Reinhard Schmidlin had every reason to look anxiously at the sky on Saturday morning, June 11, 2016. And indeed, heavy rain was soon pelting down on the Dolder ice rink, not a good prerequisite for an outdoor auction. However, St. Peter had mercy just in time and the sun appeared again at 12:30, just in time for the vehicles to be prepared for the auction.
As every year, the 61 automobiles (and one Vespa) drove past the bidding public, demonstrating their functionality. And with success.
And the interest was great. Two television stations were on site and when the auction began, the seats were taken and many spectators followed the spectacle in the stand.
Wide range of items on offer
The age range of the vehicles was over 90 years. Seven were from the period before the Second World War, the oldest car was a Chenard & Walcker T3 Torpédo from 1924, a sister car of a Le Mans winner at the time. However, at CHF 70,000, the highest bid for this car was below expectations, which is why it could only be knocked down with reservations.
The youngest car is a Sbarro-Isdera "Espera Turbo" S20e, built in 2007, but no bidder wanted to warm up to it, even though it was skillfully driven by television presenter Nina Vetterli.
However, around half of the cars were from the 1950s and 1960s. 61 vehicles were spread across 35 brands, diversity was the order of the day.
The estimated value of the vehicles on offer totaled over CHF 10 million (EUR 9.4 million), but the bidders only wanted to follow the specifications in individual cases. Instead of the expected average expectation of CHF 172,869, the average bid was ultimately only CHF 120,500 (or EUR 110,500). The Ferrari F40, estimated at CHF 1.2 to 1.4 million, was probably too expensive for the interested parties with a starting price of CHF 850,000, so that no bids were called for it at all.
Swiss car bodies without demand pull
The sales results of the three Swiss special bodies from the fifties and sixties showed that special bodies are currently having a hard time on the market. The Alvis TD 21 Graber Special was auctioned without a reserve price and sold for CHF 98,000 (EUR 89,908) including surcharge/commission, well below the estimated value and certainly a real bargain in view of the fact that it was once one of the celebrated cars at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.
The Hotchkiss Anjou 20.50 Cabriolet with Worblaufen bodywork from 1950 came to a standstill at CHF 160,000 and was not sold.
The Alfa Romeo 1900 C Super Sprint with Ghia Aigle coupé bodywork designed by Giovanni Michelotti from 1957 was knocked down with reserve at CHF 145,000, well below the estimate, which will certainly make renegotiations difficult.
Maserati well above the estimate
A beautiful Maserati Mistral 4000 from 1964 surprised with a very good result. Instead of the expected CHF 95,000 to 125,000, an enthusiast was prepared to pay CHF 156,800 or EUR 143,853 (incl. commission/surcharge) for the elegant red-brown coupé.
The more recent Maserati Merak 3000 SS from 1977 and Maserati Bora 4.9 from 1973, on the other hand, could only be knocked down with reservations and correspondingly lower than expected.
However, there is a good chance that a compromise can still be found between the consignor and the prospective buyer in subsequent negotiations.
Lots of interest in Lancia pairing
The Lancia Aurelia B24S Spider from 1956 was the insider tip of the auction at the Dolder. The car, which had been completely restored for over CHF 280,000 regardless of the cost, made for an exciting bidding war, which ultimately ended with the highest bid of CHF 360,000, although this was only enough for a conditional acceptance, as a fair CHF 375,000 to 425,000 had certainly been expected.
The auction for the 1966 Lancia Flaminia 3C 2800 SuperSport Zagato with rare steel bodywork was more successful. After some back and forth, the silver-colored coupé was finally sold for CHF 380,800 or EUR 349,358.
Valuable collector's vehicles
An Aston Martin DB2 with Vantage specification from 1952 doesn't come onto the market every day, so interest in the green coupé was correspondingly high, and it sold for CHF 476,000 or EUR 436,697, on a par with the estimated value.
The 1963 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 Cabriolet, which was worth CHF 140,000 or EUR 128,440 to its new owner, also fetched a good price.
The re-registered 1962 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL with hardtop also attracted a lot of interest. Bidding started at 80,000 and the hammer fell at CHF 120,000, which meant a sale price of CHF 134,400 or EUR 123,303.
