It was a remarkable line-up of automobiles that RM/Sotheby's had assembled for the auction in London on September 7, 2016, with an age difference of 117 years between the oldest and the youngest vehicle. Racing and sports cars alternated with limousines and bread-and-butter cars.
There were 87 cars (including one children's car) in total, estimated at around £ 25 million, so an average of € 333,000 or CHF 365,000 per car was expected. This figure was clearly exceeded, at least for the cars sold, which cost an average of € 391,000 or 428,000 including surcharge/commission. However, around a quarter of the offers remained standing, even though considerable sums had been offered for them too.
The tent in the Battersea Evolution area was well filled and the bidders were obviously in a good mood, as was the six-language auctioneer hired by Sotheby's. However, the auction started around a quarter of an hour later than planned, probably to give some visitors who had arrived late the opportunity to bid.
Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin
Five brands together made up around half of the lots, and the names were no surprise. The largest proportion of cars were from Zuffenhausen, i.e. Porsche. Mercedes-Benz was right behind.
In general, many vehicles with a German history (and left-hand drive) were represented, apparently German consignors prefer a sale in London to local alternatives.
Valuable barn finds
The Iso Grifo GL Series 1 from 1967 looked like a foreign body among all the high-gloss classics, as it is clearly a restoration object and a barn find. It has been waiting for a resurrection for over two decades. It was estimated at between £30,000 and £50,000, but the bidding relentlessly climbed to £115,000, which ultimately resulted in a sale price of €151,984 or CHF 166,152, around three times more expensive than the estimate.
The bidding battle for the 1955 Porsche 356 Speedster, which was at least drivable but still a restoration object, was similar, albeit less dramatic. At € 270,928 or CHF 296,184, the sale price exceeded the estimate by almost a third!
Porsche fireworks
Starting at lot 126, a Porsche enthusiast's collection of mainly newly purchased and rarely driven 911 variants from the last three decades was offered. The two 911 Turbo from 1977 and 1989 (late G-model) went to new owners at reasonable prices, but after that visitors could only marvel.
Believe it or not, the highest bidder paid around four times the estimated price for a Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight from 1993, which amounted to € 1.15 million or CHF 1.26 million. In his wake, other rare Porsche 911 specialties from the nineties also achieved prices that were between 40 and 230% above the estimates. Some previous auction records may also have been broken.
When a Porsche 911 RS 2.7 Lightweight from 1973 came on stage at the end of the group, one would have expected similar bidding fireworks, but the auctioneer dampened the mood when he announced that doubts had arisen about the originality of the car in the run-up to the auction. This is the only way to explain the resulting sale price of € 264,320 or CHF 288,960. For the collector, however, the calculation probably more than paid off, as most of his cars were sold for many times their original price.
Another expensive Z1
RM also had a BMW Z1 to offer, a red example in practically factory condition, as was announced.
At € 92,512 or CHF 101,136, the new owner paid a top price, even though it was only just above the estimated value.
Valuable Aston
The star of the auction was the Aston Martin DB4 GT from 1960, one of the best examples still in existence according to specialists.
The expected £ 2.2 to 2.5 million was narrowly missed with a top bid of £ 2.15 million, but at € 2.84 or CHF 3.1 million, the car still achieved a very good price including surcharge/commission.
Mixed results for Group B cars
Three Group B cars were offered by RM.
While the red Audi sport Quattro in road trim and as a rare UK version from 1986 found a new owner well above the estimate for € 475,776 or CHF 520,128, the Ford RS200 in a rare S version from 1986 was only worth € 204,848 or CHF 223,944 to the highest bidder.
The 1986 Renault 5 Maxi Turbo with hill climb history even stopped at the highest bid of £ 260,000 and was returned to the consignor.
Less sought-after racing touring cars
It is not every day that you find a 1997 Renault Laguna Super Touring from the British Touring Car Championship together with an Audi A4 quattro Super Touring from the same year at the same auction. The cars were moderately priced, but apparently still too young for the bidding public.
This explains the sale of the Audi for €132,160 or CHF 144,480 and the £60,000 bid for the Renault, which did not reach the reserve price. Perhaps people will be annoyed in future that they didn't buy these rare vehicles in 2016.
Many super classics
Of course, the usual auction classics such as the 300 SL, Jaguar XK 120 or Ferrari 250 GT and F40 also appeared in London, and most of them were sold at prices that are still high.
Rarely traded vehicles such as the Monteverdi High Speed 375 L from 1971, which was worth around 30% more to the new owner than estimated, provided some surprises on the upside.
The Lancia Aurelia B20 GT Series I Speciale from 1951 was also the subject of intense haggling until the hammer finally fell at £ 155,000 (estimated value £ 80,000 to 120,000), which meant a sale price of € 204,848 or CHF 223,994.
The new owner of a 1981 Mercedes-Benz 300 GD LWB was also prepared to pay more than expected, with € 49,560 or CHF 54,180 being quoted as the selling price.
