Not every barn find is a goldmine
02/05/2015
Admittedly, the Panhard et Levassor X82 Dynamic 160 Berline from 1939 was hidden away in the far corner from the very beginning and had to be discovered first among the shiny sheet metal. And the fact that it had to wait until the end of the RM auction at Place Vauban in Paris (February 4, 2015) before it went under the hammer was no advantage either.
Everything had started well. This Panhard et Levassor was a veritable barn find, even some straw was found in the cavities. And the X82 Dynamic 160 Berline was also a rare example, as there had only been 114 of these eccentric saloons, the first versions of which were even equipped with center steering.
A French doctor bought the car before the Second World War and hid it away during the turmoil of war, so that he was still able to drive it in the 1940s. In 1947, the aerodynamic limousine became the property of his mechanic, who kept it for the rest of his life until he died in 1988. The Panhard et Levassor survived many decades in a state of slumber and now presented itself, according to RM, as "wonderfully solid" and "a complete example that would make an excellent restoration project for an enthusiast".
However, the ravages of time had clearly taken their toll on the once elegant vehicle and the savior of this beauty is likely to have a lot of work ahead of him.
The attendees in RM's noble tent probably thought so too, and at first they didn't even want to ask for 2,000 euros. But then the bidding quickly progressed to 10,000 euros and the hammer fell at less than a third of the median estimate, which had perhaps been set somewhat ambitiously at 30,000 to 50,000 euros.
Other lots, such as the 1967 Maserati Sebring 3700 GT Series II, estimated at between €50,000 and €80,000, sold for a lavish €150,000 (before commission/surcharges), three times the lower estimate, proving that the bidding public at RM was not fundamentally lacking in money and risk appetite.
We will publish the complete results in the next few days. And we will also be following the auction of another 60 barn finds at Artcurial on Friday ...