The 1965 Chevrolet Corvette 327 Sting Ray presented itself in the best light and looked really "stunning" in its bordeaux-red paintwork, which led interested parties to a veritable bidding war. The final selling price was CHF 75,040 or EUR 68,844.
Young cars less in demand
Some relatively new classic cars were also on offer at the Dolder, but the bidders were obviously more interested in older vintages. Neither the BMW Z8 from 2002 nor the Bentley Azure from 2006 reached the (immodest) reserve price, and the Lamborghini Diablo from 1994 with Strosek tuning was not sold either.
At least a Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet, an Audi Quattro and the rare MVS Venture 260 from 1991 could be knocked down under reserve. However, the highest bids here were in some cases significantly below the consignors' expectations, which makes renegotiations difficult.
Over a third not sold
The auctioneer could be satisfied with a sales rate of 62%, but more than half of the 38 cars were accepted "under reserve", so Reinhard Schmidlin's team will probably have a busy week ahead of them in order to sell at least some of these cars.
With 23 unsold vehicles, a number of cars fell by the wayside, including those that would have been considered to have good sales prospects in advance.
Among others, a Lamborghini Urraco P300 from 1975, the two Dino 246 GT and GTS on offer, the Mercury Cougar from 1967 or the Shelby Cobra Replica from 1967, which was certainly affected by the lack of Swiss road registration, could not be sold.
The fact that the two Porsche 356 A Speedster and Pre-A Cabriolet also failed to find a new owner was undoubtedly due to the fact that the highest bids were clearly too low, at over 20% below the estimated value.
The fact that the bidding war never got off the ground for some vehicles was also due to the very reasonable starting prices, which never gave rise to any hope of a bargain.
Reluctance on the part of buyers?
The auction at the Dolder once again showed that today's classic car buyers are more selective and somewhat more cautious than in previous years. Many a prospective buyer probably only came as an observer, perhaps to be able to negotiate directly with the vendor after the auction. Given the current state of the market, there is no real need to rush, as further dynamic price increases are unlikely in the short term.
The overall result of the Dolder auction was therefore not quite as outstanding as we remembered from the previous two auctions at the Dolder, despite the weather - it remained dry for the entire event and the sun came out from time to time. Perhaps the expectations were just too high.
The results
The following table shows all registered cars with estimated prices in CHF and the highest bids (H-bid) in CHF and euros. The conversion was made at the daily exchange rate 1 EUR = 1.09 CHF. The "VPreis" column shows the price achieved including commission (12%) for vehicles sold. The "% Est" column compares the highest bid with the average estimated value. The "Status" column indicates whether a car has been sold, sold under reserve ("sold under reserve"), not sold or withdrawn.
All information without guarantee.
