The atmosphere was good and interest was high when Serge Stotzer opened the auction in the festival tent in Gstaad for the eighth time at 3 p.m. on December 29, 2025. Many visitors had already flocked to the tent during the preview to admire and inspect the 50 vehicles worth around CHF 7.8 million.
In addition to the 48 cars and two motorcycles, some memorabilia also went under the hammer and sold well. The bids for some of the model cars were even significantly higher than expected, apparently some interested parties still needed a Christmas present.
The children's cars also sold well, especially the Harrington Cobra and the Harrington Aston, both of which were sold for more than their estimated value.
Some "No Reserve" lots provided surprises, but more on that later. A total of 23 of the 50 vehicles were sold directly, while a further 11 were knocked down "under reserve", i.e. renegotiations are still necessary. We know from past experience that it is still possible to reach an agreement and sell around half of them, which means that a sales rate of around 57% can be estimated.
Eight Ferraris, four Porsches and four Jaguars
While only half of the eight Ferraris on offer found a new owner straight away, the sales rate for Porsche and Jaguar was 75% each. In the case of Porsche, the highest bids were also closest to the estimated value.
One prospective buyer came very cheaply to a Jaguar XK140 DHC from 1957. CHF 38,080 (EUR 41,126) was actually enough to buy it.
Things went worse for Chevrolet and Maserati, with only one of three cars and none at all being knocked down directly.
Ten cars sold in the six-figure range
The most expensive car sold was an almost new Ferrari 296 GTS from 2025, which found a new garage for CHF 299'600 (EUR 323,568).
The new owner paid CHF 280,000 (EUR 302,400) for the Porsche 964 Carrera Cup from 1991.
The Ferrari 512 BBi from 1982 was sold for a relatively reasonable CHF 224,000 (EUR 241,920).
CHF 218,400 (EUR 235,872) was paid for a Lamborghini Murciélago LP640-4 from 2009, while CHF 212,800 (EUR 229,824) had to be paid for a McLaren 675 LT from 2016.
Five cars above expectations
An extensively restored green Toyota Land Cruiser BJ42 from 1983 was sold for significantly more than estimated.
CHF 48,160 (EUR 52,013) was quoted for the four-cylinder diesel four-wheeler.
A 1963 Corvette Sting Ray 327 with the popular two-piece rear window ("split window") was also sold above the estimate, namely for CHF 114,800 (EUR 123,984).
The 1967 Lancia Flaminia 2.8 Berlina, in which Audrey Hepburn once traveled, attracted a lot of interest from the Internet. CHF 42,000 (EUR 45,360) was enough to close the sale.
Two Jaguar E-Types were also knocked down above or at the mid-estimate level, while two Porsches at least attracted bids above the lower estimate.
Figureheads did not quite make the grade
Three cars were already the subject of much discussion in the run-up to the auction, and the excitement was correspondingly high as to how they would fare.
A Lamborghini Islero S from 1969, one of only 100 examples and also very elaborately restored, was estimated at CHF 295,000 to 330,000. However, the bidders did not want to bid more than CHF 250,000, so the Lambo remained unsold.
The Bugatti 57 with Graber bodywork from 1936 fared similarly. The elegant four-door limousine with a coupé look is one of only three examples that were bodied by Graber in Wichtrach. The car is characterized by a number of special features and naturally fascinates with its Bugatti technology with in-line eight-cylinder engine (without supercharger). CHF 415,000 was registered as the highest bid, clearly too little and therefore with no chance of selling.
Despite the introductory words of Christian Geistdörfer, who explained how he made the Audi Sport quattro appealing to wealthy potential buyers on behalf of Ferdinand Piëch, the bids for the 1985 Audi Sport quattro on offer were not sufficient for a final acceptance, but at least for a "subject to reservation".
As the highest bid was quite a long way from the estimated value, the renegotiations are unlikely to bear fruit here either. However, those present are likely to remember for a long time that Geistdörfer took one of the potential customers for a test drive around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris at 4:30 in the morning until the police intervened.
Despite the large number of visitors, some cars were not sold in Gstaad, and for some models there was not even enough interest to really get going. However, there was no lack of a very varied range of products, but perhaps more a lack of appetite to buy on the part of visitors who were probably exhausted from skiing.
With a total turnover of CHF 2.6 million (an average of almost CHF 113,000 per vehicle sold), which is likely to increase by a few hundred thousand francs with the successful renegotiation of the conditionally knocked down cars, Serge Stotzer and the Oldtimer Galerie team can certainly be satisfied.
