It is already a traditional event, the auction of the vintage car gallery in glamorous Gstaad, where Roger Moore used to ski. The time has come again on December 29, 2019, and the range on offer is impressive.
45 cars, three motorcycles and a tractor will go under the hammer on the last Sunday of the year. The total value of the vehicles is around CHF 7.3 million (or EUR 6.6 million).
Wide range of brands
31 brands will be represented in Gstaad. Ferrari is represented with five, Porsche with four (and a tractor), BMW and Alfa Romeo with three cars each.
For most brands, however, only one car is allowed, for example Alvis, Audi, Jensen, Lagonda, Sbarro or Studebaker.
(Almost) all decades between 1931 and present
On average, the vehicles are almost 50 years old, but the age spectrum is broad. Three cars represent the 1930s, including a sporty Lagonda 2 Litre Low Chassis Tourer from 1931. The 1940s are omitted, but from then on every decade is represented.
Ten vehicles are only youngtimers or even neo-classics.
Figurehead Ferrari 250 GT Lusso
Certainly the most valuable car in the auction is a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso from 1964. For many Maranello fans, this coupé is one of the brand's most elegant creations ever, so it is no wonder that prices have risen from a few hundred thousand francs/euros to seven-figure sums today, especially as only 350 of these cars, whose technology was close to that of the 250 GTO, were built.
One of these cars with a US history and an older restoration (chassis 5849) is now looking for a new owner; the estimated value has been set at CHF 1.5 to 1.7 million.
Cheap cars too
Given the average value of not quite CHF 150,000, there must be cheaper cars on offer alongside the million-dollar Lusso, and so it is.
An MGB Roadster from 1968 can be bought at auction for CHF 20,000 to 30,000 and the Land Rover 86 Series 1 from 1954 is certainly still affordable at CHF 30,000 to 35,000.
The Fiat 600 D Multipla from 1967, the original mini-van, is also one of the cheapest offers at CHF 30,000 to 40,000.
The Alpina-BMW B9 3.5 E28 from 1985, which will go under the hammer for CHF 40,000 to 50,000, is certainly also worth considering. The elegant BMW 635 CSI Coupé from 1982 is also in a similar price range.
Many rarities
There are many rarities among the 45 cars that are rarely encountered. For example, only two Sbarro 550 Maranello large were built, so it's no wonder that the example from 2000 is expected to fetch CHF 150,000 to 200,000.
Wiesmann also only built a few MF3 Roadsters, the 2001 car is said to be worth CHF 70,000 to 80,000.
The 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Greenbrier sports car, a kind of VW bus on steroids, is probably even rarer, at least in this country, and was estimated at CHF 45,000 to 55,000.
Not too many examples of the Maserati Sebring were produced either; the Series 2 Coupé with fuel injection from 1966 was valued at CHF 225,000 to 245,000, making it somewhat cheaper than the fully restored Ghibli 4700 from 1968, which should be worth CHF 275,000 to 295,000 to the new owner.
Hardly any of the vehicles on offer were actually mass-produced; perhaps the most common was the BMW 2002 tii from 1971 or the Morris Mini Cooper 1275 S from 1967, but even here the numbers were small.
With 500 cars built, the Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evo 2 is of course also one of the sought-after rarities, especially because of its huge rear wing.
Two Testarossa at once
For fans of the iconic Ferrari Testarossa from the 1980s, the classic car gallery can offer two variants, an early one with a mirror and a later one from 1992.
Both are significantly cheaper than the Ferrari 365 GT 2+2 from 1970, but also less expensive than the Ford GT "Heritage Edition" from 2006 or the Porsche 911 (964) Carrera Cup from 1991 (EUR 295,000 to 325,000).
From the region for the region
The Alvis TC 108 G Graber Special from 1957 comes almost from the neighborhood of Toffen, where the Oldtimer Gallery holds an auction every spring and fall. Based on the British Alvis chassis, the craftsmen at Herrmann Graber created an elegant coupé body that has lost hardly any of its appeal to this day. Only 15 of these coupés were built, and none were the same as the others.
CHF 115,000 to 125,000 seems to be a favorable cost price for one of these highly crafted cars.
It is worth browsing through the entire auction catalog, because each of the vehicles on offer has its charms (but also its price).
