Motostalgia Auctions, Amelia Island, Florida, March 12, 2016
Motostalgia joined the burgeoning Amelia Island week auction schedule in 2016 with a 71-car sale.
The auction was held Saturday evening. The timing conflicted with the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance banquet. Several rows of tables fronting the block were reserved for registered bidders. Speakers and banners obscured the cars, which were dimly lighted with distracting moving and multi-colored spotlighting.
Not all the cars were cataloged. Others featured in the catalog didn’t show up and were replaced by uncataloged late entries. Six unannounced lots were added at the end of the sale.
Auctioneer Brent Earlywine and ‘Color Man’ Phil Skinner along with the ring-staff did their best, but it was a challenge.
The real challenge, however, came with four lots not present at the auction and offered sight-unseen while physically in Mexico. Two were less of a challenge, a Copilco edition VW Beetle, one of the last 200 Beetles built by VW in Mexico, and a nearly new Latin American diesel version Land Rover Defender, both relatively small potatoes and both sold on the block, the VW for $25,000 hammer and the Defender for a highly impressive $90,000 hammer for a car that will have to wait ‘til it’s old enough to sign a rentacar contract before it can cross the U.S. border.
The other two? A pair of 2011 Ferraris, specifically a 599 GTO and 599 SA Aperta. Both were described as essentially new with 80 and 180 miles respectively, but both were Latin American versions (identified by an ‘L’ in the eighth position of their VINs) without U.S. required equipment. The block announcer recited statements about the possibility of a ‘Show and Display’ exemption, but since both models have U.S. market versions that is not going to happen. Neither lot was sold on the block where bidding stopped at $600,000 and $875,000 respectively.
Both were later reported sold on Motostalgia’s website for $770,000 and $1,250,000 all-in, which is remarkably generous. RM sold a U.S. spec 599 GTO with 7,200km earlier the same day for $687,500, and a 1,500 mile 6-speed in Arizona for $770,000. Similarly, RM sold a 1,200 mile 599 SA in Arizona in January for $1,182,000.
Two other lots were sold post-block, bringing the total for four post-block sales to $2,326,000, 48.9% of the $4,754,800 total changing hands at Motostalgia’s 2016 Amelia Island auction.
Amelia is a high profile venue. RM|Sotheby’s and Gooding & Company are well-established with high profile, slickly produced auctions of high quality cars. Bonhams has recently established itself with its own style of presentation and similar quality consignments. And there’s a consignment-style auction from Mike Flynn’s Hollywood Wheels down the road at the Omni Convention Center.
Motostalgia’s first effort at joining the excitement was commendable, but needs to up its game in presentation and consignment quality by an order of magnitude if it is going to compete here.
[table id=152 /]
Andrew Newton contributed the on-site observations at this auction; final descriptions and comments are the responsibility of the editor.
Motostalgia Amelia Island 2016 – Auction Report
Lot # 05 1971 Porsche 914/4 Targa; S/N 4712908012; Green/Black vinyl; Estimate $25,000 – $35,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $9,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $9,900 – Bosch fuel injection, steel wheels with hub caps, Bridgestone Potenza tires, AM/FM cassette stereo. – Long, jagged scratch on the engine cover. Lots of masking errors around the front bumper. Big chip on the right front fender. Overspray in the wheel wells and on the suspension. Paint flaking off of the frame of the roof panel, and small cracks in the vinyl at the edge of it as well. Good, lightly worn original interior. Pitted door handles. Clean underneath. This could have been an impressive, preserved car kept dry thanks to a clean and dry existence where it was sold in Utah, but the distinctions of originality were ruined by a crude, rushed respray done in 2012. – Just sold at Bonhams’ Scottsdale sale, where it brought a generous $16,500. It seems a case of buyer’s remorse struck, prompting this no reserve sale just weeks later or perhaps the 7 more miles on the odometer were discouraging. The $6,000-plus hit for the seller must be a tough pill to swallow, but at least the buyer this time around has quite a bit more room to give this car the attention it really deserves and the seller can move on.Lot # 08 1980 Ferrari 308 GTB Coupe, Body by Pininfarina; S/N ZFFAA01A0A0033527; Red/Tan leather; Estimate $95,000 – $125,000; Unrestored original, 3 condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $80,000 – Bosch K-Jetronic, Michelin TRX tires, roof spoiler, power windows, Borletti air