August 2020 - US auction highlights
2 September, 2020
August proved to be a lucrative month in the US, with RM Sotheby’s posting a sale total of $30.4 million at its Shift/Monterey Auction and setting a new world record for the highest price achieved at an online-only sale – their FIA GT Championship-winning 2001 Ferrari 550 GT1 hammered away for $4,290,000 (estimate $3,850,000 – 4,850,000).
Other Ferraris finding new homes included a recently-restored 1965 275 GTB ‘short-nose’ at $1,980,000 (estimate $1,800,000 – 2,000,000); a 1964 250 GT/L, part of the Ray Boniface Collection since 1974, at $1,496,000 (estimate $1,200,000 – 1,400,000); a US-spec 1991 F40 with 6,407 miles at a mid-estimate $1,386,000.
The sale also featured a unique 1960 Porsche MOMO 356 RSR Outlaw, the result of a collaboration between MOMO and Emory Motorsports, which smashed its $450,000 – 650,000 guide, selling for $858,000. Showcasing MOMO’s centre-lock five-spoke wheels, reminiscent of the racing Porsches from the ‘70s and ‘80s, the car was built up around a 964 chassis and powered by a twin-turbo 2.4-litre flat four developing 400bhp.
[ RM Sotheby’s – Shift/Monterey Auction results here ]
An ex-Bob Holbert 1959 Porsche 718 RSK wound up as the top seller at Bonhams’ Quail Auction on 14 August, making $2,232,500 (estimate $2,800,000 – 3,200,000).
A 400-mile 2014 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse 'Meo Costanini' brought $1,750,000, just shy of its $1,800,000 lower estimate. One of three built at the end of Veyron production, and the only US-spec example, the special edition honours Meo Costanini who headed the factory race team and won the Targa Florio twice in a Bugatti Type 35.
Bonhams’ top five was rounded off with a 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Roadster, restored by model expert Charles Brahms in the 1990s, which went for $951,000 (estimate $900,000 – 1,100,000); a 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GTC, previously owned by noted collector Alfredo Celli for close to 30 years, sold for $582,500 (estimate $525,000 – 575,000); and a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe, exhibited by Luigi Chinetti at the 1959 Chicago Auto Show, drew $456,000 (estimate $475,000 – 575,000).
[ Bonhams – Quail Motorcar Auction results here ]
Gooding & Company briefly held the record for the most expensive car sold at an online auction when its six-carb 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB achieved a mid-estimate $3,080,000 on 7 August.
The trio of Ferraris from a supercar collection all changed hands, a single-family owned, 7,100-mile 2003 Enzo at $2,354,000 (estimate $2,200,000 – 2,600,000); a 4,600-mile 1992 F40, also single-family owned from new, at $1,628,000 (estimate $1,250,000 – 1,500,000); and a two-owner, 10,125-mile 1995 F50 at $2,134,000 (estimate $2,200,00 – 2,600,000).
American machinery was led by 1934 Duesenberg Model J Town Car, originally owned by Campbell Soup heiress Ethel M. Dorrance, which fetched $1,012,000 (estimate $950,000 – 1,250,000) – helping Gooding generate a $14.4 million sale total and a 71% sell-through rate.
[ Gooding & Company – Geared Online Auction results here ]
Classic car auction results and prices for: Ferrari | Porsche | Bugatti | Mercedes-Benz | Alfa Romeo | Duesenberg
From leading auction houses: RM Sotheby’s | Bonhams | Gooding & Company
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