It was a premiere. Galerie Fischer, a well-known art auction house from central Switzerland, held its first automobile auction at the Swiss Classic World in Lucerne.
Meticulous preparation
Nothing was left to chance. Precisely because it was the first vehicle auction, Galerie Fischer wanted to make sure that everything met its own high standards in terms of vehicle selection, documentation and communication, just as it does at art auctions. Accordingly, all vehicles at least thirty years old had a FIVA passport and were extensively documented.
All cars were in good or very good condition. The catalog was of high quality and was noted with appreciation by insiders and buyers.
Cautious mood
Then came the big day. The vehicles were presented at the Swiss Classic World in Lucerne from Friday, May 27, 2016 and could be inspected in detail. The auction itself then took place on Saturday, May 28, 2016 from 17:00.
The "hall" was full; with the exception of the apparently unpopular front row, practically all the chairs were occupied and the excitement was high. The auction, which was broadcast live on two online auction platforms, was launched with a well-presented video and a few introductory words. Three ladies also took telephone bids. Written pre-bids were received for many of the vehicles.
But even the first vehicle fell short of the reserve price: instead of the expected CHF 34,000 to 38,000, only 30,000 was offered for the pretty black Beetle 1303 Cabriolet. It was not entirely clear to the audience in the room whether the car had been knocked down or not. It was only clear afterwards that the convertible had not been sold. The consignor had expected more.
Stagnating prices? Wait-and-see buyers?
The following vehicles also shared the fate of the Beetle. The bids always reached a respectable amount, but not the minimum price asked. Kuno Fischer refrained from bidding on reserve, which is not usual at other auctions; from his point of view, a car was sold or not. For the bidders, this had the advantage that they did not block their planned bid and could therefore place their bets on another vehicle.
Nevertheless, it was of course a shame that such rare classics as the Morgan 4-4 from 1936, probably the oldest four-wheeled Morgan in the world still on the road, or the Singer Le Mans 1.5 Litre from the same year, did not find a new owner. Apparently, many interested parties waited in view of the recently stagnating prices.
Favorable surcharges
The fate of the 1966 Maserati Mistral 3700 GT was then reversed, finding a new garage for CHF 96,600 or EUR 87,027.
The same applied to the magnificent silver-colored Jaguar XK 120 OTS from 1952, which was worth CHF 103,500 or EUR 93,243 to its new owner.
The ex-Martina Hingis Porsche 996 from 1997, one of the first vehicles produced in this series, was also successfully sold. It passed into new hands for CHF 29,900 or EUR 26,937.
The buyer of the Jensen 541 L from 1956 also received a genuine exotic car with a plastic body for an attractive price of CHF 88,550 or EUR 79,775, while the Pagoda, a Mercedes-Benz 280 SL from 1968, went to an internet bidder for CHF 92,000 or EUR 82,883.
Highlights below the limit
In view of the rather high estimates and relatively high expectations of the owners, many cars remained unsold. Among them was the Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gransport Spider with Zagato bodywork from 1930, which was announced as the highlight. No interested party wanted to bid more than CHF 1.2 million.
The Ferrari 365 GTC/4 Spider from 1971 also failed to reach the reserve price, with the extremely elegant-looking dark blue convertible stopping at a very reasonable CHF 280,000.
Maneuver criticism
In view of the results achieved, Kuno Fischer was not exactly in a euphoric mood the day after the auction. But he didn't need to reproach himself for any sins. Only the dramaturgy of the auction could perhaps have been more relaxed if, for example, the cars had been allowed to drive in front of the stage or a video had been shown in between. Whether this would have made interested parties more willing to bid remains to be seen.
Surprisingly, interested parties who had previously expressed clear intentions to buy held back on the auction evening. It is perhaps a little like the Swiss way to bide one's time and wait for the right opportunity. And in view of the current subdued mood in the market, which has also been evident at other recent auctions, you can't blame the buyers if they don't go along with all the sellers' asking prices. In any case, Fischer was convinced that some of the cars would probably change hands after the auction (post auction sale).
