On a sunny but not particularly warm October 16, 2021, the traditional autumn auction of the Oldtimer Galerie took place in Toffen. Starting at 13:30, junior boss Serge Stotzer first auctioned off some radiator grilles, badges, books and spare parts, then from 14:10 it was the turn of the cars and other vehicles. The auction marathon was only over after 5.5 hours, although some of the audience seemed to lose their energy and bidding enthusiasm a little earlier. There were many interesting vehicles up for auction, some of them only towards the end.
A total of 105 vehicles went under the hammer, including 11 non-automobiles, ranging from a regular bicycle to a tractor. Not quite a third of the lots were so-called "no reserve" bids, i.e. they could be auctioned without a minimum price.
Due to the coronavirus protection measures that are still required, a maximum of 250 people with a Covid certificate were allowed to take part in the auction.
Alternatively, bidding was possible via the Internet or by telephone call or written pre-bid - popular alternatives, as it turned out. Finally, it was also possible to follow the live stream from the comfort of your own home while enjoying a cappuccino or a glass of wine.
The vehicles were presented in German and English and auctioned live. This took an average of around three minutes per vehicle lot.
Wide-ranging offer
On average, the 105 vehicles (3 late registrations in addition to the catalog) were just over 47 years old. The most represented brand was Mercedes-Benz (11 cars), followed by Triumph (7 cars and 1 motorcycle), Jaguar (6), MG (6), Fiat (6) and Ferrari (5).
There was also no shortage of long-forgotten brands, such as Armstrong Siddeley, Bristol, Matford and Sbarro. In total, vehicles from 50 brands came under the hammer.
Almost all types of vehicle, from microcars to majestic limousines, were waiting for new owners. Whether racing cars, off-road vehicles, mopeds or agricultural vehicles, there was something for almost every taste.
Three quarters sold
54 vehicles were sold outright and a further 25 were "conditionally" knocked down, which means that renegotiations are still necessary to finalize the sale. If one assumes that half of these renegotiations are successful, this results in total sales of around CHF 2.6 million.
On average, 78 percent of the median estimate was offered, and the new owners paid an average of CHF 23,098 per vehicle sold. It was often the more expensive vehicles in particular that were knocked down with reservations.
The contested Mazda
An almost epic battle broke out over the Mazda R360 from 1964. Interested parties refused to give up and ultimately drove the price up to CHF 33,600 (EUR 31,248).
The R360 is also a highly interesting and, at least in this country, very rare small car.
There was somewhat less demand for the equally rare Fram-King Fulda S7 from 1957, where CHF 10,080 (EUR 9374) was enough to buy it.
Back to the present
Many fans were eagerly awaiting the performance of the DeLorean DMC12, which is best known from the "Back to the Future" film trilogy. The stainless steel gullwing on offer had been estimated at a not exactly modest CHF 50,000 to 60,000 in advance.
However, the rear-engined sports car from 1981, which was manufactured in Ireland, easily cleared the hurdle, was knocked down at CHF 62,000 and sold for CHF 69,440 (EUR 64,579).
Some interest in simpler and more complex restoration objects
The biggest surprise, however, was a car that still required some restoration skills. The Mercedes-Benz 230 SL from 1964 had been advertised at CHF 20,000 to 30,000, perhaps too cheap. In any case, it was mainly Internet bidders who were fighting over who would be allowed to restore this Pagoda to its former glory.
The bids only stopped at CHF 46,000, making the 230 SL CHF 51,520 or EUR 47,914.
Several bidders were also interested in a 1966 Jaguar S-Type with a 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder engine. In the end, the new owner paid CHF 6720 (EUR 6250) for the winter project.
The Bristol 401 from 1953, which was the victim of an accident back in the 1960s and has not run since, is likely to require considerably more work. For CHF 17,920 (EUR 16,666), a hopefully clever restorer was able to take over the barn find.
Super classics found more or less favor
Of around two dozen super classics, only some could be sold immediately, many were knocked down "under reserve" or not at all.
The most prominent victim was the yellow Lamborghini Espda 400 GT Series 3 from 1975, which was bid up to CHF 135,000 but failed to meet expectations of CHF 145,000 to 155,000.
