"Driven by Disruption" was the somewhat unwieldy headline for the RM/Sotheby's auction in New York on December 10, 2015, and the auction house did indeed have some breathtaking and groundbreaking vehicles on offer.
Valued at around 100 million American dollars, 31 cars were auctioned off within 110 minutes. 71% of the cars were sold, while the remaining 9 vehicles were not sold for the money they were offered.
Record Ferrari
The Ferrari 290 MM from 1956 was the flagship of the New York auction and was set at a lofty USD 28 to 32 million.
The former Mille Miglia car, ennobled by Fangio, was knocked down for USD 25.5 million, which, including the premium of 10%, corresponded to a sales price of USD 28.05 million (EUR 25.53 million, CHF 27.77 million). This catapulted this car straight to the top of the 2015 auction results worldwide .
Record-breaking Porsche
A car that is usually auctioned for USD 100,000 to 200,000, a late Porsche 356 SC Cabriolet from 1964, caused even more of a stir. However, the vehicle on offer was owned by singer Janis Joplin and has remained in her family to this day. With its special paintwork, the car had already caused a sensation in the run-up to the auction and the estimated price of USD 400,000 to 600,000 indicated both valuation uncertainty and high expectations.
But these were virtually pulverized, as the car jumped from the starting bid of USD 300,000 to over a million and finally to USD 1.4 million in a short space of time, until a bidder tactically raised the bid by a further USD 200,000 and won the auction, which lightened his account by USD 1.76 million (EUR 1.601 million, CHF 1.742 million) including the surcharge and certainly made the Porsche the most expensive road-going 356 of all time.
Record-breaking Aston
Expectations were also high for the 1962 Aston Martin DB 4 GT Zagato with Australian racing history. An estimate of USD 15 to 17 million had been made, but the buyer did not have to go quite that far: USD 13 million was enough to win the bid, which was certainly a record for one of the rare sports cars with its beautiful bodywork by Ercole Spada.
Including surcharge, the car was sold for Euro 13 million or CHF 14.2 million.
A total of 12 cars achieved seven-figure sales prices, which is also impressive. The 1972 Lamborghini Miura P 400 SV, for example, was sold for Euro 2.2 million or CHF 2.4 million.
Expectations too high?
The fact that nine cars could not be sold was not really due to the thriftiness of the bidders.
The bids were solid and the fact that a 1959 BMW 507 Roadster Series II stopped at USD 1.9 million and the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL with the attribute "sports department" did not find a new owner despite an offer of USD 4.2 million is probably due to the high purchase price expectations.
However, the BMW M1 also failed to meet realistic expectations. Bidding for the low-mileage model stalled at USD 675,000, as there was probably no other interested buyer on the phone or in the room.
Also unsold were a Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Coupé from 1955 (highest bid USD 550,000), the Ferrari 212 Inter Coupé by Vignale from 1953 (USD 1.7 million), the Bugatti 57C Atalante from 1938 (USD 1.7 million), the Ghia Chrysler Special Coupé from 1953 (USD 550,000), the Ford RS 200 (USD 325,000) and the Lamborghini Concept S from 2006 (USD 1.7 million), while the consignor of the Ferrari 250 Europe Vignale from 1953 changed his mind during the auction and released the initially unsold car, even though the highest bid was only 77% of the median estimate.
No bargains
There were no bargains to be had in New York, even the 1991 Ferrari Testarossa, which sold for 64% of its estimate, cost the new owner USD 319,000 (Euro 290,290 or CHF 315,810). The only way to get a Ferrari Testarossa at a lower price was if you were interested in the child's car of the 1950s sports car, but here too the bids went for a breathtaking USD 77,500.
However, Ferrari enthusiasts were able to get a little cheaper, as an Enzo Ferrari sculpture was knocked down for USD 10,000. But you can't drive it, just as you can't drive other automobilia (e.g. Ferrari emblems, Porsche 904 and 917 engines on a scale of 1:3 (each priced at just under USD 45,000). However, you could already feel that there was a lot of money in the room with these lots.
Full house
The auction in New York began at 7 o'clock in the evening, and after approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes the hammer fell for the last time. Together, the cars had generated a sales turnover of almost USD 78 million, with the highest bids averaging 89% of the ambitious estimates. All in all, the record-breaking auction was a success, even if not all the cars found new owners. In any case, the RM crew can certainly go on Christmas vacation satisfied.
The results
The following table shows all the cars on offer with estimated prices and highest bids in USD. All cars sold are marked with "Sold" in the "Status" column. The sales prices (incl. 10% buyer's premium) are listed in USD, Euro and CHF. The conversion was carried out using daily exchange rates (1 USD = 0.91 Euro, 1 USD = 0.99 CHF).
In the "% Est" column, the highest bid is compared with the average estimated value. All information corresponds to the situation shortly after the auction and is provided without guarantee.