The list can be sorted as desired by clicking on the table heading.
| Lot | Make/type | Year | CHF Est from | CHF Est to | CHF Hbid | € Hbid | CHF VPrice | € VPrice | Status | % Est |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Singer Senior Tourer | 1928 | 25000 | 35000 | 21000 | 19266 | 23520 | 21578 | sold | 0.7 |
| 02 | Ford Mustang Grande 351 V8 | 1970 | 15000 | 25000 | 14000 | 12844 | 15680 | 14385 | sold | 0.7 |
| 03 | Alfa Romeo 156 3.2 V6 GTA | 2004 | 28000 | 32000 | 22000 | 20183 | 24640 | 22606 | sold | 0.73 |
| 04 | Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet | 1990 | 25000 | 35000 | 27000 | 24771 | u.V. sold | 0.9 | ||
| 05 | MG A 1600 Mk I | 1961 | 40000 | 45000 | 39000 | 35780 | u.V. sold | 0.92 | ||
| 06 | GMC Sierra 1500 Stepside Pickup | 1971 | 35000 | 45000 | 38000 | 34862 | 42560 | 39046 | sold | 0.95 |
| 07 | Alfa Romeo GT 1600 Sprint Widebody | 1968 | 40000 | 50000 | 36000 | 33028 | 40320 | 36991 | sold | 0.8 |
| 08 | Triumph TR 3B | 1962 | 48000 | 52000 | 39000 | 35780 | sold u.V. | 0.78 | ||
| 09 | Maserati Merak 3000 SS | 1977 | 75000 | 85000 | 62500 | 57339 | u.V. sold | 0.78 | ||
| 10 | Jaguar XJ 5.3 C | 1977 | 30000 | 35000 | 26000 | 23853 | u.V. sold | 0.8 | ||
| 11 | Audi Quattro Turbo Edition spéciale | 1988 | 50000 | 55000 | 41000 | 37615 | u.V. sold | 0.78 | ||
| 12 | Daimler Double Six 6.0 | 1995 | 14000 | 16000 | 11000 | 10092 | 12320 | 11303 | sold | 0.73 |
| 13 | Ferrari Dino 308 GT/4 | 1974 | 95000 | 105000 | 80000 | 73394 | not sold | 0.8 | ||
| 14 | MG TC Supercharged | 1949 | 55000 | 65000 | 48000 | 44037 | u.V. sold | 0.8 | ||
| 15 | Mercury Cougar | 1967 | 30000 | 35000 | not sold | |||||
| 16 | Porsche 911 T 2.2 | 1970 | 80000 | 90000 | 70000 | 64220 | sold u.V. | 0.82 | ||
| 17 | Austin-Healey 100-Six BN4 | 1957 | 80000 | 85000 | 70000 | 64220 | sold u.V. | 0.85 | ||
| 18 | Renault 5 Turbo 1 Group 4 | 1982 | 65000 | 75000 | 57500 | 52752 | 64400 | 59083 | sold | 0.82 |
| 19 | Dodge Coronet 500 Convertible | 1970 | 35000 | 40000 | 31000 | 28440 | u.V. sold | 0.83 | ||
| 20 | Lamborghini Urraco P300 | 1975 | 95000 | 105000 | 87500 | 80275 | not sold | 0.88 | ||
| 21 | Alvis Speed Twenty SB Special Tourer | 1934 | 135000 | 145000 | 90000 | 82569 | not sold | 0.64 | ||
| 22 | Salmson GS Torpédo | 1929 | 125000 | 135000 | not sold | |||||
| 23 | Jaguar E-Type 3.8-Litre Series 1 Roadster | 1963 | 125000 | 135000 | 125000 | 114679 | 140000 | 128440 | sold | 0.96 |
| 24 | Maserati 3500 GTI Touring | 1965 | 185000 | 205000 | recalled | |||||
| 25 | Rolls-Royce Phantom I Sports Tourer | 1925 | 275000 | 325000 | 175000 | 160550 | sold u.V. | 0.58 | ||
| 26 | Ferrari Dino 246 GT | 1973 | 350000 | 375000 | 275000 | 252294 | not sold | 0.76 | ||
| 27 | Packard 200 Deluxe Sedan | 1952 | 45000 | 55000 | 35000 | 32110 | not sold | 0.7 | ||
| 28 | Riley 1.5-Litre Brooklands Special | 1938 | 135000 | 145000 | 90000 | 82569 | u.V. sold | 0.64 | ||
| 29 | Maserati Bora 4.9 | 1973 | 175000 | 185000 | 160000 | 146789 | u.V. sold | 0.89 | ||
| 30 | Hotchkiss Anjou 20.50 Cabriolet by Worblaufen | 1950 | 225000 | 275000 | 160000 | 146789 | not sold | 0.64 | ||
| 31 | Lancia Flaminia 3C 2800 Supersport Zagato | 1966 | 275000 | 325000 | 340000 | 311927 | 380800 | 349358 | sold | 1.13 |
