RM/Sotheby's offered 40 drivable cars, a Formula 1 show car from Ferrari and a children's Porsche 917 that can also be driven by adults alongside a number of automobiles at the London-Brighton Run on November 6, 2021.
The auction started with a bang when a Nardi steering wheel used in the Ferrari 250 GT SWB and 250 GTO, among others, was sold for £24,000. The bidding war with the participation of internet and telephone bidders had started at £ 1000 and only ended at £ 20,000. The 0.7:1 scale Porsche 917 was knocked down at a comparatively reasonable £8,000.
The audience seemed motivated, the auctioneer was not at a loss for snappy remarks. All the signs were green.
At the end of the evening, however, it had to be said that some of the more expensive lots in particular failed to reach their reserve prices and the total turnover was "only" £7.7 million rather than the almost £20 million that had been hoped for.
On average, £ 309,041 (EUR 361,578, CHF 380,120) was paid per vehicle sold, whereas the hope had been for £ 477,439 per car.
The highest bids settled at an average of 80 percent of the median estimate.
25 cars (61%) were sold, 16 (39%) were left standing.
Jaguar C-Type fell short of the reserve price
Commander John "Jack" Rutherford drove the Jaguar C-Type with chassis number XKC014 at the 1953 Nascar Speed Week in Daytona Beach. At that time, the C-Type was one of 53 built by the factory and was still beige. A longer racing history followed, but the car did not achieve any major successes. In the 1980s, the Jag was restored and on November 6, 2021, GBP 4 to 4.5 million was expected for the extremely elegant racing car.
However, no one wanted to bid quite that high. Bids rose from £2 million to £3.7 million, but this was obviously not enough for the seller. The beautiful sports car remained unsold.
Blower Bentley without enough bidders
The Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Supercharger from 1930 with Vanden Plas Tourer body was also expected to reach similar heights. The Bentley on offer was not only one of 50 homologation vehicles with a supercharger, it was also exhibited at the 1929 Olympia Motor Show and served as a test car for "The Motor" magazine the following year.
Estimates ranged from GBP 3.8 to 4.2 million, but interested parties were unwilling to pay more than GBP 3.2 million and the Blower was left standing.
A second Bentley 4 1/2 Litre from 1928, which was estimated at GBP 320,000 to 360,000, fared better. The highest bid was GBP 365,000 and the car was sold for £ 415,625 (EUR 486,281, CHF 511,219).
Porsche 934 with German and Swiss racing history without luck
Only 31 Porsche 934s were built at the factory based on the 930 Turbo to offer customers competitive Group 4 racing cars. While the windows could still be raised and lowered electrically, air conditioning and other comfort items were omitted. The brakes came from the 917, and huge plastic fender extensions made room for thick BBS alloy wheels.
Chassis 0172 initially remained in Germany and was victorious with Richard Leder in Kassel Calden, among other places. Later, the 934 went to Peter Zbinden, who sometimes raced together with Edi Kofel. Between 1978 and 1980, the two of them achieved an impressive list of successes in the Swiss championship, but also in international races. Among other things, Kofel won Group 4 in Monza in May 1980.
The car was later converted into a 935, only to be restored to its original condition a few years ago, in which it also appeared at the auction on November 6, 2021.
GBP 800,000 was offered by the highest bidder. This was not enough for a sale, because with an estimate of GBP 875,000 to 975,000, it was obviously hoped for more.
Porsche still successful
Of the 41 vehicles, seven were from the Porsche brand, five of which were sold.
One of the 292 Porsche 959 Komfort cars built in 1987 stood out, selling above expectations for GBP 1,158,125 (EUR 1.355 million, CHF 1.425 million). The car had been owned for many years and is estimated to have run less than 27,000 km.
The Porsche 356 A 1600 Super from 1959 performed even better. It had once been driven by record-breaking racing driver Donald Campbell and was presented in restored condition. With a top bid of GBP 200,000, it clearly exceeded expectations (GBP 150,000 to 180,000) and sold for GBP 230,000 (EUR 269,100, CHF 282,900), certainly one of the highest values for a normal 356 A.
In the late 1950s, Zagato put a coupé and a spider body on the chassis of the Porsche 356.
