The RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 auction was held Friday, March 8th on the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Amelia Island, Florida, resulting in $38.1 in total sales and an 84 percent sell-through rate. RM’s 21st annual sale at the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance featured more than 140 automobiles.
“We are pleased with the strong results of our sale this past weekend, which demonstrated once again that our Amelia Island auction remains the right venue for the successful sale of great cars across all segments of the market,” said Gord Duff, Global Head of Auctions, RM Sotheby’s.“While certain staple cars of the auction market are experiencing softer demand in 2019, exceptional Classics and emerging collectibles are drawing sustained and new interest to the market. The next generation of collectors, whose tastes are exemplified by the cars of the Youngtimer Collection, not only expands the collector car auction market, but the hobby at large.”
Lots from the single-owner Youngtimer Collection opened the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 sale, with the first lot, a 1993 Mazda RX-7, bringing an above-estimate $50,400 to set a record for the model at auction. Also from within the Collection, a 1996 Nissan 300 ZX Twin Turbo sold for $53,200, a 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC AMG 6.0 ‘Wide-Body’ reached $179,200, and a 1994 BMW 850 CSi achieved $184,800, all eclipsing or reaching the top end of high estimate. The original 1994 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Targa, showing less than 11,200 miles from new, incited a contest between numerous bidders in the room and on the phones, eventually selling for a final $173,600 to well-exceed the current auction record for the stock model (est. $100k – 120k).
Other modern collectibles included a single-owner, 1,600-mile 2004 Porsche Carrera GT that exceeded expectations at $775,000, a Euro-spec 1992 Ferrari F40 (offered without reserve) achieved $1,017,000, and a recently serviced, 750-mile 2015 McLaren P1 sold for a strong $1,490,000. Immediately following the Friday sale, the 2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 ‘Sang Noir’ was sold for $1,500,000 (est. $1.35m – $1.6m).
The RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 Saturday sale session was led by the top sale of the entire week, a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, which sold for a final price of $2,205,000. Restored by Motion Products, the award-winning 275 GTB retains its original, matching-numbers engine. Additional sports and racing highlights from Saturday include a 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra with 1,900 original miles, which sold for a final $1,792,500 to become the most valuable non-competition spec 427 Cobra ever sold at auction.
The remainder of the Saturday sale was highlighted by American and European Classic and Brass Era motor cars. The 1930 Duesenberg Model J ‘Sweep Panel’ Dual-Cowl Phaeton, featuring a concours-quality restoration by Fran Roxas, was sold after it crossed the auction podium for $1,650,000 to lead the group, while a 1934 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Convertible Sedan brought $1,325,000.
European classics also performed well in Amelia Island, with a 1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B Cabriolet Le Dandy achieving $1,353,500, and a 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Henley Roadster prompting a bidding contest between multiple bidders in the room and on the phone before selling at a final $566,000 (est. $225k – $325k).
Pre-war motor cars offered from the Richard L. Burdick Collection also brought interest on Saturday, with a unique wicker-bodied 1911 Napier 15 HP Victoria tripling its pre-sale estimate at a final $156,800 (est. $40k – $60k), while a 1924 Bentley 3-Litre Sports Two-Seater, a perennial winner of the Great American Race, also soared past estimate to $434,000 (est. $200k – $300k).
RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 – Top Ten Auction Results
1. 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB – $2,205,000
2. 1967 Shelby Cobra 427 – $1,792,500
3. 1930 Duesenberg Model J LeBaron Dual Cowl Phaeton – $1,650,000
4. 2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Sang Noir – $1,500,000
5. 2015 McLaren P1 – $1,490,000
6. 1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B Cabriolet Le Dandy – $1,352,500
7. 1934 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Convertible Sedan – $1,325,000
8. 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder – $1,187,500
9. 1992 Ferrari F40 – $1,017,000
10. 2017 Ferrari F12 tdf – $967,500
For complete results, visit www.rmsothebys.com.
RM Sotheby’s returns to Florida, 29-30 March, for the company’s 17th annual Fort Lauderdale auction at the Broward County Convention Center. The two-day sale will present more than 350 cars, including several single-owner private collections offered without reserve. The European calendar continues weeks later as RM Sotheby’s stages the company’s first-ever German sale during Techno-Classica Essen, 11-12 April at the Messe Essen exhibition center. The Essen sale is set to present more than 200 cars during the long-running Techno-Classica fair.
[Source: RM Sotheby’s]