price new of £89,500, its a whole lot of car. No Ascari car has ever come to auction before now, so it’ll be interesting to see the sale price. (Since the article was published, the Ecosse has moved to their Open Roads online sale).
2008 GUMPERT APOLLO
The Gumpert Apollo is just one of those supercars, statistically phenomenal with a 4.2 Audi V8 with twin turbos producing 650bhp and a top speed of 223mph, yet it is forgotten due to its controversial styling and unknown manufacturer. The Gumpert Apollo is just one of those forgotten supercars that was big at the time of launch and then slowly fell out of favour with the car world. Many people know about Apollo as in the Intensa Emozione which stemmed from what Roland Gumpert started with this car. Only one Apollo has ever sold at auction but the result remains hidden so it’ll be interesting to see whether it has appreciated from the price new of £325,000.
1993 ISDERA COMMENDATORE 112i
This is by far the most unique car that is crossing the block in Paris, being the Isdera Commendatore 112i. Isdera itself is quite an unheard of supercar as is, but this example is special because its the only one produced. It features the same Mercedes V12 as the Mercedes SL70, which would later go on to be the engine featured in the Zonda. When it first launched, it was a failed Le Mans car with components taken from the CLK GTR but then the car disappeared seemingly. It was taken off the radar until it was discovered that it was owned by a Swiss collector before it was offered for sale here. This should be a high seller given the unique model and that Isdera themselves have confirmed it is the only example ever produced.
2008 LAMBORGHINI MURCIELAGO LP640-4 COUPE VERSACE
Though this isn’t seemingly a unique car, as everyone knows the Murcielago LP640, but it is a very interesting special edition. In 2007, Versace and Lamborghini came together to make 40 Murcielago Versace Editions (20 Coupes, 20 Roadsters) and this is the ninth of the twenty coupes build. Finished in Nero Alderbaran with the Versace motif along the side of the car, it is a very subtle specification but it does work. With 24,500 miles from new, this car has been driven as it should be in its 14 year life and the 6.5 V12 creates one of the best sounds of any car. A previous Versace edition has sold for £157,000 and if this one goes for that price, it could well be one of the bargains of the year.
2015 SPANIA GTA SPANO
The GTA Spano began in 2007 with a concept at Top Marques Monaco before properly debuting at Geneva in 2011, with the first production car coming two years later. This example is a series two car with more aggressive styling than initial model and fitted with a 7.9 litre twin turbocharged V10 from a Dodge Viper, which is the most insane engine fitted to a road car. Overall there was a run of 99 expected for production but only 10 of the first series and two of the second were produced, and of the 10 initial cars, one was destroyed for the film, Need For Speed. Being one of only two second series cars, it is extraordinarily rare and it even featured in the TV show Ballers on HBO. This car should sell for a very high price but its the luck of the auction.
Unique cars at auctions are always fun because its always interesting to see how these cars do compared to mainstream supercars such as Lamborghini and Ferrari and it also shows whether investing money into smaller, niche supercars is a good investment over time rather than buying into the mainstream market. To see the full auction lot list featuring the Lamborghini Collection, the Gold Collection and any other lot, visit here
January 2021 Auction Previews
2020 was a tough year for auctions given the coronavirus outbreak affecting the standard auction layout. However, auction houses managed to flourish with their online platforms, making the online auction an entertaining way to sell cars. Now as 2021 begins, and with auction houses continuing an online sales variant, there are some incredible auctions taking place which have caught the attention of many car fans. These sales range from Mecum Auctions, RM Sotheby’s, Gooding and Company and Bonhams and each house features incredible highlights which will be shown below.
Mecum Auctions are based in the US and typically feature American muscle cars and very few else but for their Kissimmee auction this month, there are some interesting highlights. The first two highlights that caught my eye were close to delivery mileage Ford GTs. One of which is a ’67 Heritage Edition finished in the red and white livery based on the Mk4 Ford GT40, the other in a yellow and black livery and a standard 2017 GT. Both cars are set to sell for around £1 million. The next few highlights come from a few boutique manufacturers of which I am a fan. The first manufacturer is De Tomaso who have four cars in the sale, the first being the Mangusta Shelby Prototype as well as a standard Mangusta sports car. The Mangusta raced in period against the legendary Shelby Cobra, and the De Tomaso Mangusta was named somewhat after the Cobra because in nature, the Mongoose eats the Cobra, and hence they tried to replicate that with the cars. In 1969, Carroll Shelby commissioned a De Tomaso Mangusta to be modified by Shelby to potentially race against the Ford GT40. This car is estimated for around £350,000 and the standard Mangusta has a price upon request. The other De Tomaso’s are can-am sports racers which were adapted by Shelby to once again take the fight to the Ford GT40 at Le Mans. Both are estimated for around £2 million. The second manufacturer is Iso, who are responsible for the beautiful Grifo sports car. This example is one of only 20 AC/3 sports cars modified by Bizzarrini to race against the Ferrari 250LM and it is also a 2013 Concours D’Elegance winner. This should sell above its £1 million estimate. The final highlight lots come from Ferrari and many of these are beautiful classics. Starting with a 1952 Ferrari 340 America finished in the French Racing Blue livery which was used for racing in the 1950s and ended up finishing in 5th place at the 1952 Le Mans. It has no estimate at the moment but based on previous results it should reach at least £5 million. Other featured lots include a Ferrari 275 GTS, two Ferrari 330 GTCs, a 300SL Gullwing and Roadster, a Mercedes-Benz 6×6, two Shelby GT350s and a Shelby GT350 R. The Mecum auction features over 2800 lots which should be an incredibly good showing.
Gooding and Company don’t have auctions as big as they used to given the new platforms, so this section will cover the few cars in the Scottsdale auction as well as the European Sporting and Historic Collection. The first car from the Scottsdale auction is a 1926 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix bought initially by Peter Larkin of Broadway and kept in his ownership for six decades until this auction.This car replaced the legendary Type 35 in Bugatti’s racing models, featuring the same 1.5 litre four cylinder engine which is good for 90mph. It is thought this is the longest private ownership of a classic Bugatti and the last example of a Type 37 to sell at auction sold for £640,000 but given the significance of this car, this could reach up to £800,000. Next is a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Long Nose styled by Scaglietti and recalling earlier styling cues from earlier cars such as the 250 Tour De France and GTO. This example holds 40,000 miles from new and is unique in that it has never been restored, displayed or offered for sale since new Finished in Rosso Chiaro with a red leather interior, it is a very desirable spec and should sell for its estimate of around £2.4 million. The next cars will come from the European Sporting and Historic Collection which will sell a few weeks after the Scottsdale cars. The first highlight is a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT which is one of only 30 left hand drive examples presented in black pearl over dark blue. It also features matching engine and chassis numbers. Due to the auction being a way off, there isn’t much information on each car so each car will only have small information snippets. The next car is a 1963 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible, one of only 123 convertible DB5 Convertibles made with initial Scottish ownership. This also features matching numbers which means its entirely original. Other standout lots include a blue Ferrari 275 GTB/4, a Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Sports Tourer and a yellow Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster.
Much like Gooding, Bonhams features a smaller lot list than usual for its first auction of the year at Scottsdale. However this does not mean that the quality of the cars for sale is anything less than expected. The first lot is always a big seller at auctions being the 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special, a 1973 Pebble Beach Best in Show winner and known for being one of the most sophisticated automobiles to exist. One of the most beautiful cars ever built, the 540K features a 5.4 litre Inline 8 engine to give it a rowdy 180bhp. 540Ks much like 500Ks always do well at auction, so much so the last example sold for £4.5 million. The next lot is a 1959 BMW 507 Series 2 Roadster which is one of the most collectable BMWs of all time with only 253 examples being made. It can also be considered as one of the initial grand touring supercar, as the 3.2 litre V8 gave it 150bhp with a low slung and beautiful body. When the 507 launched it was £9000 which was more than a Mercedes 300SL and twice the price of a Jaguar XK120s or two Chevrolet Corvettes in the US market. Though the high cost, the 507 became a celebrity favourite with Fred Astaire, John Surtees and Elvis Presley being notable owners. Currently 507s are topping the £2 million mark but the estimate for this example reaches up to £2.3 million which could be a stretch. The final notable lot for this sale is one of the most modern cars of the auction being a 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante. With this car being a collaboration between Zagato and Aston Martin, much like the previous collaborations, the car is very special. The Vanquish Zagato collection is made up of four model variants, the coupe, volante, speedster and shooting brake with 99 examples of each except the speedster which has 28 examples. This Volante has to be one of the most elegantly specced examples with BMW Orient Blue over Centennial Tan leather interior with plenty of optional extras such as the steering wheel from the Aston Martin One-77 and over £40,000 more in options. When this car was initially sold, it had a retail value of over £900,000, though second hand prices are falling below initial value. After only 1400 miles, this car is valued to sell for £700,000 as a top estimate. This would be a high price for Zagato Vanquishes but with all these extras I can see it selling for that price. Additional cars in the auction that are interesting include a Lamborghini Islero 400 GT, a Porsche 911 GT3 Touring, a Lancia Delta Evo 1 Martini 6 and a Mercedes-Benz 300Sc Roadster.