The cars were lost, but a collector convinced Zagato to revive the cars. The result was 18 cars, half open, the other half closed.
One of each type was sold in London, GBP 455,000 was paid for the Carrera-based Speedster, £ 426,857 for the Coupé.
One of the rare 356 C Carrera 2 2000 GS from 1964 did not find a new owner; despite the highest bid of GBP 430,000, a sale did not materialize.
A Porsche 911 S Targa from 1976 ended up in a new garage for a comparatively reasonable GBP 34,500 (EUR 40,365, CHF 42,435).
Pre-war Mercedes met the high expectations
GBP 650,000 to 800,000 had been set for a Mercedes-Benz 630 K Tourer from 1928. It came from the first family estate and was unrestored; even ball holes were still found, according to the auctioneers.
At GBP 792,500 (EUR 927,225, CHF 974,775), the 630 K was sold in line with the estimate.
Mixed results for super classics
The majority of the cars on offer were super classics. In addition to the aforementioned Porsche vehicles, several Aston Martins also went under the hammer, of which only one car found a new owner.
The early DB4 from 1959 failed at GBP 290,000 highest bid.
Of the six Ferraris, only the F1 show car, the 550 Maranello from 2000 (GBP 80,500) and the LaFerrari (GBP 2,142,500) found a new owner, while a 365 GTC/4 from 1972, a 250 GTE from 1963 and a 430 Spider were left standing.
While the 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 3.8 Liter Flatfloor Roadster failed to sell at the highest bid of GBP 130,000, the 1993 XJ220 found a new owner for GBP 432,500.
An Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA 1300 Junior from 1968 was sold for GBP 189,750. The AC Ace Bristol from 1960 changed hands for GBP 252,500 (EUR 295,425, CHF 310,575).
Affordable youngtimers
Those who preferred a more modern approach and did not want to spend a six-figure sum were also welcome at RM/Sotheby's in London.
Nevertheless, not all of the young classics found new owners. The two refined Mercedes-Benzes from Koenig and Brabus were left standing.
The other youngsters (with the exception of the aforementioned Ferrari F430 Spider and an Aston Martin DBRS9 racing car from 2006) were sold.
However, only a disappointing GBP 19,550 (around a quarter of the estimated value) was achieved for the 1993 Ascari FGT prototype.
A Vauxhall VX220 Turbo from 2004 from the Cayman Island Motor Museum Collection (GBP 20,125) was also available for a similar sum, while a Rover Mini Cooper Sport 500 from 2000/2001 from the same collection could be purchased as a "new car" for GBP 31,050.
The 16 most recent cars received an average top bid of 73 percent of the estimated value. The "no reserve" rate of almost 25 percent then helped to ensure that a sale was made.
Overall, the RM managers were probably not entirely satisfied with the result. The proximity to the popular London-to-Brighton run is unlikely to have paid off, especially as RM was unable to offer a single car that would have been able to compete there.
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 | GBP Est from | GBP Est to | GBP HP | GBP SP | CHF SP | EUR SP | % Est | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 107 | Ferrari F2003 Show Car | 2003 | 125'000 | 175'000 | 210'000 | 252'000 | 309'960 | 294'840 | +68%
|
V |
| 108 | Rover Mini Cooper Sport 500 | 2001 | 30'000 | 40'000 | 27'000 | 31'050 | 38'191 | 36'328 | -11.29%
|
V |
| 109 | Vauxhall VX220 Turbo | 2004 | 20'000 | 30'000 | 17'500 | 20'125 | 24'753 | 23'546 | -19.5%
|
V |
| 110 | Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit III Limousine | 1995 | 40'000 | 60'000 | 27'000 | 31'050 | 38'191 | 36'328 | -37.9%
|
V |
| 111 | Mercedes-Benz 190 SL | 1959 | 100'000 | 140'000 | 125'000 | 143'750 | 176'812 | 168'187 | +19.79%
|
V |
| 112 | Ferrari 365 GTC/4 | 1972 | 160'000 | 215'000 | 140'000 | N | ||||
| 113 | Aston Martin Vanquish S Ultimate Edition | 2007 | 140'000 | 160'000 | 135'000 | 155'250 | 190'957 | 181'642 | +3.5%
|
V |
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