Good result, but a quarter unsold
Around 40% of the cars were sold above expectations including surcharge/commission, but 22 cars also remained unsold, with the highest bids averaging 78% of the estimated value. These included the rare Alfa Romeo 1900 M "Matta" SUV from 1952, the Porsche Carrera GT from 2005 and a Ferrari Enzo from 2003. Even the Austin Princess from 1956, once owned by John Lennon, the proceeds of which should have gone to charity, remained unsold.
Nevertheless, there can certainly be no talk of a downward trend when looking at the results of the London auction, on the contrary.
Vehicles sold and on offer
The following list shows all vehicles offered in London with estimated values ("Est") in £, highest bids ("Hbid") in £ and sales prices ("VP", incl. commission/surcharge) in £, EUR and CHF. The conversion was carried out using daily exchange rates (£ 1 = EUR 1.18, £ 1 = CHF 1.29).
The column "% Est" compares the highest bid with the average estimated value. All figures without guarantee.
The table can be sorted as desired by clicking on the column headings.
| Lot | Vehicle | Year | Est from £ | Est to £ | £ Hbid | £ VP | € VP | CHF VP VP | % Est |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | Ferrero Le Mans Children's Car | 1992 | 20000 | 25000 | 15000 | 16800 | 19824 | 21672 | 0.67 |
| 102 | Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser | 1973 | 35000 | 40000 | 18000 | 20160 | 23789 | 26006 | 0.48 |
| 103 | Fiat 500 L | 1969 | 8000 | 12000 | 4500 | 5040 | 5947 | 6502 | 0.45 |
| 104 | Morgan Plus 4 Plus | 1964 | 120000 | 140000 | 115000 | 128800 | 151984 | 166152 | 0.88 |
| 105 | Vallée Vis-à-Vis | 1897 | 70000 | 90000 | 76000 | 85120 | 100442 | 109805 | 0.95 |
| 106 | Alfa Romeo 1900 M 'Matta' | 1952 | 28000 | 32000 | 27000 | 0.9 | |||
| 107 | Fiat-Abarth 850 SS Record Monza 'Coda Tronca' by Zagato | 1961 | 100000 | 115000 | 70000 | 0.65 | |||
| 108 | Iso Grifo GL Series I by Bertone | 1967 | 30000 | 50000 | 115000 | 128800 | 151984 | 166152 | 2.88 |
| 109 | Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Series II by Pininfarina | 1966 | 170000 | 200000 | 185000 | 207200 | 244496 | 267288 | 1 |
| 110 | Jaguar XK 150 3.4 Fixed Head Coupé | 1960 | 40000 | 55000 | 35000 | 39200 | 46256 | 50568 | 0.74 |
| 111 | Austin Princess | 1956 | 185000 | 260000 | 135000 | 0.61 | |||
| 112 | Fiat-Abarth 750 GT 'Double Bubble' by Zagato | 1956 | 70000 | 80000 | recalled | ||||
| 113 | Lancia Aurelia B20 GT Series I Speciale by Pinin Farina | 1951 | 80000 | 120000 | 155000 | 173600 | 204848 | 223944 | 1.55 |
| 114 | Audi Sport quattro | 1986 | 290000 | 320000 | 360000 | 403200 | 475776 | 520128 | 1.18 |
| 115 | Audi A4 quattro Super Touring | 1997 | 130000 | 160000 | 100000 | 112000 | 132160 | 144480 | 0.69 |
| 116 | Ferrari F512 M | 1995 | 210000 | 290000 | 210000 | 235200 | 277536 | 303408 | 0.84 |
| 117 | Maserati 3500 GT by Touring | 1960 | 150000 | 175000 | 105000 | 117600 | 138768 | 151704 | 0.65 |
| 118 | Maserati Mistral 3.5 Coupé Prototype | 1964 | 195000 | 235000 | 180000 | 0.84 | |||
| 119 | Mercedes-Benz 220 Coupé | 1954 | 90000 | 120000 | 80000 | 89600 | 105728 | 115584 | 0.76 |
| 120 | Lancia Stratos HF Stradale by Bertone | 1971 | 290000 | 335000 | 275000 | 308000 | 363440 | 397320 | 0.88 |
| 121 | Renault Laguna BTCC Super Touring | 1997 | 80000 | 120000 | 60000 | 0.6 | |||
| 122 | Shelby 289 Cobra | 1963 | 480000 | 520000 | 410000 | 459200 | 541856 | 592368 | 0.82 |
| 123 | Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray 'Split-Window' Coupé | 1963 | 80000 | 90000 | 70000 | 0.82 | |||
| 124 | BMW M5 Superproduction | 1985 | 85000 | 110000 | 75000 | 0.77 | |||