RM Sotheby’s once again is the king of auctions and their Arizona auction is no different. There are so many interesting and unique lots which will cross the block, so much so I won’t be able to cover them all in one section. With a combination of the best modern hypercars, 90s forgotten classics and vintage legends, this auction has it all. Beginning with the most expensive lot to sell, being a 1955 Jaguar D-Type, chassis XKD 518 finished in red with matching interior trim. The D-Type is one of Jaguar’s most legendary racing cars with Le Mans success, and this one is rumoured to have been painted red to break into the Italian racing privateer market ahead of Ferrari. Bought new by Peter Blond and later sold to Bernie Ecclestone for £3,500 but was later owned by Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant. Being a well documented example, it has an estimate to sell for around £7.5 million. The next car is the first of its kind to sell at auction being a 2020 McLaren Speedtail. A reimagined legacy of the McLaren F1 in the 21st century and the new fastest McLaren model with a 250mph top speed, the Speedtail is finished in dark blue over tan and is a three seated masterpiece. With only 106 examples created as a tribute to the F1, this example is highly modified by MSO and features only 30 miles from new. This car will most likely sell for £4.5 million which is the top estimate. Next is another new car to cross the block being a Koenigsegg Regera. The replacement for the long lived Agera model, the Regera is one of only 80 produced in four years of production finished in crystal white over clear carbon. Powered by a 5.0 twin turbocharged V8 which produces an insane 1500bhp, taking the car to 255mph and holding the world record for 0-250-0mph which takes just over 31 seconds which is incredible. The interior is gorgeous with full carbon fibre trim accented by 24k gold leaf details built into the carbon and the car features £217,000 worth of optional extras, and with that many extras it has a top estimate of £2.9 million. The next car is the extraordinarily rare Cizeta V16T from 1993, one of only nine examples produced and had an interesting history as it was owned by the Sultan of Brunei and the Brunei Royal Family. The Sultan of Brunei has one of the greatest hidden car collections in the world, with very few cars escaping the collection but this Cizeta being an example of an escapee. The Brunei Royal Family ordered three of the nine Cizeta’s via Hong Seh Motors in Singapore. Powered by a 6.0 V16 engine, the Cizeta has 533bhp and got to 60mph in 4.5 seconds which for 1993 was incredible. Due to the exclusivity of the car, the top estimate is £750,000 and I think it will achieve the estimate. The auction is so incredible that it is easier to list the other cars rather than explain them. Other cars to cross the block include a Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer, Ferrari 375 America Coupe, Ferrari Enzo, Aston Martin Short Chassis Volante, Ferrari 250 GT Alloy Coupe by Boano, McLaren Senna, Ford GT Lightweight, Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring, Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe Continuation, RUF Turbo R, Shelby GT350, Ferrari 550 Barchetta, the Homologation Collection, Shelby GT40 85th Commemorative Edition and a Porsche 911 Carrera RS N/GT.
September 2020 Auction Previews
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to blight the world and seemingly stop all events from taking place, car auctions are still continuing online or through small, socially distanced live auctions (such as the Passion of a Lifetime auction by Gooding & Co.). There are three auctions taking place in September which has taken my deepest interest as to the what the results will be as well as a lot of unique models and manufacturers that will be crossing the block. These three auctions are the Musee de L’Aventure Peugeot by Aguttes, the Bonmont Sale by Bonhams and Classic Car Auctions’ September Sale.
The first sale is the Classic Car Auctions’ September Sale which will take place at Leamington Spa on the 18th/19th September with 234 lots crossing the auction block. The highest predicted seller is a 1971 Porsche 911S 2.2 which has an estimate of £75,000 to £90,000, and with 90,000 miles and a five star overall condition, this should be an interesting car to watch sell. Finished in black and with the 2.2l Flat-Six it had a top speed, when new, of 138mph with 0-60mph taking seven seconds and 180 break horsepower, making it still a capable sports car even today. The first highlight lot for me is a 2007 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, the second generation of the ultra-lighweight Lamborghini Gallardo. Powered by a 5.0 naturally aspirated V10 to produce 522bhp, this was built to rival the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. This example is black underneath but has been vinyl wrapped in Verde Ithaca which was a colour that would eventually launch on the third generation of the Gallardo Superleggera. The name ‘Superleggera’ means ‘super light’ and is a nod to the construction style of the 350GT. This example was originally sold in Dubai, hence it is a left-hand drive model, where it spent most of its life in a private collection before making its way to the UK in 2015. With 29,000 miles on the odometer, this car is estimated to sell for £50,000 to £60,000, a truly astonishing figure considering a similar model with only 5000 miles is for sale for £80,000. The next standout car is an extremely rare model that doesn’t come up for sale at all that much being the 2008 MG SV. The MG SV was a slightly failed entry into the sports car market as they never really reached mass production with only 82 being completed excluding four pre-production prototypes. It began when MG Rover acquired the failed Italian firm Qvale and continued the production of their car, the Mangusta, in the new format of the SV. It was aimed to be a new British sports car under £100,000, and it succeeded at one part with the price for the base car being £65,000. However it was not a very British car as many parts were sourced from Fiat such as the headlights from a second generation Punto and rear lights coming from the Fiat Coupe. Powered by a 4.6l V8 and producing 320bhp for a top speed of 165mph was brilliant for a sports car of that price, but unfortunately it was the low price that cost MG the most as the company fell into financial troubles and by the time they went into administration in 2005, they had only sold nine, most prolifically to Rowan Atkinson. This example has little over 2000 miles and will cross the block for an estimate of £40,000 to £45,000, over £10,000 less than the car was originally sold for. The final two cars that are highlights are rally tribute cars which may not sound very interesting like that but when the cars are examined they’re both very special. The first is a 2000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI TME. The TME stands for Tommi Makinen Edition which is a tribute to the famed rally driver Tommi Makinen who raced in the World Rally Championship for Mitsubishi in the 1990s and early 2000s racking up an impressive 23 wins in Mitsubishi cars. To celebrate this feat, Mitsubishi created a limited 2500 example run of cars which added a titanium turbocharger and a new ECU to push the car up to around 300bhp. It also featured the Enkei WRC inspired rims on the car as well as the embossed Recaro seats and the MOMO steering wheel, it is truly a tribute to Makinen’s rally successes. This car has an estimate of £19,000 to £23,000 which is a massive decrease on previous results as these cars can be sold for up to double the estimate. The final standout car for me is a 1995 Rover Mini Cooper. Now these are fun little cars on their own but this example is a truly rare car I didn’t know existed. This is the Monte-Carlo edition which is fitted with spotlights and vinyls on the rear and side of the car to commemorate the cars success at the Monte-Carlo Rally throughout its rally history. This was originally registered new in the UK in 1995 and has lived its life in a collection of cars including a Ferrari F40 and a Pagani Zonda. It has also been meticulously resprayed and fitted with an original interior which makes it even more special. Also as if this car wasn’t special enough, there are only 200 Mini Monte Carlo editions and therefore the estimate price of £15,000 to £17,000 seems like a steal.
The next standout auction of this month is Aguttes auction of Peugeots and Citroens. This may not sound like an interesting auction but in fact this is an auction of the Peugeot and Citroen heritage collections, meaning there are some truly special cars crossing the block. The highlight sale is an ex-Sebastien Loeb Citroen DS 3 WRC car. Between 2011 and 2016, the Citroen DS3 racked up 26 World Rally Championship wins making it one of the most successful rally cars of the modern era. This example, chassis 17, took place in 32 World Rally Championship rallies between 2012 and 2016 with 11 wins, 16 podiums and only four retirements making it a reliable car as well as an extremely fast one. This was the car that Loeb used during his 9th World Rally Championship winning season and is one of the most technically advanced rally cars of the modern era with 300bhp and with 188bhp per litre, it moves deliriously quickly. It can accelerate to sixty miles per hour and back to a dead stop in under 7 seconds which is why it was such an incredible off road machine. Currently the price estimate of this car is price on application but in the history of selling modern rally cars, they can vary as a previous Citroen DS3 Rally car failed to sell but with an estimate of £300,000 to £400,000 but for sale on http://www.motorsportauctions.com, there is a Skoda Fabia WRC car for £42,000 meaning this sale could go either way. The next standout sale is another off road beast, but this time is a Peugeot not a Citroen. It is, of course, the 2016 Peugeot 2008 DKR16 which is an entirely different ‘car’, if you can even call it a car, than the Citroen DS3. Loosely based on the road-going Peugeot 2008, this example has been jacked up and completely restyled to create a Dakar destroyer. The Dakar Rally is constantly labelled one of the hardest races to exist, originally from Paris to Dakar in Senegal but moved to South America for political reasons. With 71 deaths in its history spanning back to 1979, and terrain spanning from deserts to mud and having to climb rocks and mountains at a rate of 800km per day, its a tough challenge. Peugeot were the first champions of Dakar as they dominated the early years before Mitsubishi and even Porsche arose to the challenge. But in 2016, the year of the Peugeot returned as this car won the 2016 Dakar Rally after a 25 year absense from rally raid racing and what a car they did it in. The engine was a diesel V6 more commonly found in the Peugeot 407 and the Citroen C6 but it had the underpinnings and tuning help from the Peugeot 908 HDI, the LMP1 car that took Team Peugeot to a third placed finish at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car surprisingly was rear wheel drive even for taking on the most difficult terrain in the world, but the 800nm of torque and the six speed sequential gearbox helped it to its victory. One of only four examples produced this car has an estimate of £450,000 to £550,000. This is the first Dakar of its kind to be sold at auction so who knows whether the estimate is accurate or not. The next highlight takes the word ‘interesting’ and gives it a whole new meaning. The Peugeot Flux is not a road legal car and also is not a production model meaning it is a concept car. Concept cars are used for car manufacturers to show off their styling department and very rarely to preview new models which will be produced. This example is a styling model designed in 2007 due to a competition Peugeot launched under the theme of PLEASE – Pleasure, Lightness, Efficiency, Accessibility, Simplicity and Ecology. The Flux was the outcome built in a 1:1 scale of the designers style, but with no working parts. It is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell and an electric motor and the body is made up of plastic and aluminium. It was even featured in the 2007 video game Project Gotham Racing 4 with a full adaptation which could be won and driven. It has an estimate for sale of £45,000 to £50,000 which is a lot for what is essentially a model. The final car worth mentioning is a 2005 Citroen C2 by Sbarro. Sbarro is a school that Citroen contacted with a challenge to fit the biggest engine they could into the smallest car of the Citroen range which happened to be the C2. This was meant to be a challenge that could hark its roots back to Carroll Shelby who put the 7.0 V8 into the AC Ace to create the Cobra and the students in this case did a remarkably job. It has been described as an ‘impressive car with great potential’, as it featured a 3.0 V6 which could produce just under 300bhp and with rear drive and only weighing a tonne, if it was tested it would have been a rapid car. Unfortunately with only one produced, this was never tested for its capabilities on track. This has an estimate £30,000 to £40,000 and has never been registered and it doesn’t mention whether it can be registered for road usage.
