The inaugural Bonhams Amelia Island 2015 Auction was held Thursday, March 12 at the Fernandina Beach Golf Club on Amelia Island, resulting in $13.95 million in total sales and a 79% sell-through rate. The newest addition to the Amelia Island Concours Classic Car Week saw pre-war American cars sell strongly and models from Alfa Romeo, BMW and Porsche set new auction records.
The top result at the debut Bonhams Amelia Island 2015 sale went to the preserved 1930 Cord Model L-29 Town Car with coachwork by Murphy that sold to a US collector for $1,760,000.The restored ex-Lindley Bothwell and D. Cameron Peck 1908 American Underslung Roadster set an auction record – beating Bonhams’ previous world record – at $1,738,000, the ex-Simeone collection 1932 Stutz DV32 Super Bearcat made $1,012,000, the 1912 Peerless Model 60 Runabout sold for $440,000 and the 1911 EMF Model 30 Factory Racer was bought for $242,000.
European and British cars also fared well at Bonhams’ Amelia Concours weekend sale. The 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Transformable Phaeton previously owned by Marlene Dietrich sold for $742,500 and the 1925 Bentley 3-Liter Four Seat Tourer achieved $462,000.
Notable German and Italian results included the 1981 BMW M1 Coupe that realized $605,000, the 1952 Alfa Romeo 1900C Sprint Coupe that sold for $415,800 and the 1980 Ferrari 512 BB made $359,700 – all new auction records for those models.
Rupert Banner, Bonhams Motoring Department’s Vice President of Business Development, said, “We couldn’t be more pleased with the results. The community of Fernandina Beach, particularly the mayor, city council and the folks at Micah’s Place were tremendously supportive and welcoming and it made for a very conducive and enjoyable event.” He adds, “The results point to continued strength in the market with particular emphasis on rare, original condition pre-war American marques, as well as top-tier mid to late century European sports cars.”
“Amelia Island has once again demonstrated Bonhams’ great strength in representing motorcars across a broad spectrum of genres,” commented James Knight, Bonhams’ Group Motoring Director. “Whether it’s a Brass Era motorcar, pre-war classic or modern era supercar, our in-house expertise and breadth of knowledge has become key in achieving these record prices.”
Bonhams Amelia Island 2015 – Top Five Auction Results
1. 1930 Cord Model L-29 Town Car by Murphy – $1,760,000
2. 1908 American Underslung Roadster – $1,738,000
3. 1932 Stutz DV32 Super Bearcat – $1,012,000
4. 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Transformable Phaeton – $742,500
5. 1981 BMW M1 Coupe – $605,000
For complete results, visit Bonhams.com/Amelia.
[Source: Bonhams; photo: Pawel Litwinski]