The table can be sorted by clicking on the column headings.
| Lot | Vehicle | Year | $ Est from | $ Est to | $ Hbid | Status | $ VP | € VP | CHF VP VP | % Est |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 201 | Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti | 1973 | 800000 | 1000000 | 770000 | Sold | 847000 | 770770 | 838530 | 0.86 |
| 202 | Lamborghini Miura P400 SV | 1972 | 2200000 | 2600000 | 2200000 | Sold | 2420000 | 2202200 | 2395800 | 0.92 |
| 203 | Bugatti Type 57C Atalante | 1938 | 2200000 | 2500000 | 1700000 | Not Sold | 0.72 | |||
| 204 | Ferrari Testarossa | 1991 | 400000 | 500000 | 290000 | Sold | 319000 | 290290 | 315810 | 0.64 |
| 205 | Pegaso Z-102 3.2 Berlinetta by Touring | 1954 | 800000 | 1000000 | 675000 | Sold | 742500 | 675675 | 735075 | 0.75 |
| 206 | Porsche 356 C 1600 SC Cabriolet by Reutter | 1964 | 400000 | 600000 | 1600000 | Sold | 1760000 | 1601600 | 1742400 | 3.2 |
| 207 | Jaguar E-Type Series 1 4.2-Litre Roadster | 1965 | 250000 | 325000 | 270000 | Sold | 297000 | 270270 | 294030 | 0.94 |
| 208 | Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Coupe | 1955 | 600000 | 800000 | 550000 | Not Sold | 0.79 | |||
| 209 | Ferrari Dino 206 GT by Scaglietti | 1969 | 700000 | 850000 | 700000 | Sold | 770000 | 700700 | 762300 | 0.9 |
| 210 | BMW 507 Roadster Series II | 1959 | 2300000 | 2600000 | 1900000 | Not sold | 0.78 | |||
| 211 | Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series I by Pinin Farina | 1958 | 6000000 | 7500000 | 5200000 | Sold | 5720000 | 5205200 | 5662800 | 0.77 |
| 212 | Lamborghini Concept S | 2006 | 2400000 | 3000000 | 1700000 | Not sold | 0.63 | |||
| 213 | Chrysler Special Coupe by Ghia | 1953 | 700000 | 900000 | 550000 | Not Sold | 0.69 | |||
| 214 | Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow | 1933 | 2500000 | 3000000 | 3400000 | Sold | 3740000 | 3403400 | 3702600 | 1.24 |
| 215 | Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato | 1962 | 15000000 | 17000000 | 13000000 | Sold | 14300000 | 13013000 | 14157000 | 0.81 |
| 216 | Ferrari 250 Europa Coupe by Vignale | 1953 | 3800000 | 4500000 | 3200000 | Sold | 3520000 | 3203200 | 3484800 | 0.77 |
| 217 | BMW M1 | 1981 | 800000 | 1000000 | 675000 | Not sold | 0.75 | |||
| 218 | Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring | 1973 | 900000 | 1100000 | 835000 | Sold | 918500 | 835835 | 909315 | 0.84 |
| 219 | Ferrari Enzo | 2003 | 3000000 | 3500000 | 3000000 | Sold | 3300000 | 3003000 | 3267000 | 0.92 |
| 220 | Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Roadster | 1956 | 1200000 | 1400000 | 975000 | Sold | 1072500 | 975975 | 1061775 | 0.75 |
| 221 | Ferrari 290 MM by Scaglietti | 1956 | 28000000 | 32000000 | 25500000 | Sold | 28050000 | 25525500 | 27769500 | 0.85 |
| 222 | Pontiac Bonneville "Roy Rogers" Nudie Mobile | 1963 | 250000 | 350000 | 280000 | Sold | 308000 | 280280 | 304920 | 0.93 |
| 223 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL 'Sportabteilung' Gullwing | 1955 | 5000000 | 7000000 | 4200000 | Not Sold | 0.7 | |||
| 224 | Ferrari 500 Mondial by Scaglietti | 1955 | 5000000 | 6500000 | 4450000 | Sold | 4895000 | 4454450 | 4846050 | 0.77 |
| 225 | Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe by Vignale | 1953 | 2000000 | 2500000 | 1700000 | Not Sold | 0.76 | |||
| 226 | Lamborghini Countach LP400 S Series III by Bertone | 1981 | 900000 | 1100000 | 875000 | Sold | 962500 | 875875 | 952875 | 0.88 |
| 227 | Siata 208S Spider by Motto | 1954 | 1500000 | 1900000 | 1500000 | Sold | 1650000 | 1501500 | 1633500 | 0.88 |
| 228 | Delage D8 S Cabriolet by Fernandez et Darrin | 1934 | 1300000 | 1600000 | 1300000 | Sold | 1430000 | 1301300 | 1415700 | 0.9 |
| 229 | Porsche 911 Turbo | 1975 | 350000 | 450000 | 300000 | Sold | 330000 | 300300 | 326700 | 0.75 |
| 230 | Ford RS200 | 1986 | 450000 | 550000 | 325000 | Not Sold | 0.65 | |||
| 231 | De Tomaso Mangusta by Ghia | 1969 | 300000 | 350000 | 270000 | Sold | 297000 | 270270 | 294030 | 0.83 |