I have covered last year’s edition of the Bonhams Bonmont Sale as it was the first of its kind and featured lots of seized hypercars including the first Lamborghini Veneno to be sold at auction. This sale features cars of the same quality and some incredibly unique sales as well. The first highlight cars include two Bugatti Veyrons, beginning with the 2013 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. Built as a targa-topped version of the Supersport, which was at the time the fastest car in the world at 268mph. The Grand Sport Vitesse features the same 1200bhp output as the Supersport but is electronically limited to 233mph, which still makes it the fastest convertible in the world. With only 92 GSVs in the world this is an exceptionally rare model and deserves the £1.4million to £1.8million price estimate. The next example is a Veyron Supersport and is finished in dark blue exposed carbon fibre with a black and blue leather interior and being one of 48 produced, it is half as rare as its targa topped variety and this one is specified as a one off unique spec. An example of the unique specification is the black badging rather than the silver badging on the standard Veyron. This has the same estimate price as the Grand Sport Vitesse but is half as rare which suggests that the car will exceed the estimate. The next standout car is a lot lower down in the estimate than I was expecting for it. It is a Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 Super Veloce, which is number 245 out of the planned run of 350. However, during the production of the Murcielago SVs, the production line was changed to fall in line for the new Aventador model to begin production, therefore only 186 were built. It is the ultimate version of the Murcielago which is one of the best modern V12 cars of the last 15 years and therefore it is surprising for the estimate to be as low as £170,000 to £200,000. This may not sound cheap but when compared to other cars in the auction such as a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera and Mercedes SLR McLaren at the same price, it seems a bargain. Even moving away from auctions, in the UK there is not a single Murcielago SV for sale under £350,000 and for the same estimate as the example in the sale, there are only Murcielago Roadsters for sale in the UK. This shows how much of a bargain this example is and that it will definitely sell beyond its estimate. The next highlight is another very rare car, in fact one of the rarest cars of this auctions with only 25 examples being made. The Porsche Carrera GT is a superb car with the massive V10 which roars when pushed to the absolute limit but to have 800bhp coming from the 5.7l V10. This is where Gemballa stepped in and took 25 Porsche Carrera GTs and modified to clients standards often including a roof scoop, an electronic rear wing and a fully redesigned front and rear bumpers and side skirts. This example is finished in satin black with red accents on the rims and the headlights to almost create a devilish look to the car. The car is even rarer than before as earlier this year, a Gemballa Mirage GT was crashed in Los Angeles before being driven off and later abandoned and written off by the owner, creating of Gold Rush Rally US, who was later arrested. This has an estimate of £510,000 to £680,000 which surprisingly is less than most standard Carrera GTs are valued at which could mean there is some growth to this sale.
This concludes the standout sales of September in the auction world, all there is time to do now is wait for the results.
RM Sotheby’s Online Auction Previews 2020
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the car auction industry has had to quickly adapt to the changes and shift from live auctions to online sales. The whole concept of the auction change is extremely complex as they have had to move from auctions that take five hours to complete and have confirmed sales announced instantly, to auctions that roll over 7 days with bids every day to increase the value. The lots are also mainly offered without a reserve as with no auctioneer to ramp up the bidding, many of the lots would not reach the reserve on the rolling format, leading to little success for the auction house. One of the best auction houses to adapt to these changes have been RM Sotheby’s and therefore have had the most success from their online auctions. This piece will cover two of their online auctions being the Driving into Summer auction and The European Sale with the Petitjean Collection . It will cover the standout lots, unique cars and interesting results.
The first auction is the Driving into Summer auction which acted as one of the larger online sales for RM Sotheby’s with 217 lots total compared to the average of 100 in their other auctions. It also varied from the standard auctions as it featured a lot of low priced cars as well as the usual high end sales meaning that they had a lot more bidders than they usual obtain according to RM Sotheby’s. The star of the show for this auction also became the most expensive car to sell at an online only auction and was a 2003 Ferrari Enzo. With less than 1250 original miles and two owners from new, this was always going to be a high seller and even though it was an online auction (meaning the top prices were never truly achieved), it still managed to sell for $2.64m and set the precedent for how the rest of the auction was to go. A 1995 Ferrari F50 failed to sell as it was one of a few cars to have a reserve but a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO did sell for $2.31m. Sticking with Ferrari, a 488 Pista Spider retained its reputation as being far more expensive than the price at new with a black and red example selling for $605,000, over double the price at new and nearly the same price as the limited series 458 Speciale Aperta. Two Ferrari 250 GT Coupe’s were also in this auction with the Ellena bodied example selling for $671,000 and the Pininfarina example failing to sell. It wasn’t just Ferrari dominating the top sellers however as a 2017 Ford GT also crossed the block, with a sale price of $836,000, nearly double the $420,000 price new. However this shows that Ford GTs are in fact an investment much like the previous generations of the GT name. Being an online auction, there were some examples of cars that sold for much cheaper than I expected them to sell for and some much more expensive than I would’ve expected. The first of which is a 2002 Aston Martin Vanquish S. When this first launched, it was the pinnacle grand tour car with the 5.9l V12 which could hit 200mph but also all the luxury and comfort of a Rolls-Royce at the time. This car was the leading car in the market and therefore the original price of the car was £170,000. Yet 18 years later and with only 33k miles on the odometer, this car sold for $46,200. For context, for the same price in the UK is a second hand Range Rover Velar for the same price as a 200mph supercar. Besides this there were not many cars that had a surprising sale price although many of the lots were classic American muscle cars and I don’t fully know their market values. There were however two lots that caught my eye for being interesting and unique beginning with a 1990 Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II which is one of the most interesting cars around. The car was originally developed by Mercedes to challenge the Talbots and Ford Escorts that were dominating the world rally championship and therefore designed the saloon body and went to Cosworth for the 16 valve twin cam competition engine to complete the project. However by the time Mercedes had done all this, Audi had revolutionised world rallying with the four wheel drive Quattro, rendering the 190E useless. It therefore turned its attention to the DTM Touring Car Championship where it would rival the class leading BMW M3.It launched into the championship with incredible drivers such as Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Stirling Moss, Michael Schumacher, Elio De Angelis, Alain Prost and a rookie known as Ayrton Senna. After immense success in the DTM, the 190E didn’t translate good in sales with the E30 M3 dominating the market so Mercedes produced a homologated version that used the same engineering as the racing car and called it the Evo 2. With the large rear spoiler and 350bhp produced in only 502 examples, it was a hit due to the German engineering and rarity, and sold at this auction at a snip over $230,000. The other car is the 1939 Delahaye USA Pacific. This car is without a doubt one of the most beautiful cars potentially ever built, and with a very interesting story, because in truth this is not a 1939 car. Delahaye USA is a resto-mod manufacturer who recreate classic body shapes with modern technology and this car is a homage to the Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic with its smooth and sleek body shape and with a modern BMW 12-cylinder engine giving it 300hp. The interior, though styled to look vintage, is fitted with modern air conditioning, heaters, electric windows and other modern conveniences whilst retaining the flair of the 1930s. This car sold for $220,000 compared to the $40m price that the car it is based on holds.
The other large auction that RM Sotheby’s hosted was the European Sale which replaced the Essen 2020 auction and featured the highly anticipated Petitjean Collection. This collection is one of the largest to ever be brought to auction with 103 lots crossing the block. Not only was it a large collection, it was also a very eclectic collection, different from many collections sold at auction which typically feature mainstream supercars and vintage cars. The first high seller was one of the most interesting new supercars being the 2020 Porsche 935 Martini. This was a car built to celebrate Porsche’s 70th anniversary and to pay tribute to the Porsche 935 racing car which dominated endurance racing and, specifically, Le Mans. The modern 935 is based on the 991 Porsche GT2 RS and resembles the most famous 935 racing car, the Moby Dick, with the longtail bodywork. However it is adapted with Porsche’s most successful racing cars such as the LED taillights from the 919 Hybrid LMP car as well as mirrors from the GT3 R. For a car that is track only, this car sold for a massive £1.32m, although this could be due to the fact only 77 units are being made and it is finished in the legendary martini livery. The next highest seller excluding the Petitjean Collection is a 1939 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Gangloff which sold for £770,000. It was shown on Bugatti’s stand at the 1939 Geneva Motor Show and was a company demonstrator for the Bugatti works team driver Jean-Pierre Wimelle, of whom the famous tank car was named after, as well as the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse Legend Edition. It is also a one off as it is the only example bodied by Gangloff and it remained in the same ownership for 56 years before its sale. In terms of interesting lots to cross the block, I could use a whole new post to go into depth with all the rare, unique and beautiful cars offered for sale and therefore the detail will not be as thorough. The first car to catch my eye was the 1988 EuroBrun ER188 which was a Formula One team to run in the 1988 season but unfortunately did not meet the expectations of the team owners. Due to it not being a successful team, the car only sold for £89,100 although it is now painted in an attractive Jägermeister livery. The next two cars sold for exactly the same price of $49,500 and I’m torn between which I’d have. The first is a 1978 De Tomaso Longchamp which was a grand tourer from the same manufacturer as the incredible Pantera and Mangusta based on the Maserati Kyalami that it rivalled. It was never a commercial success due to the Maserati based chassis and body and only 395 examples were build. The second of these cars is a 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Cup car which was the first generation of the Porsche Customer Racing 911s and preceded the first GT3 model. This car is not road legal however it is still an incredible investment. Moving onto the Petitjean Collection for unique cars which is certainly a definition that could be applied to the collection featuring many interesting manufacturers. A first of these is the Apal RSK 1600 Spider which is a Belgian sports car based on the VW Beetle chassis and styled to look like a Porsche 718 RSK hence the name. Following on from this there are cars such as the Bitter CD, Bizzarrini 1900 Europa, Fournier-Marcadier Barquette, Ghia 1500 GT, Ginetta G20 and G33, Intermeccanica Italia Spyder, Ligier JS2, Matra Djet and a collection of classic Lamborghini models including the Islero, Jarama, Espada and Urraco. This shows that the Petitjean collection is one of the most unique and special car collections to ever cross an auction block and there possibly won’t be another collection like that to cross the block for a long time.
Paris Auction Previews 2019 (+ Passion of a Lifetime Auction)
I may have missed out on covering the incredible Amelia Island auctions of the past few weeks however there are a few auctions upcoming with some incredibly rare and expensive cars in them. A majority of the auctions are centred around the Retromobile Paris car event but one auction, not for another few months, cannot be ignored for the sheer quality of the first 16 lots announced.