conditioning, Alpine cassette stereo, radar detector. – Engine out service last year. Dull exterior plastic. Two big chips out of the bottom lip. A few tiny stone chips on the nose. Decent, swirled original paint. Worn, lightly discolored seats. Lightly worn switchgear. The standard for Ferraris, even 308s, is high, so although this is a sound, cared for example, it’s in used car condition and for a car with 31,631 miles on the odometer it should really be in better cosmetic shape. Anyone wanting a better car than his won’t have to look far. – The reported high bid of $80,000 would be a fair price for a car that was significantly better than this one, so if there was any money near it the car should have gone to a new owner.Lot # 09 1987 BMW M6 Coupe; S/N WBAEE140XH2560693; Cinnabar Red/Beige leather; Estimate $40,000 – $55,000; Unrestored original, 2- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $35,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $38,500 – Alloy wheels, Michelin TRX tires, rear spoiler, power windows, air conditioning, Sony CD stereo, sunroof. – Good, clean bumpers. Very good original paint with a small touched up chip on the hood. Right rear plastic side trim is loose. Very good, very lightly worn original interior. Clean detailed engine bay. A very solid original car with 69,930 miles but looking like a car with much fewer. – Of the three first generation M6s for sale in Amelia, this was the best by a significant margin and brought a correspondingly higher price.Lot # 17 1936 Cord 810 4-Dr. Sedan Westchester; S/N 1113A; Engine # FB24F; White/Dark Blue cloth; Estimate $65,000 – $80,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $82,500 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $90,750 – Wheel covers, whitewalls, suicide front doors, pre-selector, Bench seat, engine-turned dash. – Amateur respray with masking errors and gloppiness around the headlights. Cracks at the bottom of the right A-pillar. Touched up crack on right B-pillar. Uneven gaps everywhere. Large ding on the left front wheel cover. Cloth upholstery is lumpy and loose. The rest of the interior, however, is good and sound. Discolored whitewalls. An amateur cosmetic restoration, and an old one at that. Any coffin-nose Cord deserves a lot better, but at least it’s a sound example underneath that you could take apart and restore to a proper standard. – Sold by Worldwide in Houston in 2012 for $46,200. It shows just two more miles on its odometer presently (hardly enough to get it on and off a transporter) and no better today than it was then. This is a resounding result for a car that doesn’t even rate the adjective mediocre, a truly expensive automobile.Lot # 18 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe; S/N WP0AC299TS375507; Black/Black leather; Estimate $155,000 – $175,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $137,500 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $151,250 – Michelin tires, sunroof, spoiler, rear window wiper, Alpine CD stereo, power windows, air conditioning. – Small chip in the nose. Small scratch below right headlight. Very good original paint otherwise. Very good interior. Showing 51,826 miles. Recently serviced. Not the best, but still very good. – Not particularly expensive in the context of recent 993 prices, but still more than it cost new (not counting for inflation).Lot # 21 1966 Ferrari 330 GT SI 2+2 Coupe, Body by Pininfarina; S/N 7515; Red/Red leather; Estimate $365,000 – $430,000; Older restoration, 2- condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $260,000 – Triple Webers, Ansa exhaust, Borrani wire wheels, Pirelli tires, woodrim steering wheel, wood dash, Blaupunkt pushbutton radio. – Lightly pitted mirror. Very good paint and chrome. Driver door isn’t flush. Small paint crack just above right front wheel. Good, lightly worn interior. Got new motor mounts, belts, hoses and partial engine rebuild in 2015. Restored and clean underneath. Full restoration with mostly older work but sound overall. – This 330 GT 2+2 hasn’t gotten any better since it was offered at RM’s Arizona auction six weeks ago with a reported high bid of $310,000.Lot # 25 1987 Ferrari Testarossa Coupe, Body by Pininfarina; S/N ZFFSG17A4H0072941; Red/Tan leather; Estimate $180,000 – $215,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $117,500 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $129,250 – Bridgestone tires, five-piece luggage, leather-wrapped Momo steering wheel, power windows, air conditioning, Ferrari wristwatch, books and tools. – Very good original paint. Very good, lightly worn interior. Classiche certification. Up to date service. Your typical babied Testarossa showing 22,140 miles. – Given recent Testarossa prices this is something of a bargain for its condition and known miles.
