Are classic cars from famous previous owners worth more?
When RM Auctions auctioned off the Porsche 911 S that once belonged to Steve McQueen for USD 1,375,000 on the third weekend in August 2011, the world took notice, as the price achieved was 6 to 8 times higher than the value that a "normal" 911 S would normally have. After all, for that money you could have bought one of around 50 Porsche Carrera 6s and another of the rarely built Porsche Carrera RSRs or 911 S/Ts, vehicles that are notoriously sought-after and highly prized.
The BMW 507, once driven by Swiss James Bond girl Ursula Andress, achieved the proud price of USD 1,072,500 at the same auction.
This might lead one to think that cars driven by celebrities always achieve higher sales prices. However, this is not the case, or at least not to a great extent.
Bonhams, for example, auctioned a yellow Maserati Ghibli (1968), once owned by Sammy Davis Jr. on February 2, 2012. Despite the prominent previous owner, the bids (highest bid EUR 69,000) did not go much higher than what people seem willing to pay for a Ghibli these days.
And the Talbot-Lago T14 LS Spécial Coupé from 1956, which was once driven by Louis Rosier, the famous racing driver, also failed to attract bids above the expected level at the Bonhams auction (highest bid: EUR 140,000).
So are "celebrity cars" worth more or do famous previous owners contribute very little to the value of a vehicle? Well, as is so often the case, there is no clear answer, it just depends...
In any case, it can be said that the Steve McQueen Porsche was an exception, which probably even exceeded the seller's expectations, and that in most other examples the vehicle characteristics were decisive for the price achieved and not the previous owners. And at the end of the day, you should invest your money in a beautiful car, not primarily in a more or less exciting history and in the hope of perhaps finding accessories or garbage from the famous previous owner under the carpets ...
Photo credits: Darin Schnabel (Ferrari 250 GT SWB, Porsche 911 S), all other pictures zwischengas.com