First up is the RM Sotheby’s auction to take place in Paris on the 5th February. The most expensive estimate for a lot is the 1955 Jaguar D-Type, a Le Mans legend owned by the winner of the 1970 24 Hours of Le Mans, Richard Attwood. This example is the seventh customer car produced with an extensive racing history. Predominantly it raced in Australia with its original owner, before changing hands a multitude of times until it became under the care of the current owner. The estimate for this car is between €5.9million and €6.4million, however it is estimated to go beyond that value. The second significant lot is the 2015 Lamborghini Veneno Roadster. This is the second Veneno to come to auction in the space of 6 months as the cream Roadster from the collection of the seized politician sold for £6.7million, however this car is slightly more famous. This comes from the collection of a member of the Saudi Arabian Royal Family who spent this summer in London with his 7 hypercars including this car. Built to celebrate 50 years of Lamborghini, the Veneno’s dramatic, pointy shape symbolises the ethos of the mad, flamboyant Italian manufacturer. This example has 450km from new and an incredible spec of matte black with green accents. As the second of the nine built, this has an estimate of €4.5million to €5.5million. Besides these two superb lots also being sold are a Ferrari Daytona Spider, BMW 507, Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, Alfa Romeo 6C, Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio, Gemballa Mirage GT and a beautiful Delahaye 135 Roadster.
The Bonhams Paris auction focuses mostly around the vintage and classic cars, however the rarity of some of them are beyond belief. The headliner is the 1966 Ferrari 206 SP Dino which is one of 18 of these beauties made for Can-Am racing originally. This is chassis 022 with all original components and a full racing history. Although I do not know much about the classic cars as I do the modern cars, I can appreciate the value of this car and the history it has. Although no estimate is given on this car, other examples have sold for €2million+ before now. The next car that caught my eye in this auction was a little further down in terms of value but still a superb car. The car in question is the 2016 Zagato Mostro Coupe. Zagato are mainly known for offering their coach built versions of other cars predominantly Aston Martins but occasionally Ferraris and Bentleys. This car however is built entirely by Zagato for Maserati’s centenary, based on the styling of the 1957 Maserati 450S. Powered by the same 4.2 V8 fitted to the Granturismo and with a beautiful carbon fibre body, the Mostro is one of five built. The original vendor price was just over €1million when it was first launched however the current sale of it has the top estimate at €900,000 which is a slight shock. Due to the auction being in Paris, there is a high amount of French cars going under the hammer, specifically Bugatti’s. These cars range from the 1913 Bugatti Type 13 Sports with a price range of €240,000 top estimate, to the incredibly beautiful 1931 Type 55 which has a top estimate of €4million. There are also two Type 57s, a Type 39 Grand Prix, a Type 40 and a Type 23. Other significant lots include a Mercedes 300SL Roadster, the new Stratos in an Alitalia livery, two Mercedes 540Ks, a Mercedes 500K and, a personal favourite, an Alfa Romeo 75 IMSA.
Artcurial have the final auction in Paris and has an overall greater auction for me, as not only do they have some massive sellers and lower down in the prices, some incredible supercars. The star of the show in this case is the 1929 Mercedes Benz 710 SS Grand Touring which looks absolutely beautiful, one of the true great shapes of grand tourers. The elegant body is not the only attractive feature of this Mercedes as it is a multiple concours winner, it is in immaculate condition and has a very prestigious Mercedes-Benz Klassiche recommendation which suggests that it is a clear cut classic. Due to all these factors, it has a top estimate of €8million, but the small print below the lot suggests it could go for even more. The next lot worth pointing out is the 1965 Ferrari 275GTB/6C which looks absolutely stunning and has a very rich history. This is estimated to be the most highly raced 275 in history which only adds more value to an already valuable car. A regular 275 GTB can go at auction for up to €1 million. However with this much racing history, this car has a top estimate of €3million. Continuing the racing theme somewhat, there are a lot of unique and interesting racing cars going under the hammer including a former David Brabham Jaguar XJ220C, a Cosworth powered Rondeau M378, a former Rene Arnoux Ferrari 126 F1 car, a racing De Tomaso Pantera, an Alpine A110 hillclimb car, a Chevron B60 and an Alfa Romeo Junior. Along with these racing cars, there is a good mix of modern and retro supercars in this auction with some including a Lamborghini Murcielago, Ferrari 599 GTB, Venturi 400 GT, Mercedes McLaren SLR, Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, Lamborghini Diablo VT, Ford GT and a Ferrari 430 Scuderia 16M Spider. This auction is an incredibly interesting one which will be fun to watch.
The final auction is not for a few months but I couldn’t help not mentioning it. The Passion of a Lifetime auction will be held by Gooding & Co in London on April 1st. Although there are only 16 lots as of yet announced, the top estimate of them all combined is over £55million, meaning that they are all supremely iconic and top of the line for classic car connoisseurs. The first lot is a Bentley 3 Litre Tourer which is a vintage sports car produced in 1927 and has an estimate of £400,000 as a top estimate. Next is a 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Speciale which is a limited version of the already superbly beautiful Miura. This car is finished in Champagne Gold and is one of only two cars finished in this spec therefore has a £2million estimate. Another of the top cars is a Bugatti Type 57C Atlante which is highly anticipated as the last time one of these came to auction it became the most expensive French car to sell at auction. This, along with an estimate of ‘upwards of £7million’ makes this a highlight. Not the only Bugatti to have the ‘in excess of..’ estimate as they have a Type 59 in excess of £10million and a Type 35C in excess of £3million. Some other significant lots include an Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato, Aston Martin Ulster, Lancia Flaminia, Lancia Aurelia, Lamborghini 350GT and an Aston Martin DB3S. It is not yet known whether these will be the only cars in this auction but even so it is of such high quality it may not matter.
The Pinnacle Portfolio Auction (2015) Review
Every now and again, there comes an auction that stuns the world with the quality of the lots. An example of this is the Riyadh auction by Silverstone Auctions that occurred last Friday. However, there are some cases that within an auction, a private collection being sold may take the spotlight in the whole auction. A good example of this being the case is the extremely large Young-Timer collection that RM Sotheby’s sold over the course of 4 or 5 auctions, which contained cars that were put aside in this collection to be seen as ‘future classics’. These 140 cars were sold over the course of these 4 or 5 auctions with moderate success. However the topic of analysis in this post will be ‘The Pinnacle Portfolio’ which sold at the 2015 Monterrey Car Week RM Sotheby’s auction. 25 cars which were sectioned off by the previous owners to be a ‘rare collection of automotive distinction’. It was seen to be one of the most incredible collections and was one of the highest valued single collection of cars. I shall very briefly go through the cars, explaining why they are in this collection and the price at which they sold, before totalling the cars.
The first car is a 1993 Jaguar XJ220 which is in the collection because it was the world’s fastest car, before the great McLaren F1 arrived onto the scene, with a top speed of 212mph. This is considered to be one of the forgotten 1990s supercars mainly because it was eclipsed by the McLaren F1, Bugatti EB110 and the Ferrari F50, but also because it did not fully live up to the legacy of Jaguar supercars that began with the early D-Types and E-Types. However the 281 examples, built in conjunction with Tom Wilkinshaw Racing, created a new legacy that reflects the $462,000 this example sold for.
Next in the auction is a 1988 Porsche 959 ‘Komfort’. This is one of the most technological advanced, mid-engine supercar of the 1980s due to the mid engine layout over the preferred rear or front engine layout taken by Ferraris and Lamborghinis at the time. With 450bhp and a sub 4 second 0-60 time, this is one of the fastest and most ahead of its time car of its generation. 337 examples were created by the legends at Porsche and therefore the rarity plus the technological advancements reinforce the $1,210,000 price tag it holds.
Enzo Ferrari was a sculptor and a genius in the car world, so a car named after him should hold and respect his legacy. The 2005 Ferrari Enzo certainly does the great man justice. With a large 6.0 V12 with 650bhp, pushing the car up to a speed of 220mph which is one of the fastest Ferrari road cars of all time. Not only that but it was tested and extensively driven in pre-production by the legendary Michael Schumacher. The production numbers were originally limited to 349 but with an excess in demand, Ferrari pushed the numbers up to 399. This one however is chassis 400, made and gifted to His Holiness Pope John Paul II by Ferrari themselves. It was later auctioned off to aid charity and once again found its way to the auction block in 2015. The final price of the Pope-owned, excess chassis Ferrari Enzo was $6,050,000, which is by far the most expensive sale price of a Ferrari Enzo at auction.
The next car along is a typically unheard of car to most car people but it is one of the most influential cars ever made. The 1967 Toyota 2000GT was the Japanese equivalent to, say, the Jaguar E-Type of Europe and the Corvette Stingray of the USA. It was the first proper Japanese supercar that had a few issues when establishing itself in the market, mainly the £7000 price when new, considering a Porsche 911 was just over £1000. Besides this, Toyota managed to produce just over 350 of these and the one sold here was the first US car to be sold. The car that kickstarted the Japanese sports car market that has gone on to produce the Toyota Supra, Nissan GT-R family and the Lexus LFA. The selling price for this car was $825,000.
The Lamborghini Miura on the other hand is debated to be the first supercar of all time. Coming from a fairly unheard company in Central Italy, the Miura put Lamborghini on the map to produce beautifully constructed cars. This particular example is the SV P400S, the most famous of the Miura family, with a total of 150 cars and powered by the 4.0 V12 that found itself in the later Urraco and Espada models. The design by Bertone helped the Miura SV to become a fan favourite among celebrities at the time with Rod Stewart, Elton John, Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra being owners of the Miura. This car had a best in show award at the 2007 Concourso Italiano which increased the price to a final $2,475,000.
One of the greatest engines ever fitted to a road car, the 4.7 V12 from the 1990 Ferrari 641 was one of the loudest and competitive engines ever to grace Formula One. The Ferrari F50 had this engine fitted to it which is the key factor to this car. One of 349 made, the F50 was the last 6-speed manual gearbox that Ferrari produced and one of the only Targa topped Ferrari supercar. This car is one of the closest that it is possible to get to driving a Formula One car on the road, only excluding track cars such as the Caparo T1. The F50 is overshadowed in the V12 supercar family made up of the 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari, mainly due to it not being as stable to drive as the 288, not the prettiest and not having the greatest legacy. However it is still a $1,980,000 car.
