January 2021 - US auction previews
5 January, 2021
RM Sotheby’s will offer limited attendance at its Arizona sale on 22 January, with the event also being live streamed from its new venue at the OTTO Car Club in Scottsdale. The catalogue cover star is a 1955 Jaguar D-Type with an unbroken ownership history from new and a pre-sale estimate of $5,750,000 – 7,500,000. Chassis XKD 518 was sold by Bernie Ecclestone for £3,500 to its first private owner, Peter Blond, who campaigned it regularly during the 1956 and ‘57 seasons, including outings at Goodwood, Silverstone, Aintree, and Snetterton – where he notched up two wins.
11 further entries join the D-Type in the million-dollar club, including a 1937 Bugatti Type 57 SC Tourer, one of only eight bodied by Corsica, at $4,750,000 – 6,500,000; a Ferrari 375 America Coupe by Vignale – displayed on the Chinetti Motors stand at the 1954 New York World Motor Sports Show and two months later at the Geneva Motor Show – at $2,400,000 – 3,400,000; and a one-of-37 1965 Aston Martin Short-Chassis Volante at $1,500,000 – 1,750,000.
RM has consigned an impressive roster of hypercars, headed by the first McLaren Speedtail ever to be offered at auction. The 36th car out of a production run limited to 106 examples, it comes with over $170,000 of extras, 30 miles on the clock and an estimate of $3,500,000 – 4,500,000. A barely-used 2019 Koenigsegg Regera with just 200 miles and even more ticks in the option boxes, adding $217,000 to its list price, is $2,600,000 – 2,900,000, and a 2003 Ferrari Enzo in Giallo Modena with factory-fitted harnesses is $2,250,000 – 2,500,000.
[ RM Sotheby’s Arizona Sale – auction catalogue here ]
German machines lock-out the top three at Bonhams’ live online Scottsdale Auction with a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Cabriolet A featuring a unique raked windscreen, a 1959 BMW 507 owned by the vendor for the past three decades (estimate $1,900,000 – 2,300,000), and a matching-numbers 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Roadster (estimate $775,000 – 875,000).
[ Bonhams Scottsdale Auction – sale catalogue here ]
Gooding & Company’s Scottsdale sale will be held on its online only platform, with bidding closing on 22 January. A 43,000-mile 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB, unrestored and with just two family owners from new, is $2,000,000 – 2,400,000; while other highlights among the 36 cars on offer include a 1972 Citroën SM Land Speed Racer with its custom built trailer and matching SM Pickup tow-car (estimate $100,000 – 200,000), and a 1968 Meyers Manx beach buggy that remained with its first owner until 2002 (estimate $40,000 – 60,000).
[ Gooding & Company Scottsdale Auction – sale catalogue here ]
Carroll Shelby’s personal 427 Cobra goes under the hammer at Mecum’s Kissimmee sale on 15 January. Chassis CSX3178 was owned by Shelby from new until his passing in 2012, subsequently being purchased by the consignor from Shelby’s estate in 2016 and entrusted to the Legendary Motorcar Company for a nut-and-bolt restoration. The ten-day sale also features a 1965 Shelby/De Tomaso P70 Can-Am Sports Racer (estimate $2,000,000 – 2,500,000), and a 1965 Shelby GT350 R with period race history and only 4,930 miles (estimate $1,200,000 – 1,500,000).
[ Mecum Kissimmee Auction – sale catalogue here ]
Classic car auction price estimates for: Jaguar | Bugatti | Ferrari | Aston Martin | McLaren | Koenigsegg | Mercedes-Benz | BMW | Citroën | Meyers | Shelby | De Tomaso
From leading auction houses: RM Sotheby’s | Bonhams | Gooding & Company | Mecum
Read through the rest of our classic car previews for more information about our auction collections. Check out our online resource for upcoming classic car auction events and classic car auction results around the world.