The RM Sotheby’s Duemila Ruote auction was staged November 25-27 in Milan, Italy, resulting in €51,263,270 in total sales from the 817 lots offered at the no-reserve event.
Coinciding with the Milano AutoClassica, the RM Sotheby’s event represented the largest automotive-themed collection sale ever held in Europe. During 30 hours of auctions, 817 lots — comprising a selection of motor cars, motorcycles, bicycles, boats and automobilia, all from one single private collection — were sold at the Fiera Milano.
Augustin Sabatié-Garat, Car Specialist, RM Sotheby’s commented: “It feels like we achieved the impossible here in Milan this week. The logistical challenges involved with putting on this sale are mind-boggling, but we have risen to the challenge and achieved results that nobody could have anticipated. The auction venue alongside the Milano AutoClassica was busier than we have ever seen in a sale room.”
For auto enthusiasts, the collection’s 423 motor cars, many of which were seen on the open market for the first time in decades, presented a range of ownership opportunities at every level. In a field dominated by Italian machinery, top sales honors went to the 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy; the first of seven long-nose, six-carburetor, alloy body, torque tube 275 GTBs sold for €3.416.000. Another star of the show, the 2004 Maserati MC12, sporting less than 6,000kms, stormed into the record books at €3.024.000, setting the previous auction record by a considerable margin.
Although there are too many highlights to list individually, other notable sales included the Lancia-built, Ferrari-engined 1991 Lancia-Ferrari LC2 Group C for €851.200; a 1994 Bugatti EB110 GT for an above-estimate €616.000; a rare manual 2007 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano also eclipsed its estimate at €537.600; and a ‘project’ 1952 Aston Martin DB2 DHC achieved €504.000.
Strong results were not restricted to just the top-tier vehicles, rather witnessed across all price points. As a category, rally cars of the 1980s and ’90s proved particularly hot, as reflected in prices for the 1992 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Group A ‘Jolly Club’ at €336.000 (against a pre-sale estimate of €160.000 – €180.000) and the 1989 Lancia Delta HF Integrale 16V ‘Ufficiale’ at a final €246.400. Then there was the group of almost 60 Porsche 911 variants, highlighted by a 1996 Porsche 993 GT2, which exceeded estimate at €616.000, not to forget 21 Jaguar E-Types, led by a 1963 Jaguar E-Type S1 3.8 OTS, which garnered €173.600 against a pre-sale estimate of €65.000 – €75.000.
Beyond the automobiles, interest was also recorded for other categories included in the sale. A 2008 Ducati Desmosedici led the group of 155 motorcycles at €70.200; the 1984 CUV Lamborghini #1 Offshore Class 1 ‘Miura’, powered by two giant Lamborghini V-12s, dominated the fleet of 55 boats at €117.000; and a Vintage Fire Service Bicycle spearheaded the docket of 140 bicycles at €10.530. Even the Jaguar D-Type Children’s Car ignited spirited bidding, selling for €30.420.
RM Sotheby’s Duemila Ruote – Top Ten Auction Results
1. 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy (Chassis 08311) – €3,416,000
2. 2004 Maserati MC12 (Chassis ZAMDF44B000012100) – €3,024,000
3. 1992 Ferrari F40 (Chassis ZFFGJ34B000091464) – €1,030,400
4. 1988 Porsche 959 ‘Komfort’ (Chassis WP0ZZZ95ZJS900133) – €1,008,000
5. 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta ‘Plexi’ (Chassis 12905) – €873,600
6. 1991 Lancia-Ferrari LC2 Group C (Chassis 0009) – €851,200
7. 2005 Porsche Carrera GT (Chassis WP0ZZZ98Z5L000216) – €761,600
8. 1969 Ferrari 365 GTC (Chassis 11981) – €739,200
9. 1994 Bugatti EB110 GT (Chassis ZA9AB01E0RCD39068) – €616,000
9. 1996 Porsche 993 GT2 (Chassis WP0ZZZ99ZTS393082) – €616,000
For complete auction results, visit www.rmsothebys.com.
The event was unprecedented on all levels. From the moment preview opened on Thursday, thousands of enthusiasts, including bidders from 57 countries, flocked to the Fiera Milano to preview lots. With standing-room-only across all three sale sessions, 83 percent of bidders represented first-time clients to RM, with interest registered from collectors in the emerging markets of Russia, Brazil, Turkey, the Middle East and Asia.
The event was pulled off by RM Sotheby’s in 10 weeks from the time the company was awarded the business through to this past weekend’s event. During this time, a team of nine people from four countries spent 21 days cataloguing and photographing the collection; thousands of catalogues were distributed; and, the massive collection, which had previously filled 11 warehouses in Northern Italy, was transported from Venice to Milan by approximately 100 transport trucks. The collection was then displayed in over 200,000 square feet at the Fiera Milano — the equivalent of four football fields.
Augustin Sabatié-Garat, continued: “During approximately 30 hours of frantic bidding, we fielded five individual auctioneers working in shifts to deal with the stream of bidding that was generated within the room, on the phones and on the internet. Proving how attractive a ‘no reserve’ auction can be, we had more than 1000 internet bidders, while some lots required over 20 active telephone lines. This sale has proved beyond doubt that the classic car market continues be very strong with continued interest from all sectors of the market.”
RM Sotheby’s heads to Daytona, Florida this weekend (3 December) for the charity auction of the 500th LaFerrari. Joining forces with Ferrari, the charity sale will lift the gavel on the last LaFerrari coupe that will come out of the Maranello factory. The car was created especially by Ferrari to benefit the reconstruction of Central Italy in the aftermath of the earthquakes of 2016.
*Results are listed in Euros and inclusive of 12 percent buyer’s premium for automobiles and 17 percent for all other lots. Exchange rate used: €1 = 0.86 GBP, $1.07 USD
[Source: RM Sotheby’s]