The next car is similar to one at auction from this year. The McLaren F1 LM-Specification is one of two cars taken by McLaren by their special operations division to be converted to almost a road legal F1 GTR. It is the most desirable McLaren F1 specification in the world due to its rarity but also due to the fact that it is a fully street legal McLaren F1 with all the power, performance and aerodynamics of the LM racing car. The McLaren F1 has been called the modern 250 GTO due to its ahead-of-time technologies, in this case the central seating position and the extraordinary top speed. Before this car came out, the fastest car in the world was the Bugatti EB110 at 218mph. The F1 ran a top speed of 240mph, destroying the previous record. Due to all these factors, the McLaren F1 LM-Spec was the third highest seller at this auction at $13,750,000.
Next along is one of the cheaper cars to be auctioned but still a stunning car. The Porsche 356A 1600 Reutter was one of the genesis cars for Porsche because without it, the car world wouldn’t have the 911, the Cayman, the Boxster, the Carrera GT etc, and it was owned by the legend himself, Steve McQueen. This example was completely original, with original engine and paintwork and with a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, it was one of the best examples around. The car then sold for $330,000, a decent amount for a 356.
Next up will be a short one as the car did not sell. It was a 1955 Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing, but it was the incredibly rare Alloy version, which is one of only 29 aluminium bodied cars. This was at estimate for $5.5million to $6.5million however failed to meet reserve.
Porsche have had a great success at making some amazing cars with some amazing aero parts and not too many come close to the 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8. The rarest and quickest naturally aspirated Porsche of its time, the Carrera RS shed 100kg from the standard 911 and pumped out a staggering 300hp from the 3.8 flat six. With one of 1120 built, this is sure to be a rare car wherever in the world you are. The car also comes with a built in, bolt-on widebody kit and is one of the best Porsche 993 cars available. This car sold at auction for $550,000 but have now increased their value to over $1million.
No car has made as much of an impact to the motoring world than the Bugatti Veyron. Announced in 2005 to be their first production car since the EB110, Bugatti launched the Veyron at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show with a red and black example. This example was the one sold in this auction and was chassis 001 and therefore the first production Bugatti Veyron. With a miraculous 253mph top speed and 1001hp, this is an extremely important car. At the time of sale it had 753 miles and had recently undergone a service at Bugatti Beverly Hills and therefore it sold for $1,815,000.
The Bugatti Veyron was so successful that 300 coupes were produced including many special editions between 2006 and 2012. This next car is another incredible Bugatti Veyron as it is the 300th one produced, ergo the final Veyron coupe. This example is the Super Sport which increased the top speed to 258mph and the horsepower to 1200hp. At the time of sale this car had recently undergone a service at Bugatti Miami and had just 200 miles from new which led to it selling for a massive $2,310,000 which is still one of the highest selling prices for a Bugatti Veyron at auction.
Classic Ferraris always tend to make a lot at auction, however not many make as much as the 250 series. Made up of the GTO, TR, GTE, GT, Lusso and of course, the LM. The Ferrari 250 LM is one of 32 examples originally made for racing with a few examples prepared for road usage. This example was chassis 23 which was shown at Earl’s Court in 1966 in a Concours event, was a part of a legendary Japanese car collection and is one of the most sought after Ferrari models of all time. This example, due to its legendary prestige and history, sold for a superb $17,600,000 and it remains the most expensive 250 LM to sell at auction.
McLaren and Mercedes collaborated in the early 00s in the Formula One Constructors list to great success with Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen. They also collaborated in their road cars for one special model being the Mercedes McLaren SLR. The long nose with the side exit exhausts and long grille is an iconic design that harks back to the previous SLR model, the 300, driven by Moss and Fangio. This example was bought new by David Peterson, who owns the Peterson Museum in the US, with 2 owners and 134 miles from new. Another interesting feature to these cars are its rivals which, at the time, were the top dogs. It went up against Porsche’s V10 masterclass in the Carrera GT and the Ferrari Enzo mentioned previously. This car sold for $495,000, just shy of half a million and the highest that standard SLRs have been.
Lamborghini have a case for making limited run supercars, and have been doing so for many years. There’s been the Centenario in 2016 which had 20 coupes and 20 roadsters, the Veneno with 5 coupes and 9 roadsters and most recently the Sian which has 63 coupes. The car that started it all however was the Lamborghini Reventon. Based on a Murcielago chassis, the Reventon had 20 coupes and 15 roadsters built and was styled to look like a F-15 jet fighter. In fact, it inspired the design for the Lamborghini Aventador which arrived 4 years later. All examples were finished in matte Grigio Reventon, a colour made specifically for the Reventon. This example was number 7 of the 20 coupes and had 900 miles from new and sold for $1,375,000.
The Ferrari F40 is already a legend in its own right. Heralded as the prettiest supercar ever made, being photogenic from nearly every angle, the first car to break 200mph and one of the most valuable cars ever to be put into production. This however is the F40 LM, one of only 19 produced as a lightweight, more-powerful version of the standard F40. This is the only example to be owned in private hands and rumoured to be the most original in existence. The 720bhp V8 used to scream on the track when it was taken around numerous circuits worldwide and it changed hands for $3,300,000
The Maserati MC12 was a spiritual sister car to the Ferrari Enzo as it used the same 6.5l V12 and the same chassis platform. However the MC12 was an FIA GT Racing car for the road based on the GT1 car with a smoother and much more beautiful body. It has an advantage over the Enzo as well because the MC12 had only 50 examples produced and this one is number 31. Two owners and less than 770km from new, this sold for $2,090,000.
The Ferrari 250 series has already established itself in this list to be a very valuable car model, however this next one might just be the best of the lot (besides the GTO and TR). The Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider could be seen as the sexiest Ferrari model of all time, this one being the 23rd of 50 made, but this one has a story. It was owned originally by Prince Alvise Hercolani and then falling into ownership with ex-Formula One driver Wolfgang Seidel where it remained for many years. It is fitted with the rare Ferrari 400 Superamerica front fender vents, an air intake on the hood and is one of the most uniquely designed LWB California in the world. The whole car has matching numbers and is Ferrari Classiche Certified. This car, due to the rarity and the beauty of it, sold for $8,500,000.
Movie cars are often heralded in the auction world to be gold mines, take the James Bond DB5 that sold for over £10million last year, or the Bullitt Ford Mustang selling next year. However this car has been featured in two films and isn’t particularly recognised. It is a 2005 Saleen S7 TT which was the USA’s answer to the Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT, however with a 1000bhp twin-turbo V8 rather than the exotic V12 or V10 option. This car was the original Saleen press car and was featured in the original Iron Man film which was a global success and Redline, the worst car movie of all time. Nevertheless the car sold for $682,000
Ferrari’s most iconic open top roadster is the Daytona, released in the late 1960s and continuing production up until 1973 and named after the world famous American racing circuit. Considered to be one of the most beautiful cars of all time, the Daytona has always been a hit at auctions, always selling high. This example had matching numbers with the chassis and engine and sold for $2,750,000 which is one of the highest prices that a Daytona has sold for auction.
(Once again, due to my ramblings I’ve run out of space so the final cars will just have to have the prices unfortunately. All of the cars are still extremely special and are some of the greatest cars ever made)
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 by Scaglietti – $3,300,000
2008 Koenigsegg CCX-R – $825,000
1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS – $368,500
1985 Ferrari 288 GTO – $2,420,000
1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione by Scaglietti – $13,500,000
For the conclusion, it needs to be reminded that all these cars were offered from the same collection and from the same person and that only one of the 25 did not sell. The total that this one person made from this auction was a ridiculous $88,962,500. An utterly ridiculous number and a sale most likely never to be beaten, making up 51.5% of the total $172,900,000 sale.
Auction Previews – Dubai 2019
This auction preview is going to have to be a short one as there aren’t particularly that many amazing auctions this month. However there are two that are ridiculous which are the RM Sotheby’s first Abu Dhabi auction set to take place on the 30th November after the final race of the F1 calendar, and the Silverstone Auctions auction at the Riyadh Car Show in Saudi Arabia. Two Arabian auctions filled with some truly amazing cars for sale.
Silverstone Auctions actually have 4 or 5 auctions this month however their Riyadh auction is one of the greatest line ups I’ve ever seen for an auction. Considering that they are not one of the big 4 auction houses (RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams, Mecum and Gooding), they have one of the best line ups. Whereas most auctions have a few stars and the rest of the lots are generally half decent, Silverstone have opted for the role reversal as they have a few ‘normal’ cars such as the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow and a Porsche 993 C4S and a massive amount of insane cars. These will be in order of the lots at the auction beginning with a Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale which is one of the cheapest cars to hit this auction which shows how amazing the auction is. This is followed by a 2005 Ford GT which is a superb example of the classic American supercar. Along next is the first of many extreme hypercars being the Porsche 918. One of the holy trinity of hybrid hypercars, the Porsche 918 is fitted with the Weissech package which adds the carbon body kit and an extra three noughts to the price tag. This specific example is finished in an ice white spec with a carbon roof, which should sell for over £1million. The next lot is a 2001 Lamborghini Diablo VT which is fitted with the highly desired manual gearbox from the final year of the Diablo’s production. The cars now truly become insane with a 2015 McLaren P1, which is the second of the hybrid hypercar holy trinity. Finished in the secondary launch spec of Volcano Yellow, this example is extremely low mileage with less than 2000 miles from new and is another highly desired car. This is not the only P1 going under the hammer in this auction as they are also selling one of the five McLaren P1 XP’s (Experimental Prototype). With a full carbon body and red accents, this car dates from 2015 and has been in private Saudi ownership since then, only leaving once to return to Woking to be personally serviced by McLaren. These two cars are both as desirable as the other. Next is the first of a pair, yes a pair, of Mercedes SLS Black Series’, a limited series version of the insane SLS AMG. Fitted with the 6.3l V8 from the prior, this car featured a carbon aero kit as well as an increase in power to 622hp. Taking inspiration from the Mercedes SLS GT3 racing car that racked up 37 victories in the 2012 season, this car was a limited series masterpiece. Having one in one place is incredible however to have two, one of which has hardly been driven, is incredible. Next up is a Pagani Huayra Coupe, but not just a regular Huayra. This is the ‘White Edition’ which is number 5 of 100 produced, currently registered in South Africa with under 700km from new. With a list price of just under £2million with a decent mileage on it, one with under 700km will be sure to reach that price. ItalDesign also make an appearance with the final Zerouno finished in black with a tricolore stripe down the centre. At this stage of writing, there is not enough space for me to talk about every single amazingly incredible car in this auction so I may have to just mention the name of the cars which is a slight shame. However next is a Mercedes McLaren SLR 722S Roadster followed by a Mansory Vivere Bugatti Veyron, a Ferrari 599 GTZ Zagato Nibbio Spyder, a Gemballa Mirage GT, Lexus LFA, Aston Martin Rapide AMR, the incredible Pagani Zonda Riviera, the Bugatti Veyron Nocturne, a Ferrari 575 Superamerica, a restored Brabus Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, Ferrari 288 GTO, Aston Martin V12 Zagato, a Bugatti Chiron Sport, Gumpert Apollo S, Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, Lamborghini Reventon, Ferrari F12tdf in Blu Electrico, Aston Martin Zagato Shooting Brake and a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport World Record Edition. These cars will be auctioned on the 22nd of November at the Riyadh Concours D’Elegance. Edit : They have later added a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport World Record Edition, a Bugatti Chiron 110 Ans, a Lamborghini Murcielago SV, a McLaren Senna and a white Ferrari LaFerrari.
