Underestimated unique pieces?
11/28/2015
While certain series-produced vehicles, of which hundreds or even thousands were built, seem to keep rising in price, one-offs often have a hard time with the auction public. A four-digit number of the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, for example, was produced, yet it is still valued in seven figures, while a one-off such as the Lancia Aurelia B52 Bertone Coupé from 1951 was sold for just EUR 172,500 or CHF 186,972 some time ago.
Of course there are exceptions, for example the Maserati Boomerang was valued at EUR 3.335 million (CHF 3.615 million) in Chantilly this year (picture above), but many unique pieces have a much harder time with the public.
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In 2013, for example, when a 1933 Packard Eight with Graber Cabriolet bodywork was worth EUR 170,940 or CHF 210,210 to its new owner, it was considered a success, especially as the estimated price had been significantly lower.
And even with the Maserati Mexico 4.7, bodied by Frua in 1968, or the BMW/Glas 3000 Coupé with the same bodywork, people were satisfied if a few hundred thousand was raised. As in art, shouldn't one-off cars be significantly more valuable than series production?
In the long term, this could well change again, but in the short term, many buyers tend to opt for the "blue chip" classic, which is well-known and a proven quantity ...
At Zwischengas, we like to deal with one-off bodies and concept cars.
