Once upon a time, 40 years ago - super classics at four- and five-figure prices
40 years ago, as in other years, Christie's held an auction of veteran cars from 1899 to 1963 at the Geneva Motor Show in 1975 . In today's terms, this would have been an auction of vintage, youngtimer and neoclassic vehicles, as the youngest were just 12 years old.
The range on offer was impressive, from the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, which was only around 15 years old at the time, to the BMW 507 and the Bugatti 35 racing sports car, everything was there that would make the heart of a classic car enthusiast beat faster today.
However, the auction did not quite go as auctioneer Patrick Lindsay had hoped. Despite the large number of visitors (around 1800 interested parties paid the 20 francs required for admission), the highest bids usually only reached around 70% of the estimated prices. Only 28 of the 68 vehicles on offer could be knocked down directly, some are said to have been sold afterwards.
The prices today almost make us despair. Only just seven cars from the Duesenberg, Rolls-Royce, Pierce Arrow, Napier and Isotta Fraschini brands broke the 100,000 franc barrier; all the others had to make do with five- or four-digit top bids. The Bugatti Type 35 racing car fetched 70,000, the two Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs both came in at 28,000, a Facel-Vega Excellence at 6,500 and the BMW 328 at 28,000. Prices like in a fairy tale, in other words, but money was not so easy to come by back then due to economic crises and oil shortages, so most cars remained unsold anyway.
What's more, a special edition Opel Kadett cost just 8888 francs back then and you could buy a brand new Lancia Stratos for 34,000 francs.
The commentary published by author Roger Gloor in the summary of the results is interesting and also enlightening from today's perspective:
"It is pointless to ponder whether prices are too low or too high. All too many factors are decisive in determining the price: brand name, rarity, technical level, condition, usability and personal preferences ... and, last but not least, current financial possibilities. In this respect, the recession seems to have had a price-stabilizing effect on the expectations that have been repeatedly raised in recent years. In any case, the "flight to tangible assets" - and all the connoisseurs present agreed on this - has not experienced any new impetus in the classic car sector."
For the nostalgic, here are the complete results from 1975, taken from the Automobil Revue of March 27, 1975.
| Vehicle | Year of manufacture | cm3 | Bid CHF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duesenberg J | 1929 | 6882 | 190000 |
| Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost | 1912 | 7428 | 120000 |
| Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost | 1915 | 7428 | 110000 |
| Pierce Arrow S. 52 | 1932 | 6982 | 110000 |
| Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Phantom II Cont. * | 1933 | 7668 | 100000 |
| Napier 30/35 HP Sedanca | 1914 | 4752 | 100000 |
| Isotta Fraschini 8A Torpedo | 1927 | 7372 | 100000 |
| Talbot LagoT 26 C GP * | 1948 | 4482 | 95000 |
| Mercedes-Benz SS | 1930 | 7069 | 90000 |
| Mercedes-Benz 540 K A | 1938 | 5401 | 85000 |
| Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Phantom I * | 1929 | 7668 | 72000 |
| Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost | 1923 | 7428 | 70000 |
| Bugatti T 35 GP | 1925 | 1990 | 70000 |
| Bugatti T 57 Ventoux * | 1934 | 3257 | 65000 |
| Lorraine-Dietrich B 36 GS | 1926 | 3446 | 65000 |
| Rolls-Royce Phantom III Convertible * | 1937 | 7340 | 62000 |
| Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Phantom I Torpedo * | 1926 | 7668 | 60000 |
| Hispano-Suiza H 6 B Skiff | 1924 | 6597 | 60000 |
| Mercedes 40/50 hp | 1905 | 6800 | 55000 |
| Delage D 8 C Torp. GS | 1930 | 4060 | 55000 |
| SS 100 2.5 L Spider GS | 1938 | 2664 | 55000 |
| Delaunay-Belleville HB 6 * | 1912 | 4426 | 50000 |
| Cadillac 341-B Torpedo | 1929 | 5578 | 50000 |
| Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sedanca | 1939 | 7340 | 42000 |
| Bentley 4.5 L Cabriolet | 1938 | 4257 | 40000 |
| BMW 507 | 1959 | 3168 | 35000 |
| Bugatti T 13 Brescia | 1923 | 1496 | 34000 |
| Fiat Zero Torpedo | 1912 | 1847 | 32000 |
| Bentley R Continental | 1953 | 4566 | 32000 |
| Rochet-Schneider Torpedo | 1913 | 4844 | 30000 |
| Rolls-Royce 20/25 HP Limousine | 1935 | 3669 | 30000 |
| MG S. SA Limousine | 1936 | 2322 | 30000 |
| BMW 328 | 1937 | 1971 | 28000 |
| Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | 1959 | 2996 | 28000 |
| Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | 1961 | 2996 | 28000 |
| Alfa Romeo 6 C 1750 GT | 1930 | 1754 | 22000 |
| Alfa Romeo 250 SS | 1947 | 2443 | 20000 |
| Lancia Astura sedan | 1939 | 2972 | 20000 |
| DFP E 4 S E | 1910 | 1592 | 19000 |
| Delage DS L Sedan | 1932 | 2516 | 17000 |
| BMW 327/8 | 1939 | 1971 | 17000 |
| MG TF 1500 | 1955 | 1466 | 17000 |
| Delahaye T 135 Cabriolet | 1939 | 3557 | 16000 |
| Decauville Vis-ä-vis | 1899 | 479 | 15000 |
| Jaguar 2,5 L Cabriolet | 1948 | 2664 | 15000 |
| Ferrari 250 GTE | 1963 | 2953 | 15000 |
| Talbot (Darracq) D Torpedo | 1928 | 1667 | 14000 |
| Röhr R Cabriolet | 1929 | 2262 | 14000 |
| Buick S. 40 Convertible | 1937 | 4065 | 13000 |
| MG TF 1250 | 1954 | 1250 | 13000 |
| Talbot Lago Coupé | 1956 | 2491 | 12000 |
| Maserati A 6 G Coupé | 1956 | 1986 | 12000 |
| Facel II Coupé | 1963 | 6286 | 11000 |
| Jaguar XK 140 Coupé | 1955 | 3442 | 10000 |
| Rosengart 11 Super Tract. | 1939 | 1911 | 8500 |
| Citroën C3 Trèfle | 1923 | 856 | 8000 |
| Peugeot T 172 BS Torpedo | 1924 | 720 | 8000 |
| Bentley Mk VI | 1947 | 4257 | 8000 |
| BMW 315/1 | 1934 | 1173 | 7500 |
| Salmson 2300 S Coupé Grand Sport | 1955 | 2328 | 6500 |
| Facel-Vega Excellence | 1961 | 6286 | 6500 |
| Aero T. 662 Cabriolet | 1932 | 662 | 6000 |
| Citroën B 14 G | 1928 | 1539 | 5000 |
| SS Jaguar 1.5 L | 1936 | 1608 | 4500 |
| Lancia Aurelia 2.5 L GT | 1956 | 2451 | 4500 |
| Lagonda Rapide | 1962 | 3995 | 4500 |
| Aero T. 662 | 1933 | 662 | 3800 |
| Steyr T 100 Cabriolet | 1935 | 1385 | 3200 |