Much like Silverstone Auctions, RM Sotheby’s key auction is in the Middle East, more specifically the United Arab Emirates at the final Formula One race of the season. Each and every car in this auction has its own story, some more than others but this auction is significantly smaller with only 42 lots with two of these being automobilia. However the smaller the auction does not necessarily mean that the small amount of lots lose any quality. The auction begins with a slightly dangerous lot for the consigner at least. It is an Aston Martin One-77 which is being auctioned off charitably in order to raise money for parks in Africa. However the car is being auctioned off with no reserve, meaning there is no minimum price it has to sell for. In theory this means that it could sell for £200k but the estimate placed upon it by RM Sotheby’s is £1.5million. Next up, after a BMW Z8, is the first significant sale being the 1992 Benetton B192 which was the first car that Michael Schumacher drove in his full time debut for Benetton and driven to a 3rd place in the German and Italian Grand Prixs. This has an estimate of £850k – £1.25million due to the name on the side of the car. Next along is another classic F1 car being the Ferrari 126 C2 which is the only surviving of seven produced for the 1982 Formula One season. This car was driven to multiple podiums by both Patrick Tambay and Mario Andretti. This model was also the last car that legendary driver Giles Villeneuve drove as he crashed at Zolder, which ended up firing Giles out of the car and into some metal fencing which killed him on impact. This car has an estimate of £2million-£2.75million. Next in the long run of Ferraris includes a Verde British 275 GTS, a 458 Speciale Aperta, an F12tdf, an F355 Berlinetta, an F40 and a Daytona. Two of the cars I have not mentioned I need to talk about in detail, the first of which being the F2002. This car was driven by the legend himself, Michael Schumacher, in his world championship winning season of 2002. A portion of these proceeds will be donated to the Keep Fighting Michael foundation, which adds to the value of the already valuable F2002. This was the most successful season that Ferrari had in F1 as with this car, Michael Schumacher and team-mate Rubens Barrichello finished on the podium in every single race. This specific car was driven to victory in San Marino, Germany and France, and was the polesitter car in the Spanish GP of that year. The cars current owner took it back to Fiorano for an engine and gearbox change where he made it available for Corse Clienti racing and provided a Ferrari Classiche certification. This plus all the other factors make the estimate of £5.5m-£6.5m seem like a real bargain and whoever buys this will be the owner of an extremely important model. The second car to be spoken about in detail is only the second variant of the model to come up for auction which is the highly exclusive Ferrari FXXK. Based on the LaFerrari hypercar, this is a track only version of the LaFerrari built in small numbers for certain customers. The XX programme allows for 30 of Ferrari’s most loyal customers to buy special versions of these cars but not to own them. They are instead allowed to drive them on certain tracks when they want to. The FXXK has 1035bhp which is an 85 horsepower jump from the road car and only has 250km from its one person ownership. Typically, there is no way to auction XX cars but Ferrari has allowed it but, I believe, only through RM Auctions. Previously an FXXK sold for just over £3million but this model has an estimate of £4million to £4.5million, which would smash auction records for a Ferrari XX model. Next along, they have a 2017 Ford GT for sale with prices up to £1million which is astonishing given that the cars cost around £400k new. Sotheby’s just keep bettering themselves with a Jaguar CX-75, one of the stunt cars used in the James Bond film ‘Spectre’. Originally, Jaguar were going to put this car into production but they ran out of money so only made 6 or 7 prototype cars. Nobody really knows how many of these were made, between 6 to 10 of them for sure. Due to the strange circumstances of this car, the estimate is just over £1.2million as a top estimate, but none of these have ever come up for auction before so this will be interesting. A Jaguar XJ220 is also featured in this auction followed up by a blue carbon fibre, 2014 Koenigsegg Agera R. One of two finished in this spec and one of 18 in total, this was the centrepiece of the Koenigsegg brand until the RS replaced it. This is a fairly high mileage Agera R with 4400 miles when these cars are usually garage queens, as well as an interesting car as it is able to run on E100 biofuel making it an extremely innovative car. Much like the Jaguar CX-75, this is the first time one of these cars is for sale in a public auction so the £2.5million top estimate could be very different. There are a plethora of high end Lamborghini’s going under the hammer such as a Countach LP400S, a Diablo VT Roadster and a Diablo VT with 19 miles on the odometer from new. Along with these are a Lamborghini Diablo GT which is a one of 80 model exclusively for the European markets with an estimate of just over £750k max however last year one was sold for £815k in Monte Carlo. The other Lamborghini for sale is the Concept S which was built originally for a design showcase for the Geneva motor show however the customers loved the design so much that it was planned to make production. However, another twist to the tale is that only one mechanical model was made being this one as well as one design model with resides at Lamborghini HQ. This one off has been privately owned but now is up for sale for £1.6million as a top estimate. After the Lamborghinis we have a yellow Lexus LFA and a Maserati MC12, the latter having a top estimate of £3.5million. McLaren are only represented by two cars which are the newest GTR models. First is a P1 GTR based obviously on the hybrid hypercar McLaren P1 finished in a black and orange livery fairly reminiscent of some of the older Gulf liveries held by the F1 GTRs. Second is a McLaren Senna GTR, of which not many are actually complete yet. Based on the Senna this car has an incredible aero kit to make the regular Senna look like a Corvette C8. Both of these cars are set to sell in the £2million range. Much like the Silverstone auction, there are too many insane cars to talk about them all so I will have to just list them with some highlights having a little description. Left in the auction is a Mercedes 300SL Gullwing, Mercedes G63 6×6, Mercedes SL65 Black Series, a one of 75 Mercedes SLR Stirling Moss, a one of one Pagani Zonda Aether, a Singer Porsche 911, a Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Touring, a Porsche 911 Carrera RSR, a Porsche 911 GT2 RS Clubsport, a Porsche 911 Speedster 997, a Porsche 911 Sport Classic, a Porsche 918 Spyder, a one of one Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead designed for an Arabian Sheikh and finally a one of one Zagato Raptor Concept car. This auction will take place on the 30th November after the final Formula One race of the season.
Auction Price Changes Over Time
As mentioned in the previous post, I am a large fan of car auctions. Having previously discussed the most expensive cars to ever cross the block, I have found another interesting topic surrounding the auction world. RM Sotheby’s will be my case study for this post as they have a section of their site to see all previous auction results from 2000 to now. By scrolling through these previous results, I have compiled a list of the greatest changes in sale prices at RM Sotheby’s auctions.
Jaguar XJ220 (Arizona 2009)
A fairly unsung hero of the 1990s to begin with in the form of the Jaguar XJ220. This car was meant to be the 90s supercar and was even the world’s fastest car at one stage before being upstaged by the McLaren F1. There were only 283 examples made, meaning they’re not common and a 3.5l twin-turbo V6 producing 542bhp, so it wasn’t a slouch either. Even so with all these factors building up, RM Sotheby’s sold one in 2009 for $154,000. Hardly a cheap car purchase but compared to now when there’s one at an estimate of £350k-£400k and one sold in 2017 for £418,500, the buyers of 2009 will be very happy with the timing of their purchase.
Mercedes Benz CLK GTR Coupe/Roadster (London 2009)
This may be cheating to have a double bill but they were too good not to mention. This legendary car was the homologated edition of the Mercedes Benz CLR LMP car of the 90s. Therefore it was only made in very small numbers with 20 Coupes and only 6 Roadsters. Powered by a 7.3l Mercedes V12, that would be used in the Pagani Zonda, producing 604bhp. The current value of the two cars are as follows. The last time a CLK GTR Coupe sold at auction was the RM Sotheby’s Monterey auction of 2017 and it sold for $4.5m. The last CLK GTR Roadster to sell at auction was the 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed which sold for $1.5m. But what were the prices of the cars that sold in 2009? The Coupe sold for £522,000 and the Roadster £616,000. That is a truly insane buy.
Bugatti EB110 GT (London 2009)Built in 1993 to commemorate the 110th birthday of the founder of Bugatti, Ettore Bugatti, the EB110 GT was a lighter, more powerful and more aerodynamic version of the standard EB110. Powered by a 3.5l V12 producing upwards of 550hp, this was one of the most powerful road cars in the world at the time. Designed by Gandini and produced in very limited numbers, this model is one of the greatest cars ever made, as well as one of the fastest at 213mph. This car in 2009 sold in London for £220,000 and a mere 10 years later, one sold in Arizona for £967,000, which shows the amazing inflation these cars have.