There was no usable bid at all for the 1955 Jaguar XK140 Drophead Coupe, while the open-top 1965 Alvis TE21 was knocked down at the lower estimate and sold for a good CHF 132,200 (EUR 114,576).
The Porsche 911 E from 1969 auctioned at the end also found a new owner, CHF 106,400 (EUR 98,952) was due for the original 911, with interested parties bidding via the Internet.
An Alfa Romeo Montreal, a Maserati Indy 4200 and a Ferrari 400i could not be sold, while a long bidding war ensued for the 1974 Lancia Flavia 2000 HF Coupé, during which the bidding almost doubled.
The elegant two-door car finally found a new garage for CHF 38,080 (EUR 35,414).
MG F Festival
It can happen that you find an MG F at an auction. But it is certainly rare for four examples from 1997 to 2002 to be offered at the same time.
The inexpensive convertibles certainly enjoyed lively interest and were all sold at prices between CHF 2240 and 3248.
Their predecessors of the MGA type were significantly more expensive, with the two roadsters on offer, built in 1955 and 1960, selling to new owners for CHF 34,720 and CHF 23,520 respectively.
Poor performance of the Triumph vehicles
Only two of the eight Triumphs were sold immediately.
A red TR7 Cabriolet from 1981 sold for a reasonable CHF 7280 (EUR 6770), while the pre-war Super Eight Saloon from 1933 went for CHF 8960 (EUR 8333). The other Triumph lots met with less interest or were only knocked down with reservations.
Bread-and-butter with a difficult stand
It is often the former everyday vehicles that give the Toffen auctions their special status. This time, too, some of these "bread-and-butter" vehicles were present, but surprisingly, they struggled.
A 1996 Fiat Punto sold for just CHF 1340 (EUR 1250), while a 1984 Citroën 2 CV Charleston only attracted a bid of CHF 10,500 and has yet to be renegotiated.
The beautifully preserved 1977 BMW 320/60 from a long-standing owner did not quite reach the estimated value of CHF 13,500 to 14,500, but was finally sold for CHF 11,200 (EUR 10,416).
Nobody really wanted to bid for a DKW 3=6 from 1957 and the VW Beetle from 1950 with the famous pretzel rear window also attracted far fewer bids than expected.
Nevertheless, the Toyota 2000 Corona Mark II from 1976 found its way into a new garage at a good price for CHF 15,680 (EUR 14,582), while no new owner has yet been found for the Peugeot 403 BD from 1965.
Many rarities and exotics
Hardly anyone knows the 1992 Sbarro Onyx, which was built by the "Espace Sbarro" design center around 30 years ago on behalf of Citroën. A new look was to be created for the ZX, but it had to cost practically nothing. The result was the Onyx, which certainly looked more modern than the donor vehicle. To date, the car has only covered 4500 km, has been shown at many exhibitions and is said to be in very good condition.
The estimate of CHF 5000 to 10,000 seemed almost a little low for a one-off, but at CHF 8400 (EUR 7812) it was almost exactly achieved.
The Renault Avantime luxury tourer is also an exotic model, which remained rare and was always a source of amazement even back then with its door mechanism. Just CHF 4480 (EUR 4166) was enough to get behind the wheel of this rare piece.
The Armstrong Siddeley brand is almost only known to those who are familiar with the subject; very few people have ever seen a Hurricane 16. 2606 of these convertibles were built, and one was looking for a new owner in Toffen with brakes not yet fitted for CHF 15,000 to 18,000. The convertible ended up in the target area for CHF 16,800 (EUR 15,624).
Even a Matford rarely made it out of France at the time. Unfortunately, the 1938 F 82 A Cabriolet on offer did not come up with a viable offer and is still looking for a new owner.
And then there are four rare Fiat models to mention, but luck was only partially kind to them. Only the Fiat Baldi BB5 Frog from 1975 was sold for CHF 13,440 (EUR 12,499), while the original 508 Balilla Spider from 1934, the Greppi 508C Sport Spider from 1934 modeled on the former MM hero and the 509 Sport Special from 1928 did not sell (immediately).
Overall, however, Reinhard Schmidlin and his team must have been quite satisfied with how the auction went. An estimated sales rate of 65 percent is impressive, as is the expected turnover of over CHF 2.5 million. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to successfully renegotiate the vehicles that were knocked down "under reserve".
