Of the 66 cars announced, only 65 went under the hammer in Salzburg on October 15, 2022. The Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III with lot number 04 was withdrawn by the consignor shortly before the auction. Dorotheum was able to sell 55 of the remaining vehicles for a total of 2.7 million euros. The total value of all lots had been estimated in advance at between 3.1 and 4.1 million euros. A striking number of them were red or black.
Double victory for Lamborghini
High-priced cars did not do particularly well at the Classic Expo, at least not at the auction. Of the four cars with six-figure estimated prices, only two were sold. Nevertheless, the lot with the highest estimate met expectations and found a new owner for EUR 460,000 including buyer's premium. The celebrity bonus was small, however, as the Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary from 1989 was previously owned by Mario Andretti.
The 1934 Delage D6-11 S Coupé Brandone and the Mercedes-Benz 290 Cabriolet C from the same year - the second-highest estimated lots at EUR 260,000 to 340,000 each - remained unsold with maximum bids of EUR 200,000 and 190,000 respectively.
The title of the second most expensive car thus went to the second Lamborghini in the range: the 2005 Murciélago in an unusually subtle smoky silver metallic reached the lower end of its estimate with a top bid of EUR 170,000 and was sold for EUR 195,500 including buyer's premium.
Coveted eighties tuning
The most expensive car in relation to its estimate was the Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC Koenig Special from 1986, which fetched a hammer price of EUR 39,000, more than half its median estimate of EUR 25,000.
Another tuning Benz from the 1980s did not sell quite as well, but still considerably above its estimate. The 1983 Mercedes-Benz 190 E, which had the five-liter V8 from the S-Class implanted by tuner Erich Schulz, was knocked down for EUR 29,000, which was still 16 percent above the estimated average.
Interesting dispersions
The Stuttgart star cars were generally very popular with the bidders, although there were some surprising scatters here and there. While the 1979 Mercedes-Benz 200 (W123) was knocked down for 11,500 and became the bargain of the auction at just 55 percent of its estimate, its self-igniting 200 D model series brother with half the engine output (54 instead of 94 hp) fetched almost twice as much at EUR 21,000 and even just exceeded the estimate.
The situation was similar with the two Porsche 944 Targa. However, at least the basic requirements of value logic are met here, as the more powerful model was able to achieve the higher price. The 1984 model with a 163 hp naturally aspirated engine was only bid up to EUR 11,500 and sold for EUR 13,225, making it no more expensive than the 200 hp Benz mentioned above. The 220 hp 944 Turbo Targa was also only just able to outbid its W123 equivalent. It was knocked down for EUR 22,000. It is interesting to note that both Porsches were valued lower in advance than their respective saloon counterparts from Untertürkheim.
VW more in demand than Porsche
A late VW 1303 Cabriolet from 1979 met with particularly keen interest among bidders. Within a few moments, bids soared from the starting price (EUR 20,000) to the maximum estimate of EUR 38,000.
The 1970 Porsche 914/6, on the other hand, could only be brought up to the minimum price of EUR 60,000 with difficulty, despite its original GT extensions. This was still 20 percent below the estimated value.
Little under 10,000
The two tractors on offer - an Allgaier A 122 from 1955 and a Hofherr-Schrantz Austro Junior from 1963 - were knocked down for EUR 7200 and EUR 8200, deviating from the estimate by around a quarter in each case; once downwards and once upwards.
The only car that remained below the 10,000 mark, including premium, was the Hotchkiss 686 from 1948. Bid at EUR 6200 and thus sold for EUR 7130, it was the cheapest lot of the auction. However, the restoration will probably cost another thousand or so.
The cheapest ready-to-drive car was the Citroën CX 2000 Pallas from 1978, which sold for EUR 11,270.
Curiosities such as the Austro-Fiat fire engine from 1930 or the Perl chassis from 1925 did not sell. The bids of EUR 18,000 and EUR 9,400 respectively were only just over half of the respective estimates and were not enough for the consignor.
Unexpected shelf warmers
For other lots, however, the low level of interest was surprising. The Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint, for example, did not exceed a maximum bid of EUR 50,000 (77 percent of the estimate) and was left standing, as was the Ferrari 348 ts, which was worth a maximum of EUR 56,000 to the bidders.
Even supposed crowd favorites such as the Jaguar Mark II, which had even been converted from a 3.4 to the more popular 3.8-litre engine, failed to find a buyer. Bidding interest ended here at EUR 23,000.
Small successes, solid midfield
On the other hand, cars with a seemingly small target group sold surprisingly well. The 1949 Peugeot 202 BH reached the upper limit of the estimate with a top bid of EUR 20,000, as did the Steyr-Fiat Panda 4x4 "Country Club" for EUR 12,000.
English roadsters such as the MGA and Triumph TR 250 did not hold any big surprises in store for EUR 21,000 and EUR 29,000 respectively, but they did not disappoint either. Likewise the only American in the field: the 1961 Chevrolet Corvette was knocked down for EUR 62,000.
With an overall sales rate of 85 percent and an average highest bid of 92 percent of the median estimate, Saturday in Salzburg was a successful day for Dorotheum.
Offered and Sold Vehicles
The following table lists all offered and sold vehicles with estimated prices, highest bids, and sale prices. The price conversion was made at the exchange rate valid on the auction day. All information is provided without guarantee.
| Lot | Car | Year | EUR Est from | EUR Est to | EUR HP | EUR SP | CHF SP | % Est | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Volkswagen Typ 11 Export | 1964 | 16'000 | 24'000 | 17'000 | 19'550 | 19'159 | -2.25%
|
V |
| 02 | Allgaier Porsche-Diesel A 122 | 1955 | 8000 | 12'000 | 7200 | 8280 | 8114 | -17.2%
|
V |
| 03 | Hofherr-Schrantz Austro Junior System Porsche | 1963 | 5000 | 8000 | 8200 | 9430 | 9241 | +45.08%
|
V |
| 04 | Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III | 1965 | 20'000 | 30'000 | Z | ||||
| 05 | Porsche 928 S | 1985 | 18'000 | 26'000 | 23'000 | 26'450 | 25'921 | +20.23%
|
V |
| 06 | Volkswagen Type 251 Kastenwagen “Coca Cola” | 1986 | 10'000 | 15'000 | 13'500 | 15'525 | 15'214 | +24.2%
|
V |
| 07 | Steyr-Fiat Panda 4x4 “Country Club” | 1993 | 8000 | 12'000 | 12'000 | 13'800 | 13'524 | +38%
|
V |
All information is provided without guarantee.
Legend: Column S = Status (V = Sold, N = Not sold, Z = Withdrawn, U = Under reserve)
Est = Estimate, HP = Hammer Price, SP = Sale Price