Motostalgia Amelia Island 2016 – Auction Report Page Two
Lot # 30 1969 Alpine A110 Dinalpin Coupe; S/N 00000000189; Silver/Black vinyl; Estimate $75,000 – $100,000; Enthusiast restoration, 2- condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $27,500 – 1255/109hp four, 5-speed, steel wheels, store brand tires, dual mirrors, woodrim steering wheel. – Slight bend in the right front rim. Left front rim has a couple of chips with surface rust poking through. Good older chrome. Very good, fresh paint. Good interior with newer upholstery and carpets and sound original gauges and switchgear. Rarely seen, sound and pretty but restored on a budget. The Dinalpins were exact copies of the A110 but were built under contract in Mexico. – Hammered sold on the block but later reported on Motostalgia’s website as not sold. Compared with some recent results for French-built Alpines the reported high bid is a bargain, even in this prepared for the auction condition. The seller might very well have gotten more if it had been left alone and sold with dirt and grime attached.Lot # 32 1980 Maserati Merak SS Coupe; S/N AM122AUS2690; Rosso Fuoco/Beige leather; Estimate $75,000 – $95,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3 condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $70,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $77,000 – Triple Webers, Euro exhaust manifolds, Campagnolo wheels, Continental tires, power windows, Veglia dash clock, Blaupunkt cassette stereo, leather-wrapped steering wheel. – The finish on the original paint is shiny but there is light crazing all over the front of the car and big cracks and lots of touch ups on the right front. Small chips at the back of the driver door. Dull bumper plastic. Lightly worn but presentable original upholstery. Faded, discolored dash top. Recent service on the valves and carbs as well as new fuel and oil cooler hoses. A rare Merak SS with 14,170 miles, but at any closer than 15 feet it’s not easy on the eyes and it’s reasonable to expect that issues pop up with regularity on this car. – Gooding sold another mediocre Merak SS the day before for $60,500. It had a single repaint, but a more extensive service history and was the better car. It was also a more appropriate result. Why this one brought so much more can only be explained by the fact that this is an auction, and at least two people in the room really wanted it.Lot # 40 1948 Jaguar Mark V 3.5 Drophead Coupe; S/N C1260; Green/Beige leather; Beige cloth top; Estimate $85,000 – $125,000; Older restoration, 3- condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $49,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $53,900 – Dual SU carbs, painted centerlock wire wheels, dual wing mirrors, Lucas headlamps, landau bars, suicide doors, wood dash and window trim. – The faded older respray was never very good to begin with. A few touch ups, scratches and cracks around the nose, scratches on the left rear fender and a very light scrape on the tail. Small dent in the right front fender. Dry, cracked windshield molding. Top looks pretty good until you find the eight-inch rip in the left side. Very good newer seats and carpets. The rest of the interior is dull and aged, including dry, dull-looking wood. Older undercoated chassis. Surprisingly tidy and complete engine bay. Not a dog, but a car like his really deserves better than a half-done restoration. It’s a strong candidate for redoing the cosmetics and enjoying. – Mark V dropheads like this are frequently restored to concours winning condition and offer a desirable combination of style, decent weather protection and reliable performance from their pre-war 3 1/2 liter sixes. This result recognizes the mediocrity and age of its preparation and presentation and is an appropriate price for this example.Lot # 41 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 Coupe; S/N 194377S106901; Silver Pearl, Black stinger/Black vinyl; Estimate $175,000 – $225,000; Older restoration, 2 condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $132,500 – 427/435hp, Tri-power, 4.11 Positraction, turbine wheels, Firestone red line tires, side exhaust, tinted glass, radio, dash clock. – Represented as matching numbers. Very good paint and chrome. A few small chips and scratches on the fender vents. Paint run right behind the passenger’s side door. Rear window trim isn’t flush. Two small chips right behind the hood. Excellent interior. Rotisserie restored 10 years ago and used very lightly since. – Not sold at Mecum Kissimmee in 2014 and 2015 respectively bid to $135,000 and $100,000. This car stood out more here than it did in the ocean of Corvettes at Kissimmee, but there were fewer bidders in the room and it still didn’t bring what it deserves, although this time the high bid was close.Lot # 42 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC Coupe, Body by Pininfarina; S/N 9829; Verde Pino/Tan leather; Estimate $900,000 – $1,050,000; Older restoration, 2 condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $625,000 – Centerlock alloy wheels, Yokohama tires, Ansa exhaust, woodrim