RM Sotheby’s carried off the honours during this year’s Monterey auctions for both the highest total sales at $107 million and the most expensive car sold – their LM-spec 1994 McLaren F1 setting a new auction record for the model at $19,805,000 (estimate $21,000,000 – 23,000,000).
A 1965 Aston Martin DB5 ‘Bond Car’ also set a new auction record for a model, comfortably eclipsing its $4,000,000 – 6,000,000 pre-sale estimate, changing hands for $6,385,000. Chassis DB5/2008/R is one of just four examples fitted with Q’s gadgets from new, having been built to promote Thunderball.
Heading the Ferrari sales was a Classiche-certified 1962 250 GT SWB at $8,145,000 (estimate $8,000,000 – 10,000,000), while a time-warp 2006 FXX with delivery miles that formed part of The Ming Collection from new went for $3,525,000 (estimate $2,850,000 – 3,250,000) – another new auction record for a model.
A 1965 Ford GT40 Roadster Prototype, one of just five roadsters built, took $7,650,000 (estimate $7,000,000 – 9,000,000) while a 1967 Ferves Ranger brought one of the biggest surprises of the sale, generating an astonishing $196,000 against its guide of $30,000 – 40,000.
Bonhams’ Quail Lodge Auction on 15-16 August was headed by a matching-numbers 1951 Ferrari 340 America Coupe Speciale, with unique coachwork by Vignale, which was successfully hammered away for $3,635,000.
A one-of-15 1953 Fiat 8V Supersonic that was the subject of a meticulous two year restoration at Strada e Corsa in the Netherlands in 2012 garnered $1,625,000 (estimate $1,750,000 – 1,950,000).
The top five was rounded off with a restored 1965 Shelby Cobra 427 at $1,380,000 (estimate $1,275,000 – 1,475,000); a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing – in single-family ownership for 57 years – which underwent a body-off restoration between 2013 and 2016 made $1,352,500 (estimate $1,350,000 – 1,550,000); and a European-spec 1989 Ferrari F40 with just 4,500-kms from new raised $1,165,000 (estimate $1,200,000 – 1,500,000).
Total sales came in at $32 million, with a sell-through rate of 76%.
Ferraris made a clean sweep of the top five results at Gooding and Company’s Pebble Beach sale, led by a concours-winning 1958 250 GT LWB California Spider at $9,905,000 (estimate $11,000,000 – 13,000,000).
A one-of-40 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series I sold for $6,800,000 (estimate $7,000,000 – 8,000,000); Niki Lauda’s championship-winning 1975 Ferrari 312T went for bang on its lower estimate at $6,000,000; and a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT TdF which raced in the 1958 12 Hours of Reims found a new home at $5,100,000 (estimate $5,500,000 – 6,000,000).
Other notable highlights included a 1991 Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer – the ‘Mountain View Car’ – which drew $857,500 (estimate $800,000 – 1,000,000); and a 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series I 3.8 Fixed Head Coupe, one of 12 known survivors of the 20 left-hand drive examples built with outside-bonnet catches, which fetched $626,500 (estimate $650,000 – 750,000).
Gooding and Company reported a sell-through rate of 77% and total sales of $76.82 million.
Classic car auction results and prices for: McLaren | Aston Martin | Ferrari | Ford | Ferves | Fiat | Shelby | Mercedes-Benz | Porsche | Jaguar
From leading auction houses: RM Sotheby’s | Bonhams | Gooding and Company
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