Normally, many older cars are auctioned off at Amelia Island, as the typical concours visitor is naturally also interested in the pre-war generation. However, Gooding & Co took a different approach on March 6, 2020 and offered a surprisingly young selection of classics.
In fact, the average age was only around 36 years. Nevertheless, the total value of the 87 cars on offer (plus a motorcycle and a 1:2 scale vehicle) amounted to an impressive USD 38.2 million. Around 70 percent of the lots were offered without a reserve price. For Europeans, the auction was interesting not only because of the dominance of German brands, but also because the US dollar had recently fallen by around four percent against the euro and Swiss franc, which automatically made the vehicles cheaper for local buyers by the corresponding percentage. However, this change in purchasing power is unlikely to have had a significant impact on the result.
Strong focus on German brands
Only 21 car brands were represented on Gooding & Co, a quarter of which came from Germany. In terms of vehicles on offer, however, over 60 percent were German-made, with 56 cars from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, RUF and Volkswagen alone going under the hammer.
Only seven cars bore a Ferrari badge, the remaining brands were represented by a handful of cars at most in the catalog.
There were no real exotics, with the exception of the American Bantam, which disappointed with a sales price far below the estimate.
Only very few old cars
Just three cars were from the pre-war period, another from the war period, the rest were built after 1956. However, the early Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost from 1914 on offer was one of the more expensive cars at the auction and it also sold for USD 2.205 million (EUR 1.94 million, CHF 2.05 million), albeit well below expectations, which were around a third higher.
64 cars or more than two thirds of the offer were built after 1970, 34 even after 1990.
The so-called neo-classics with vintages from 2000 onwards were very strongly represented, with 25 cars in total. On average, they performed better than the earlier vehicles, with the highest bids averaging over 80 percent, compared to 76 percent for the entire range.
The original Lamborghini Miura P400 S
A red Lamborghini Miura P 400 S from 1969 attracted a lot of interest. With less than 17,000 miles on the clock, unrestored and extensively documented, this car was certainly one of the highlights of the auction.
Auctioneer Charlie Ross accepted bids starting at USD 800, in 50,000 increments up to USD 1.3 million, then the hammer came down and the car went to a bidder in the room. In the end, he had to pay USD 1.435 million (EUR 1.263 million, CHF 1.335 million) for the mid-engined sports car, which was estimated at USD 1.4 to 1.8 million.
No new owner for the Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider
The bidding battle for the Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider from 1958 with chassis number 0937 GT was tougher. For around fifteen minutes, the last two bidders worked their way up to USD 8 million in increments of 100,000, after the first accepted bid had been three million.
This was not enough for the consignor, who had hoped for USD 9 to 11 million, and the car remained unsold.
The Porsche with Swiss bodywork
It is well known that the Beutler brothers built bodies for the Porsche 356 very early on, and the first convertibles were fitted in Thun. Later, the Beutlers began to re-body the 356 so that it offered more space.
One of these Beutler coupes, chassis 13031, was offered in Amelia Island for USD 400,000 to 600,000. Only five of these coupés are said to have been built in total, and the car offered by Gooding is said to be one of the two vehicles exhibited on the Beutler stand at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show. There is a high probability that this could be the case, as the cars appear to match in terms of color.
With a sales price of USD 395,500 (EUR 348,040, CHF 367,815), the rare car ended up in new hands.
The rest of the Porsche offering, which included 20 cars, consisted of several 911 models and three 914 variants, as well as seven vehicles of youngtimer and neoclassic age. These were joined by three more recent RUF models. They were all sold, with the exception of a practically new 911 Turbo S Cabriolet from 2019.
The most expensive was the first production 934 from 1976 with an impressive racing history, which was estimated at USD 1.25 to 1.6 million and finally went into new hands for USD 1.38 million (EUR 1.214 million, CHF 1.283 million).
Large BMW selection
A total of 18 BMW brand vehicles went under the hammer at the Gooding auction at Racquet Park in Florida.
On average, they were exactly 30 years old. The super classics such as the 507 or M1 were missing, but there were neo-classics such as the BMW 1M from 2011 (USD 40,000 to 60,000), which sold for a surprising USD 64,960 (EUR 57,165, CHF 60,413), and several BMW M3s (E30 and E36) and a BMW 2002 Turbo from 1974 (USD 150,000 to 175,000), all of which also found new owners.