steering wheel, power windows, Veglia dash clock, Pioneer cassette stereo, air conditioning.. – Sound older paint and chrome with no blemishes. Some blisters on the wheels. Excellent interior. Light road dirt underneath. Not fresh, but doesn’t need anything. A pretty car in an unusual but attractive color. – It’s not surprising this car didn’t change hands at the reported high bid.Lot # 44 1976 Toyota FJ43 Land Cruiser Soft Top 4×4; S/N FJ4341712; Red/Black vinyl; Beige cloth top; Estimate $65,000 – $85,000; Truck restoration, 2 condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $36,500 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $40,150 – Hub caps, dual mirrors, rear-mounted spare wheel, troop carrier seats, barn doors, later Alpine stereo. – Speedo in kph, probably one of many brought in from Central America. White grille trim isn’t flush. Some paint coming off of the front wheel hubs. Solid repaint. Very good top. Good and restored underneath. Very good interior. Standard, fresh truck restoration on a relatively rare body style. – By the time the restoration was finished on this FJ43, it had missed the boat on FJ-mania. Its strong condition and rare body style make it a stand out and if it sold last year it likely would have brought a much higher number. FJ prices are all over the lot, nearly impossible to predict, but even at that this is a sound value.Lot # 48 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster; S/N WP0EB0914KS173247; Guards Red/Black; Black cloth top; Estimate $190,000 – $240,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $185,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $203,500 – Black Fuchs wheels, Fuzion tires, snorkely brake light, power windows, climate control, Blaupunkt cassette stereo. – Clean, straight top. Very good original paint. Very good, barely worn original interior. Almost like new. – It used to seem like these cars, of which only about 800 were sold in the US, were rare. Given their explosion in value, though, many have been coming to market. The seller was reasonable to hold out when this car didn’t sell at Mecum Monterey last year at a high bid of $175,000. It had better luck in Amelia and brought an appropriate price which was wisely accepted even though it’s only $10,000 more on the hammer.
Motostalgia Amelia Island 2016 – Auction Report Page Three
Lot # 53 1999 Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster; S/N ZA9RU31B1XLA12348; Black/Tan leather; Estimate $340,000 – $385,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $275,000 – OZ wheels, Brembo brakes with cross-drilled rotors, Pirelli P Zero tires, wing, power windows, climate control, Alpine CD stereo. – Original with 8,035 careful miles. Seats show light wear, notably more so on the driver’s side, but the rest of the interior is almost like new. Very good original paint with no blemishes. There are no visual issues, although no service history is represented. – An impressively maintained Diablo in menacing black but the reported high bid is entirely realistic for it.Lot # 55 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham 4-Dr. Hardtop; S/N 58P007550; Deauville Gray, Brushed steel roof/Blue leather with cloth inserts; Estimate $175,000 – $225,000; Cosmetic restoration, 2- condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $125,000 – Tri-power, wheel covers, Silvertown narrow whitewalls, suicide rear doors, air suspension, Hydramatic, bench seat, armrest, column shift, Autronic Eye, pushbutton radio, power windows. – Very tiny dent at the front of the hood. Very lightly pitted and scratched window frames. Gap between the doors that you can see through. Very good paint and brushed roof. Excellent interior. Good older chrome. 2009 cosmetic restoration and retrofitted with air suspension. It has a ton of presence and eyeball thanks in large part to what it is, and it reveals its flaws only upon closer inspection. Not a show winner, but still impressive. – Sold by RM in Plymouth in 2014 for $187,000, then sold by Auctions America in Hilton Head last year for $121,000. The Hilton Head result was appropriate for an imperfect example then and it still is today, so the reported high bid should have seen the car off to a new home.Lot # 56 1969 Jaguar XKE SII Roadster; S/N 1R7694; Primrose Yellow/Black leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $85,000 – $105,000; Older restoration, 3- condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $76,000 – Centerlock wire wheels, Cooper Trendsetter narrow whitewalls, black cloth boot cover, woodrim steering wheel, BMC pushbutton radio. – Touched up chips at the back of the bonnet. Two chips on the nose. Masking errors around the door edges. Lots of chips at the back of the driver’s side door. The original gauges are so cloudy that looking at them will make you think you have cataracts. Dull switchgear. Good upholstery. Pretty colors, but nothing better than a mediocre driver. – Not sold at Mecum Monterey last year at a high bid of $61,000. Holding off on that bid was excusable, but third time likely won’t be a charm for this SII