| 125 | Ferrari Enzo | 2003 | 1200000 | 1400000 | 1050000 | 0.81 | |||
| 126 | Porsche 911 Turbo | 1977 | 110000 | 130000 | 125000 | 140000 | 165200 | 180600 | 1.04 |
| 127 | Porsche 911 Turbo | 1989 | 110000 | 130000 | 95000 | 106400 | 125552 | 137256 | 0.79 |
| 128 | Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8 | 1993 | 400000 | 500000 | 640000 | 716800 | 845824 | 924672 | 1.42 |
| 129 | Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight | 1993 | 210000 | 250000 | 870000 | 974400 | 1149792 | 1256976 | 3.78 |
| 130 | Porsche 911 Carrera RS Clubsport | 1995 | 220000 | 260000 | 360000 | 403200 | 475776 | 520128 | 1.5 |
| 131 | Porsche 911 Turbo S | 1998 | 200000 | 240000 | 280000 | 313600 | 370048 | 404544 | 1.27 |
| 132 | Porsche 911 GT2 | 1995 | 750000 | 850000 | 1650000 | 1848000 | 2180640 | 2383920 | 2.06 |
| 133 | Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight | 1973 | 450000 | 550000 | 200000 | 224000 | 264320 | 288960 | 0.4 |
| 134 | Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II by Pinin Farina | 1960 | 1000000 | 1350000 | 1150000 | 1288000 | 1519840 | 1661520 | 0.98 |
| 135 | Lamborghini Diablo GT | 1999 | 375000 | 425000 | 460000 | 515200 | 607936 | 664608 | 1.15 |
| 136 | Maserati Mistral 4.0 Spyder | 1967 | 600000 | 650000 | 660000 | 739200 | 872256 | 953568 | 1.06 |
| 137 | Ferrari F50 | 1996 | recalled | recalled | |||||
| 138 | BMW Z1 | 1990 | 72000 | 78000 | 70000 | 78400 | 92512 | 101136 | 0.93 |
| 139 | Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series | 2014 | 320000 | 415000 | 345000 | 386400 | 455952 | 498456 | 0.94 |
| 140 | Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Black Series | 2013 | 115000 | 150000 | 108500 | 121520 | 143394 | 156761 | 0.82 |
| 141 | Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series | 2011 | 145000 | 205000 | 215000 | 240800 | 284144 | 310632 | 1.23 |
| 142 | Mercedes-Benz 300 GD LWB | 1981 | 25000 | 40000 | 37500 | 42000 | 49560 | 54180 | 1.15 |
| 143 | Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster | 2011 | 290000 | 375000 | 310000 | 347200 | 409696 | 447888 | 0.93 |
| 144 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 3.5 | 1970 | 16000 | 30000 | 19000 | 21280 | 25110 | 27451 | 0.83 |
| 145 | Ferrari F40 | 1990 | 885000 | 1100000 | 825000 | 924000 | 1090320 | 1191960 | 0.83 |
| 146 | Porsche Carrera GT | 2005 | 600000 | 650000 | 550000 | 0.88 | |||
| 147 | Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Cabriolet by Touring | 1939 | 1000000 | 1200000 | 850000 | 952000 | 1123360 | 1228080 | 0.77 |
| 148 | Aston Martin V12 Zagato | 2012 | 525000 | 600000 | 585000 | 655200 | 773136 | 845208 | 1.04 |
| 149 | Lamborghini Diablo VT | 1993 | 130000 | 170000 | 135000 | 151200 | 178416 | 195048 | 0.9 |
| 150 | Porsche 911 Carrera RS | 1992 | 160000 | 180000 | 150000 | 168000 | 198240 | 216720 | 0.88 |
| 151 | Ford RS200 S | 1986 | 170000 | 210000 | 155000 | 173600 | 204848 | 223944 | 0.82 |
| 152 | Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring | 1973 | 450000 | 550000 | 410000 | 459200 | 541856 | 592368 | 0.82 |
| 153 | Aston Martin DB4 Series V Convertible | 1963 | 950000 | 1100000 | 850000 | 952000 | 1123360 | 1228080 | 0.83 |
| 154 | Fiat-Abarth 595 SS | 1967 | 30000 | 50000 | 27500 | 0.69 | |||
| 155 | Sunbeam Harrington Alpine NART Coupé | 1961 | 100000 | 140000 | 97500 | 109200 | 128856 | 140868 | 0.81 |
| 156 | Rolls-Royce Phantom II Continental Sedanca de Ville by Barker | 1933 | 150000 | 180000 | 145000 | 162400 | 191632 | 209496 | 0.88 |
| 157 | Porsche 356 Pre-A 1600 Speedster by Reutter | 1955 | 150000 | 180000 | 205000 | 229600 | 270928 | 296184 | 1.24 |