The 1988 M3 E30, for example, was sold for USD 112,000 (EUR 98,560, CHF 104,160), certainly a good price for an M3.
More of a bargain was the BMW "Bavaria" from 1971, an E3 2800 auctioned at the very end, which was described as very original and in excellent condition. Instead of the estimated USD 25,000 to 35,000, the buyer only had to pay USD 11,200 (EUR 9,856, CHF 10,416).
Classic Mercedes portfolio
The Mercedes selection was more traditional in comparison to the BMW range. There was a 300 SL, two 190 SLs, a 280 SL Pagoda and a 560 SL from 1987. Some of the estimates were surprisingly high, for example a 190 SL from 1961 was expected to fetch USD 150,000 to 180,000, which was explained with a "complete nut-and-bolt rotisserie restoration". In the end, the buyer paid USD 109,200 (EUR 96,096, CHF 101,556), which was considerably less than expected, but still a good price for a 190 SL.
Incidentally, the 1957 Mercdes-Benz 300 SL Roadster passed into new hands for USD 995,000 (EUR 875,600, CHF 925,350).
Volkswagen in the five-digit range
There were five VW models on the Gooding lot list: three Beetles, a Karmann-Ghia and a Westfalia Campmobile. None of the cars were valued really cheaply, and the new owners ultimately had to bid an average of 73 percent of the median estimate to win a bid.
The pretty Karmann-Ghia Coupé from 1965 changed hands for USD 34,720 (EUR 32,290, CHF 30,554), while an impressive USD 42,560 (EUR 37,453, CHF 39,581) was paid for a VW Beetle from 1973.
Mixed results for the super classics
Of course, Gooding & Co was not completely without the super classics that are also known from other auctions.
The Dino 246 GT from 1973 is one of the super classics, the unusually painted example was announced with an estimate of USD 325,000 to 375,000. However, nobody wanted to bid that much, and at USD 270,000 nobody wanted to go any higher, so the car was one of six that remained unsold.
Two cars on offer bore the Maserati trident, a 1972 Ghibli 4.9 SS Spider (sold for USD 753,000, EUR 662,640, CHF 700,290) and a 1966 Frua Quattroporte Series II (USD 44,800, EUR 39,424, CHF 41,664).
The Lamborghini 350 GT from 1964 cost USD 434,000 (EUR 381,920, CHF 403,620).
And of course, the 1986 Audi Sport quattro (estimated at USD 550,000 to 700,000) was also among the super classics. However, the bidders were not so generous, nobody wanted to lay out more than USD 420,000, and the Sport quattro was left standing.
Some bargains
With a high "no reserve" quota of 70 percent, a high sales quota was of course guaranteed, although the prices suffered somewhat as a result. Some bargains were also possible, at least in comparison to the estimated values, with a practically new McLaren MSO X from 2018 passing into new hands for just USD 173,600 and the Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 from 1979 also finding a new owner for just USD 39,200.
USD 95,200 for an AC Aceca from 1960 was certainly also rather cheap.
A good USD 20.8 million was raised in one afternoon, not quite the hoped-for USD 38 million, but still a considerable amount, even if not all the consignors must have been happy.
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 | USD Est from | USD Est to | USD HP | USD SP | CHF SP | EUR SP | % Est | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | American Bantam Roadster | 1938 | 35'000 | 55'000 | 24'000 | 26'880 | 24'998 | 23'654 | -40.27%
|
V |
| 002 | Mercedes-Benz 560 SL | 1987 | 40'000 | 60'000 | 30'000 | 33'600 | 31'248 | 29'568 | -32.8%
|
V |
| 003 | Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 | 1974 | 40'000 | 50'000 | 28'000 | 31'360 | 29'164 | 27'596 | -30.31%
|
V |
| 004 | Porsche 914 2.0 | 1973 | 45'000 | 65'000 | 42'000 | 47'040 | 43'747 | 41'395 | -14.47%
|
V |
| 005 | Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione | 2008 | 300'000 | 350'000 | 223'000 | 250'000 | 232'500 | 220'000 | -23.08%
|
V |
| 006 | BMW 535i | 1988 | 30'000 | 50'000 | 34'000 | 38'080 | 35'414 | 33'510 | -4.8%
|
V |
| 007 | Ferrari Testarossa | 1990 | 100'000 | 120'000 | 92'000 | 103'040 | 95'827 | 90'675 | -6.33%
|
V |
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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
