How a "barn find" in Paris amazed us
02/06/2014
Its owner had taken little care of it. The Mercedes Benz 600 Pullmann Landaulet with six doors from 1971 that was auctioned off at RM last night looked pathetic. In any case, before this engine would turn over again and the limousine would move with appropriate elegance, a lot of work would have to go into the 600 on offer.
One or two people in the RM tent wondered whether the estimated price of 80,000 to 120,000 euros wasn't a little high after all. The self-assured expectations were explained by the rarity character of the saloon, as only 26 of the model on offer are said to have been built. And the car was obviously ordered in 1971 with the best of the best that car entertainment electronics manufacturers had to offer, i.e. a Sony television with an incredible 23 centimetre screen diagonal and a Becker Grand Prix radio with no less than eight loudspeakers as well as a telephone system. It was also rumored that this car had belonged to a well-known African head of state.
Auctioneer Marc Girardo reported widespread interest - there were also various telephone bidders waiting for their chance - and he suggested 80,000 euros as the first bid for the Mercedes, i.e. an amount on a par with the lower estimate. And the bids came quickly. 80,000, 100,000, 120,000, 140,000 euros and so on were offered in quick succession by various parties. None of the bidders wanted to give in.
In the end, after a truly impressive bidding battle, the hammer fell at an incredible 480,000 euros, around five times the estimated price. And with that, the highest bidder bought himself an unrideable restoration base, which is likely to swallow up hundreds of thousands more by the time it is finished, not to mention the commission (12%) and any customs duties/taxes.
But it has always been a little more expensive to have a special taste ....