| 158 | Renault 5 Maxi Turbo | 1986 | 290000 | 360000 | 260000 | 0.8 | |||
| 159 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster | 1957 | 900000 | 1000000 | 700000 | 784000 | 925120 | 1011360 | 0.74 |
| 160 | Aston Martin DB4 Series II | 1961 | 480000 | 520000 | 460000 | 515200 | 607936 | 664608 | 0.92 |
| 161 | Lagonda M45 T7 Tourer | 1934 | 175000 | 225000 | 260000 | 291200 | 343616 | 375648 | 1.3 |
| 162 | Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica | 1954 | 250000 | 350000 | 230000 | 257600 | 303968 | 332304 | 0.77 |
| 163 | Bentley 6½-Litre Sedanca de Ville by H.J. Mulliner | 1929 | 395000 | 495000 | 320000 | 358400 | 422912 | 462336 | 0.72 |
| 164 | Ferrari 575 M Maranello | 2002 | 80000 | 100000 | 120000 | 134400 | 158592 | 173376 | 1.33 |
| 165 | Jaguar XK 120 SE Roadster | 1953 | 90000 | 110000 | 100000 | 112000 | 132160 | 144480 | 1 |
| 166 | Aston Martin DB2 Vantage | 1953 | 185000 | 215000 | 160000 | 0.8 | |||
| 167 | Maserati Sebring 3700 GTi Series II by Vignale | 1967 | 125000 | 160000 | 115000 | 0.81 | |||
| 168 | Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Piccadilly Roadster by Rolls-Royce Custom Coach Work | 1926 | 280000 | 320000 | 260000 | 0.87 | |||
| 169 | Aston Martin DB4GT | 1960 | 2200000 | 2500000 | 2150000 | 2408000 | 2841440 | 3106320 | 0.91 |
| 170 | Monteverdi 375/L High Speed Coupé by Fissore | 1971 | 110000 | 130000 | 140000 | 156800 | 185024 | 202272 | 1.17 |
| 171 | Aston Martin DBS Volante | 2009 | 110000 | 130000 | 90000 | 0.75 | |||
| 172 | Fiat-Abarth 750 Record Monza by Zagato | 1961 | 75000 | 90000 | 47500 | 0.58 | |||
| 173 | AC 289 Sports 'Cobra' | 1967 | 450000 | 500000 | 420000 | 0.88 | |||
| 174 | Lagonda V-12 Drophead Coupé | 1938 | 235000 | 285000 | 210000 | 0.81 | |||
| 175 | Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 MFI | 1974 | 180000 | 200000 | 160000 | 0.84 | |||
| 176 | Alfa Romeo 1750 GTAm | 1968 | 225000 | 275000 | 210000 | 0.84 | |||
| 177 | Volkswagen Beetle '50 Years Beetle' | 1985 | 20000 | 30000 | 14000 | 15680 | 18502 | 20227 | 0.56 |
| 178 | Alfa Romeo Giulia Super 1600 Familiare by Giorgetti | 1974 | 55000 | 70000 | 26000 | 29120 | 34362 | 37565 | 0.42 |
| 179 | Bentley S2 Continental Sports Saloon by H.J. Mulliner | 1961 | 190000 | 230000 | 155000 | 173600 | 204848 | 223944 | 0.74 |
| 180 | Cadillac Eldorado Sport Convertible | 1954 | 50000 | 60000 | 52500 | 58800 | 69384 | 75852 | 0.95 |
| 181 | Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider by Pininfarina | 1961 | 34000 | 40000 | 50000 | 56000 | 66080 | 72240 | 1.35 |
| 182 | Lamborghini Murciélago LP 670-4 SV | 2010 | 325000 | 375000 | 300000 | 0.86 | |||
| 183 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SE Cabriolet | 1965 | 150000 | 200000 | 120000 | 0.69 | |||
| 184 | Ferrari Dino 208 GT4 | 1975 | 30000 | 50000 | 29000 | 32480 | 38326 | 41899 | 0.73 |
| 185 | Porsche 911 SC Targa | 1980 | 30000 | 50000 | 27000 | 30240 | 35683 | 39010 | 0.68 |
| 186 | Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint 1300 by Bertone | 1961 | 50000 | 60000 | 25000 | 28000 | 33040 | 36120 | 0.45 |
| 187 | Alfa Romeo Montreal by Bertone | 1974 | 35000 | 50000 | 32000 | 35840 | 42291 | 46234 | 0.75 |
| 188 | Bentley Azure | 2000 | 70000 | 80000 | 70000 | 78400 | 92512 | 101136 | 0.93 |
| 189 | Hustler 6 'in Wood' | 1983 | 20000 | 30000 | 13500 | 15120 | 17842 | 19505 | 0.54 |











































































































































































