Shelby Cobra 427 (Monterey 2009)
The Shelby Cobra has a fascinating history which helps its price at auction significantly. Originally, the Cobra began as the little AC Ace that was emerging in the British sports car market in the 60s, alongside the AC Aceca. Carroll Shelby, an American engineer working at Ford, took one of these Ace’s and dropped a 7.0 supercharged V8 into it, and creating the Cobra. This then launched the Shelby motor company which spent its days racing at Le Mans with the Cobra Daytona Coupe, creating interesting road cars such as the Series 1, legendary muscle cars such as the Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang and spent his later days before his death in 2012 by supercharging Mustangs. All of this heritage leads to the 2009 Monterey auction by Sotheby’s which had an original Shelby Cobra 427 for sale. This car sold for a exceptionally small £66,000, around the price of a second hand Aston Martin V8 Vantage today. A similar car sold with Bonhams for £977,000 with a top estimate of £1.2m. Someone in 2009 got very, very lucky.
Mercedes Benz 300SL (Monterey 2004)
A little further back in time when Sotheby’s was only just starting out in automobiles, they sold a Mercedes 300SL for £236,000, not particularly cheap at all. Coined as the original supercar, some believe the Lamborghini Miura is responsible, the 300SL was a masterful piece of engineering with gullwing doors and long smooth styling referenced in the 2012 Mercedes Benz SLS AMG. The long hood is the key beauty element in this car and the prices since then have risen just slightly. The price of one in 2017 sold by Gooding and Co comes to £4.5m. Quite an increase on the £200k that they sold for 13 years prior.
Ferrari 275 GTB (Monterey 2004)
The greatest bargain I have seen in auctions happens to be this car, the Ferrari 275 GTB. This is the car that succeeded the Ferrari 250 series which features the GTO, GT SWB and TR, so it had a lot to live up to. Ferrari’s designers perfected the design with the long nose similar to the long hood of the previously mentioned Mercedes 300SL as well as the beautiful curves. Rarer, faster and debatably more beautiful than the legendary Ferrari 250 GT SWB, this car is a stunner to anyone who can see one (I have not seen one yet sadly). This crossed the block for £178,500 in 2004 and now they can sell for up to £3,500,000 such as the longnose variant that sold at Knocke-Heisse in Belgium last year. Or if you can find a Competizione variant, look forward to upwards of £10m coming your way.
Case Study – Ferrari Legganda e Passione 2009
This whole auction is a treasure trove for low prices and any person who managed to pick up a car in this auction most definitely made a profit. Rather than the explanation of previous entries, I will simply name the car, the price it sold for and the price it is now to show the changes. Ferrari 365 GT 2+2, £77,000, £250,000. Ferrari Dino 246 GT, £82,500, £380,000. Ferrari 288 GTO, £385,000, upwards of £3m. Ferrari 330 GT 2+2, £60,500, £450,000. Ferrari 250 GT Ellena Coupe, £275,000, £960,000. Ferrari F40, £260,000, £750,000. Ferrari 250 GT SWB, £440,000, £1.9m. Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competizione, £1.1m, £7.9m. Ferrari 250 GT TDF, £2.3m, £7m. Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider, £2.1m, £9.8m. Not too bad then
Top 15 Most Expensive Cars to Sell at Auction
I have always had a fascination with car auctions and the fluctuation in prices over the years. Whenever the opportunity arises, I will watch auctions live be it on YouTube or on the auction house’s website. The thought then occurred to me of, what are the most expensive cars ever sold at auction. After lots of research, I have this list of 15.
15) McLaren F1-LM Specification – RM Sotheby’s (2019)
The first entry onto this list comes from earlier this year, in Pebble Beach. RM Sotheby’s managed to sell off a McLaren F1, which is a star car in itself. However it was converted to LM specification which is one of the two cars to have this treatment, adding the Extra-High Downforce kit and the unrestricted F1 GTR engine. The car was in the hands of McLaren for a very long time before it was bought, however was returned to McLaren for specialist servicing along with a written evaluation by MSO (McLaren Special Operations) to certify its authenticity. This car sold in the summer for £15,264,000.
14) Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider by Touring – RM Sotheby’s (2016)
This is the Italian equivalent of the Bugatti Atlantic, the Alfa 8C is a pinnacle of Italian beauty then and now. This car was one of 12 known to the world, the first of its kind to come up for auction. This specific example came from a very coveted collection of cars that won it a Concours D’Elegance Best in Show. Finished in a metallic black original paint with its original engine and original bodywork. Although I do not know much about vintage cars, especially ones from 1939, I can appreciate the styling and the legacy that these cars leave, hence I completely agree with the £15,216,000 that the car sold for.
13 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe – Bugatti Museum (1987)
Legend has it that Ettore Bugatti was talking to an English lady who stated that the Rolls Royce Phantom was the ultimate car and considered it to be a superior car to the Bugatti. After this, he created the Royale which was the ultimate epitome of luxury. Bugatti only made 7 of these and they all have their unique stories. This example was not sold by Bugatti as the asking price was equivalent of £560,000 in today’s money. This car was bricked away during the war to avoid being commandeered by the Nazis, was sold to American Le Mans racer Briggs Cunningham for $571 plus two refrigerators not available in post war France. The car was then put for auction when the Bugatti Museum closed due to its liquidation. It sold for an amazing £5.5m which in today’s money comes to a total of £17,400,000.
12) Aston Martin DP215 – RM Sotheby’s (2018)
Known as one of the most important Aston Martins ever made, this one off project built in 1963 was a works car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Piloted by Phil Hill and Lucien Bianchi, it is said to have clocked 198.2mph on the famous Mulsanne straight before it retired with a broken transmission. However, the success of this car may have been a little drab with only a few Goodwood Revival race wins, the car itself was the last car that the legendary David Brown signed off and entered personally into a race. This car was fitted with the original engine and correct 5 speed manual transmission. A slight personal bonus of this car is that I have actually seen it at the 70th anniversary of Aston Martin Racing at Goodwood 2019. This car sold for £17,700,000 at the Sotheby’s Monterey auction but it does still make racing appearances which is always good.
11) Duesenberg SSJ – Gooding and Co. (2018)
Although, much like the Alfa Romeo, I do not know much about this car, however some of the specs that the car carries makes it 100% worth the price. The Duesenberg was the American Rolls-Royce and in produced in much smaller numbers than its British counterpart. The SSJ presents a case for itself in that it is one of only two produced. Adding to the value of this is the fact that it was originally delivered to Hollywood legend Gary Cooper and another owner of the car was Briggs Cunningham, the same man to own the Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe from earlier. The car remained in its original condition with original brakes, engine, chassis and body. The car in the end sold for a whopping £18,200,000.
10) Ferrari 290MM by Scaglietti – RM Sotheby’s (2018)
This is where the cars start to get really, really interesting. This car is a legendary racing car as it raced as a Scuderia Ferrari works car for the 1956 and 1957 season that led to podiums in the 1000km of Buenos Aires and the legendary Mille Miglia racing event. It won the Nassau racing weekend and the Memorial event with Sir Stirling Moss behind the wheel. Not only has it been driven by some incredibly special drivers, but it is one of 4 examples, 3 left, it is eligible for many, many classic race events such as the Mille Miglia and Concours events. The car was restored to its original 1957 Sebring 24 hours livery and Ferrari Classiche certified. Due to all of these factors, the car sold for £18,200,000, headlining the auction for Sotheby’s.
9) Jaguar D-Type – RM Sotheby’s (2016)
This 1955 Jaguar D-Type is the most expensive Jaguar ever sold at auction in 2016. This car was raced by Ecurie Ecosse to victory in the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans, which makes it already a special car. What adds to the value is the fact that it is the only surviving original Jaguar C/D-Type that still holds all of its original components, it had remained in the same private collection for 16 years before the sale and it was the first Jaguar D-Type chassis to be built. Being one of the most important Jaguars in history, and officially the most expensive Jaguar of all time, the price was £18,300,000.
8) Aston Martin DBR1 – RM Sotheby’s (2017)
This car beats the Jaguar in one sense, that it is the most expensive British car ever to sell at auction. The DBR1 is one of five DBR1s and this car was the first car to roll out of Aston Martin. Although this did not succeed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (the sister car won the 1959 Le Mans), it did see some success by winning the 1959 1000km of Nürburgring. The list of drivers to drive this exact car is unbelievable spanning from Sir Stirling Moss to Jack Brabham, Roy Salvatori and Carroll Shelby. The car was maintained by Aston Martin specialists who fitted it with a racing reproduction engine which came alongside the original engine when it was new. Critics have said that this is the most important Aston Martin model of all time, as well as the most expensive British car of all time at £18,600,000.
7) Ferrari 275 GTB/C Speciale by Scaglietti – RM Sotheby’s (2014)
Known as the spiritual successor to the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO, the 275 GTB/C is a crucial area of Ferrari’s history. It was one of only 3 works Berlinetta Competizione cars, making it a lot rarer than the 250 GTO. It is a known Ferrari car which helps to increase the value of it because it is a documented classic vehicle. It is fitted with its original numbered engine and has a glittering racing and rallying history. It was meticulously researched by a Ferrari specialist who confirmed it was the car that everybody thought it was. Due to this confirmation, the car sold for £20,350,000. This also makes it the first car on this list to break the £20m mark.
6) Ferrari 275 GTB/4 S N.A.R.T Spider by Scaglietti – RM Sotheby’s (2013)
N.A.R.T stands for North American Racing Team and was the key Ferrari racing team in the US up until the 1990s. The 275 NART Spider is an incredibly rare car to bear this name as it is a one of 10 car. It may not be the rarest car on this list by far, however the beauty and class of this car definitely makes up for it. It was sold with the original toolboxes and original documents because this car, miraculously, had one owner from new. The fact that it had single ownership boosts the price significantly. The car was auctioned in 2013 by Sotheby’s and again headlined the auction even when it was auctioned alongside a Mercedes 540K, Mercedes 680S and a Ferrari 375MM. The final price…..£21,197,000.
5) Ferrari 290MM by Scaglietti – RM Sotheby’s (2015)
A second Ferrari 290MM to see this list, this one sold in New York in 2015. There is one reason that this car sold for more than the other 290MM, that reason is the fact that the car came 4th overall at the 1956 Mille Miglia. Fourth place may be seen as nothing because it didn’t win, however it was driven by the one and only Juan Manuel Fangio. For the unknown, Fangio was one of the greatest racing drivers of all time with 5 Formula One world championships and many other race wins in sports cars and rallying. His name alone adds so much value to any car, let alone an already expensive Ferrari 290MM. The car in question has a large racing history and is Ferrari Classiche certified meaning that it is an official piece of Ferrari history. The final value for the car was £21,640,000, which further increases the record value.