| 32 | Austin-Healey 3000 Mk II BJ7 Convertible | 1963 | 155000 | 165000 | 120000 | 110092 | not sold | 0.75 | ||
| 33 | Lamborghini Diablo by Strosek | 1994 | 165000 | 175000 | not sold | |||||
| 34 | Jaguar E-Type V12 Coupé | 1972 | 60000 | 65000 | 55000 | 50459 | u.V. sold | 0.88 | ||
| 35 | BMW Z8 Roadster | 2002 | 325000 | 350000 | 250000 | 229358 | not sold | 0.74 | ||
| 36 | Bentley Azure | 2006 | 155000 | 165000 | 120000 | 110092 | not sold | 0.75 | ||
| 37 | Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Series 1 | 1965 | 285000 | 325000 | 250000 | 229358 | u.V. sold | 0.82 | ||
| 38 | Jaguar E-Type 3.8-Litre Series 1 Flat Floor Coupé | 1961 | 195000 | 215000 | 165000 | 151376 | sold under contract | 0.8 | ||
| 39 | Maserati Mistral 4000 (1964/1967) | 1964 | 95000 | 125000 | 140000 | 128440 | 156800 | 143853 | sold | 1.27 |
| 39A | Mercedes-Benz 190 SL | 1962 | 125000 | 135000 | 120000 | 110092 | 134400 | 123303 | sold | 0.92 |
| 40 | Aston Martin DB 2 Vantage Specification | 1952 | 425000 | 475000 | 425000 | 389908 | 476000 | 436697 | sold | 0.94 |
| 41 | Lancia B24S Convertibile by Pininfarina | 1956 | 375000 | 425000 | 360000 | 330275 | sold under contract | 0.9 | ||
| 42 | Porsche 356 Pre-A 1500 Cabriolet | 1954 | 340000 | 380000 | 260000 | 238532 | not sold | 0.72 | ||
| 43 | Ferrari F40 | 1990 | 1200000 | 1400000 | not sold | |||||
| 44 | Ford Thunderbird | 1957 | 55000 | 65000 | 50000 | 45872 | 56000 | 51376 | sold | 0.83 |
| 45 | Alfa Romeo 1900 C Super Sprint by Ghia-Aigle | 1957 | 260000 | 280000 | 145000 | 133028 | u.V. sold | 0.54 | ||
| 46 | Chevrolet Corvette 327 Sting Ray Coupé | 1965 | 65000 | 75000 | 67000 | 61468 | 75040 | 68844 | sold | 0.96 |
| 47 | Sbarro-Isdera "Espera Turbo" S20e (1991/2007) | 2007 | 195000 | 225000 | not sold | |||||
| 48 | Porsche 356 A Speedster 1600 Super | 1958 | 450000 | 475000 | 365000 | 334862 | not sold | 0.79 | ||
| 49 | MVS Venturi 260 (CUP 511) | 1991 | 45000 | 55000 | 27000 | 24771 | u.V. sold | 0.54 | ||
| 50 | Ferrari 250 GTE Series 2 | 1962 | 375000 | 425000 | 275000 | 252294 | sold u.V. | 0.69 | ||
| 51 | BMW 503 Coupé Series 1 | 1957 | 165000 | 185000 | 165000 | 151376 | u.V. sold | 0.94 | ||
| 52 | Alvis TD 21 Graber Special | 1962 | 125000 | 135000 | 87500 | 80275 | 98000 | 89908 | sold | 0.67 |
| 53 | Lamborghini 400 GT Espada Series 2 | 1970 | 175000 | 185000 | not sold | |||||
| 54 | Ford Mustang 260 V8 Convertible | 1964 | 60000 | 70000 | 50000 | 45872 | not sold | 0.77 | ||
| 55 | Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sports Sedanca | 1937 | 195000 | 205000 | 140000 | 128440 | not sold | 0.7 | ||
| 56 | Mercedes-Benz 600 Sedan | 1966 | 85000 | 95000 | 72500 | 66514 | u.V. sold | 0.81 | ||
| 57 | Jaguar XK 150 Open Two Seater | 1959 | 145000 | 155000 | not sold | |||||
| 58 | Ferrari Dino 246 GTS | 1974 | 375000 | 400000 | 300000 | 275229 | not sold | 0.77 | ||
| 59 | Chenard & Walcker T3 Torpédo | 1924 | 85000 | 105000 | 70000 | 64220 | not sold | 0.74 | ||
| 60 | Jaguar Mk 2 3.8-Litre Saloon | 1960 | 35000 | 40000 | 32000 | 29358 | 35840 | 32881 | sold | 0.85 |
| 61 | Shelby Cobra 289 FIA Replica | 1967 | 145000 | 155000 | not sold |