Roadster. The reported high bid was as much as the car deserves, and the seller is unlikely to find a much higher offer elsewhere.Lot # 59 2011 Ferrari 599 SA Aperta Convertible; S/N ZFF72RHL2B0182599; Nero Daytona Metallic/Tan; Estimate $1,100,000 – $1,250,000; Not evaluated; With Reserve; Post-block sale at $1,136,364 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,250,000 – Not U.S. certified. – Not available on-site for inspection but described as like new with 180 miles. – In some of the most bizarre auction offerings in memory this essentially brand new 599 SA Aperta and its counterpart Lot # 64, a 599 GTO, was located in Mexico and offered sight-unseen. The concept could only have appealed to a bidder from a non-U.S. location, who were thin on the ground in Amelia Saturday evening. There was no apparent real bidding on it and the charade ended at a reported bid of $875,000. It is reported sold on Motostalgia’s website for $1,250,000 all-in which is highly optimistic for a car with such restrictions on its useLot # 64 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO Coupe; S/N ZFF70RFL8B0178599; Red, Black roof/Black, Red Alcantara; Estimate $750,000 – $850,000; Not evaluated, condition; With Reserve; Post-block sale at $700,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $770,000 – Not U.S. certified. – Not available on-site for inspection but described as like new with either 84 or 22 miles in different places in the catalog. – Like its counterpart the 599 SA Aperta lot #59, this non-U.S. 599 GTO was located in Mexico and offered here sight-unseen. The seller offered to fly a successful bidder to Monterrey to inspect and approve it, but then what? Drive it back to the border and leave it there for weekend drives in Mexico? It is a Latin American spec car (the ‘L’ in the VIN’s 8th position). There are U.S. spec 599 GTOs (like the one RM sold a few hours earlier for $687,500) which makes a Show and Display exemption unlikely. Its offering was a bizarre moment and it brought no visible bidding interest. The auctioneer stopped at $600,000, but is reported sold later on Motostalgia’s website for $770,000 all-in which hardly seems to take into account the geographic restrictions on using it.Lot # 66 1931 Packard Deluxe Eight-Series 840 Phaeton, Body by Dietrich; S/N 188034; Maroon/Dark Green leather; Beige cloth top; Estimate $65,000 – $85,000; Cosmetic restoration, 4+ condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $61,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $67,100 – White wire wheels with hub caps, Lester wide whitewalls, Depress Beam headlamps, dual sidemount spares with mirrors and Bedford tires, wind wings, rear luggage rack with trunk, pull up seats in back. – Missing radiator cap. Bad faded, cracked, drippy paint. Shabby top. Cracked whitewalls. Cracked running boards. Shabby trunk, sound older upholstery. Clean, seemingly complete underbody and engine bay. Terrible aesthetics and sound underneath. Cosmetically restored decades ago and not all that well cared for since. A solid restoration candidate, but an eyesore as it was presented here. – The seller should be very pleased with this result. The buyer now has a potentially great car with desirable open Dietrich coachwork, a good basis for a thorough restoration.Lot # 67 1976 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II 4-Dr. Sedan; S/N LRE23172; Gray Metallic, Black, Black padded roof/Black leather; Estimate $25,000 – $35,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3+ condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $18,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $19,800 – Wheel covers, Yokohama narrow whitewalls, vinyl roof, Turbo Hydramatic, wood dash and window trim, power windows, modern Pioneer stereo with large GPS screen and CD insert cut into the console, aftermarket automatic locks and alarm. – Some paint flaking off of the wheel covers. Up to date maintenance. Slightly faded, mostly original paint. The gray paint is all new and high quality. Dry plastic bumpers. Two touched up chips on the driver’s side door. Good, sound roof vinyl. Fading and cracks on the tail and trunk lid. Very good original interior. Good, original wood. A mostly original car equipped with a few modern convenience upgrades and with conventional suspension in place of the original self-leveling hydraulic system. – A bit of style, but an unloved model. If it runs reasonably well it could earn its keep as an Uber or Lyft car, which may be its highest and best use.
Can you at some point in time give details of cars No. 1,2 3 & 4 condition. Can you describe to what ‘degree’ each number means ?
Hi Stephen – Hopefully this will help:
https://sportscardigest.com/auctions-explained-a-note-on-conditions-and-character/
What did the 1988 CE Carrera sell for? I spend an hour looking over that car before the auction but I couldn’t get on it because when I left my car broke down and I couldn’t make it back in time. Is there any way to find out where the car went? I would like to contact the owner to see if he would be interested in selling.