4) Mercedes Benz W196 – Bonhams (2013)
From one Fangio car to another, only this car is much more significant than the previous. This Mercedes was the car that Fangio drove in the 1954 Formula One Season and drove to victory in the German and Swiss Grand Prix. The car was also driven by Hans Hermann and Karl Kling and was the sister car to Sir Stirling Moss’s Mercedes. This car comes from an incredible family of vintage Mercedes Formula One cars, and this particular car was the only post-war Silver Arrow to be held in private ownership for many years. The car went on to be the generation that won Fangio his second world drivers championship. When it was put for auction at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed, it sold for £25,750,000.
3) Ferrari 335S Spider Scaglietti – Artcurial (2016)
The only mention of Artcurial in this list comes with the 2016 sale that they sold a very significant Ferrari. This was a works 335S driven at so many racing events such as 1000km of Sebring, 24 Hours of Le Mans and then the 1957 Formula One season. This car took Sir Stirling Moss to victory in the Cuban Grand Prix before it was sold to a leading Ferrari collector in Switzerland, Pierre Bardinon. Bardinon, who died in 2012, had a collection of up to 50 classic Ferrari cars and exercised them on his private racetrack that he built outside his house in Switzerland. It is thought that he had four of the nine 1960s Le Mans winners in his collection. After he died, his family sold off some of his cars and none of them were anticipated more than the 335S, which eventually sold for £27,635,000.
2) Ferrari 250 GTO – Bonhams (2014)
One of the greatest cars ever made, the Ferrari 250 GTO is one of Ferrari’s greatest ever cars and has always been a highlight at auctions, especially one with a back catalogue like this car. This is a 1962 car so it retains the classic shape unlike the later cars, and the drivers of this car included Jo Schlesser and Paolo Colombo. It was offered from 49 years of single ownership and had a great success rate of Italian hill-climbs and the famous Tour De France route which gave its name to some other Ferrari models such as the 250tdf and, more recently, the F12tdf. This car came 2nd in the 1962 Tour De France and is a proven historic race winning car. It also features the idea that it has never been restored, just maintained and looked after. The total price for all this specification? £29,562,000.
1) Ferrari 250 GTO – RM Sotheby’s (2018)
And the most expensive car ever to sell at auction is this amazing Ferrari 250 GTO. Sold by RM Sotheby’s in 2018, this car is much different to the previous GTO which helps the price significantly. It is one of 36 GTOs made, and is considered to be the most original and well-maintained model of those 36. It was upgraded in period by Scaglietti to the Series 2 body shape which is considered to be a more aggressive styling for the 250 GTO, similar to the later 275 model, and is one of few cars to be offered this treatment. It had over 15 class and individual wins during its racing period of 1962-1965 including victories in the Targa Florio in 1963 and 1964. It has been studied by Ferrari master engineers and the family of the Godfather, Enzo Ferrari himself and confirmed to be the car everyone wanted it to be. This along with a matching engine number helped this car to be the most expensive sold at auction. The final price was £37,310,000, a record unlikely to be beaten soon. However with more and more classics popping up seemingly everywhere, who knows how long this record will stay for?
Auction Round Up – October 2019
Although I have not done ‘Weekly Car News’ for a while, I have been keeping up with the news and have decided that there are too many places that do this already, that I cannot make this unique. Therefore I am doing an auction round-up every month to see what cars are being auctioned when. This will be monthly due to the frequency of car auctions and I will be presenting it one auction house at a time.
This month, RM Sotheby’s will be holding two auctions that are both highlights on their calendar. The first of which is the Hershey sale, held on the 10th-11th of October in the US, which focuses on vintage American classics from 1900 to 1970. Although I do not know a great deal about this niche in cars, I do appreciate some of the cars they are selling such as the 1936 Cadillac V16 Phaeton which starred in the 1964 film ‘The Carpetbaggers’ and is recognised as being one of the sole surviving V16s. The estimate price of $750k-$1.2m seems fair although as I’ve said, I do not have much knowledge of these cars so I’d love to talk about the lots more but I do not have a clue. The second Sotheby’s auction this month is the famous London auction which is definitely more up my street. This auction mainly features classic racing cars as well as some modern classics and modern hypercars. Rather than going through every car in detail, I shall pick some personal highlights starting with a 2018 Porsche 911 GT3. This may be seen as just a regular Porsche, however with gold wheels, a manual gearbox, the Clubsport package and PTS Sepia Brown finishes allow for the £150k estimate to seem like a drop in the ocean. The first significant car to be auctioned will be the 1994 Ferrari 412 T2 Formula One car. This car has been driven by Tifosi legends Jean Alesi, who took this car to 3rd at the 1994 Brazilian GP, and Gerhard Berger, who took it to 2nd at the Italian GP. This was the first car to be designed by F1 legend Jean Todt and featured the roaring V12 that F1 cars in the 90s possessed. Although this car was not necessarily the most successful Ferrari F1 car, netting only 73 points between the two drivers, it has been in the ownership of Ferrari from production until 2003 when it was sold to a private owner. The estimate of £1.4m-£1.8m seems very fair and someone will be leaving the auction with a piece of Ferrari history. A few vehicles are being sold from the Youngtimer Collection which is a 100+ car collection to be entirely sold by RM Sotheby’s in 2019. The feature cars of this auction are the 2014 Mercedes SLS AMG GT Final Edition with an estimate of £275k-£325k, a Lamborghini LM002 with an estimate of £180k-£230k, a Lamborghini Diablo VT for £150k-£175k and a Mercedes SL 73 AMG for £200k-£240k and which features the engine used in a Pagani Zonda. A few other high end cars selling includes a Maserati MC12 GT1 and a Porsche 962C from the Autobau collection, a barn find Lamborghini Miura P400S, a Ferrari Enzo, a Jaguar XJR-11, a Lancia Delta S4 Rallye, an Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Ville D’Este and finally the prettiest car in the auction, the Maserati 3500 GT Spider. Overall these two auctions should give a lot of car collectors new horses for the stable. Now for an auction house I’d never heard of in the form of Rand Luxury in the US. Upon first glance they are just selling Ferrari F355s and Porsche 911s, but when filtering by price, we see there is a lot more than first thought. They are selling 5 of the world’s most exclusive hypercars, 3 gorgeous classics and a few stunning supercars. The highlight of the sale is a Lamborghini Centenario LP770-4 which is superbly rare. One of 20 in the world, one of 6 in the US and one of 2 in exposed carbon fibre, this is one rare car. Finished in exposed carbon and red accents, this is one of the first Centenarios to come up for auction so the $3m-$3.3m estimate is justified. They also have a black Porsche 918 Spyder and a black Bugatti Veyron for just over $1.5m each which is justified as well as a white Ferrari F12tdf with a tricolore stripe estimated at $1m-$1.35m. The star for me though is the 2006 Koenigsegg CCX which is one of 49 cars, finished in silver over blue interior which will definitely sell for over its estimate of max $1.6m. A few more highlights include an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, Ferrari 458 SA, De Tomaso Pantera GT5-S, Ferrari 575M SuperAmerica and a Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS. This auction is to take place on the 12th and should be an interesting watch.
Bonhams have had a tough time recently, especially comparing their Pebble Beach auction to Gooding and Sotheby’s, however their Zoute sale in Belgium looks to be a good one. The star of the show is a Ferrari 275 GTB Short Nose which has not been given an estimate but I predict it will be upwards of £2.4m. They are also selling a 250 GT Cabriolet S2 for a max estimate of £1.6m and a Ferrari Enzo for upwards of £1.5m. Besides these it seems to be a regular standard auction however I will draw attention to the Bonmont Sale which was legendary. Although the sale took place in the last week of September, I cannot help but mention it. In 2014, 20+ cars were seized from the president of Equatorial Guinea who was corrupt. These cars were kept in police lockups for 5 years until they decided to auction them all. Some of these cars did sell for a smaller price than expected such as the 1991 Ferrari Testarossa which can sell for up to £160k but only sold for a very cheap £69k. Moving up into the £150k range, we begin to see some of the President’s cars such as a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and a Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead. Moving further up the prices, there is a Brabus 900 which is a 900hp Mercedes Benz S65 AMG which sold for £230k which I believe to be cheap. As prices increase and increase, we pass the matte black Lamborghini Murcielago SV, Lamborghini 400GT and the two Ferrari 250 GTs and get to the real stars of the auction. For £862k sold was a Giallo Modena Ferrari F12tdf and for £996k was the black Ferrari 599 SA Aperta which is the convertible version of the Ferrari 599 GTO, and much, much rarer. Next up are two cars that would be found in the alleyways of Bond Street. The Aston Martin Lagonda Taraf was originally created for customers in Saudi Arabia but some have made their way to Europe and clearly, Africa. The second is a Maybach Mercedes G650 Laudalet which is a strange car. It’s a Mercedes G Wagon 4×4 that has been taken by Maybach and made into a convertible. Both of these cars unfortunately did not sell at the auction but sold afterwards for ‘upwards of £1.2m each’. Now we have the hypercars, a McLaren P1 sold for £1.26m, a Bugatti Veyron 16.4 sold for £1.31m, a one of 77 Aston Martin One-77 sold for £1.52m, a one of one Porsche 918 sold for £1.55m, a one of 20 Lamborghini Reventon Roadster sold for £1.95m, a Ferrari LaFerrari sold for £2.1m and a Ferrari Enzo to match the LaFerrari sold for £3.1m. All these cars are good but still the two best cars have not been mentioned. A Koenigsegg One:1 sold at this auction, a one of 7 car that has a one to one power to weight ratio hence the name. Koenigsegg contacted Bonhams about this auction as the original estimate was only £1.2m-£1.5m. The estimate was raised before the auction but that did not make a difference as the One:1 sold for £4.6m which was twice the second estimate. The star of the show however was a Lamborghini Veneno Roadster. Finished in a cream over cream option which is not entirely delightful, only 9 of these cars were built to celebrate Lamborghini’s 50th anniversary. The original price of the Veneno was £3m and this is the first time one has ever come up for auction, therefore it was a superb opportunity for collectors. One lucky owner got their hands on it for an insane £8.28m.
Cieran Boyne Journo 