Kuno Fischer also wants to hold an auction next year together with Frank Lutz (Franks Originale) and Bernd Link (Swiss Classic World Lucerne), but final decisions have not yet been made. The first edition showed that they know their trade and apparently the first vehicles have already been announced for next time. So we can already look forward to the next Swiss Classic World.
Results
The following list shows all 23 vehicles offered at the auction with estimated prices in CHF and highest bids in CHF and EUR. Vehicles sold directly at the auction also show a sales price (incl. surcharge/commissions, 15%). The conversion was carried out at the daily exchange rate: 1 EUR = 1.11 CHF. In the "% Est" column, the highest bids are compared with the average estimated price.
All data without guarantee.
The list can be sorted as desired by clicking on the column headings.
| Lot | Vehicle | Year | CHF Est from | CHF Est to | CHF Hbid | € Hbid | % Est | CHF VPrice | € VPrice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VW Beetle 1303 Cabriolet | 1979 | 34000 | 38000 | 32000 | 28829 | 0.89 | ||
| 2 | Morgan 4-4 Sport | 1936 | 40000 | 60000 | 38000 | 34234 | 0.76 | ||
| 3 | Mercedes-Benz 250 SE Coupé | 1967 | 62000 | 82000 | 61000 | 54955 | 0.85 | ||
| 4 | Austin-Healey 100 Six (BN6) | 1958 | 70000 | 90000 | 68000 | 61261 | 0.85 | ||
| 5 | Ferrari 308 GTS | 1979 | 110000 | 130000 | 90000 | 81081 | 0.75 | ||
| 6 | Singer 1.5 Litre Sport Le Mans | 1936 | 110000 | 130000 | 100000 | 90090 | 0.83 | ||
| 7 | Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 Coupé | 1962 | 185000 | 215000 | 170000 | 153153 | 0.85 | ||
| 8 | Maserati 3700 GT Mistral | 1966 | 80000 | 120000 | 84000 | 75676 | 0.84 | 96600 | 87027 |
| 9 | Austin-Healey 3000 Mk2 (BN7) | 1962 | 98000 | 118000 | 95000 | 85586 | 0.88 | ||
| 10 | Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Zagato | 1930 | a.A. | 1200000 | 1081081 | ||||
| 11 | Jaguar XK120 OTS | 1952 | 90000 | 110000 | 90000 | 81081 | 0.9 | 103500 | 93243 |
| 12 | Ferrari 365 GTC/4 Spider Conversion | 1971 | 300000 | 340000 | 280000 | 252252 | 0.88 | ||
| 13 | Porsche 996 | 1997 | 22000 | 28000 | 26000 | 23423 | 1.04 | 29900 | 26937 |
| 14 | Delahaye 122 Brookland Special | 1933 | 210000 | 240000 | 190000 | 171171 | 0.84 | ||
| 15 | Mercedes-Benz 300S Roadster | 1953 | 650000 | 850000 | 600000 | 540541 | 0.8 | ||
| 16 | Fiat 1600S OSCA Spider | 1963 | 44000 | 48000 | 42000 | 37838 | 0.91 | ||
| 17 | AC Aceca | 1955 | 165000 | 185000 | 150000 | 135135 | 0.86 | ||
| 18 | Bentley S2 Continental DHC Park Ward | 1961 | 300000 | 350000 | 290000 | 261261 | 0.89 | ||
| 19 | Mercedes-Benz 220 Seb Cabriolet | 1962 | 160000 | 180000 | 140000 | 126126 | 0.82 | ||
| 20 | Jensen 541L | 1956 | 77000 | 87000 | 77000 | 69369 | 0.94 | 88550 | 79775 |
| 21 | Bentley Derby 3.5 Litre DHC | 1934 | 157000 | 187000 | 155000 | 139640 | 0.9 | ||
| 22 | Mercedes-Benz 280 SL | 1968 | 80000 | 120000 | 80000 | 72072 | 0.8 | 92000 | 82883 |
| 23 | Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5 16V EVO I | 1989 | 65000 | 85000 | 62000 | 55856 | 0.83 |
