There was small, discrete vinyl press-on lettering on the façade of Sotheby’s New York headquarters during the RM Sotheby’s “Driven by Disruption” auction. Almost hidden behind the revolving door’s drum on the uptown side, it said: “RM Auctions, Inc. d/b/a RM Sotheby’s”.
In the packed auction room (Fire Marshal’s capacity 960 and filled to Standing Room Only that challenged the rated occupancy) there was little Sotheby’s presence. Phones, bid-spotters, Max Girardo and Alain Squindo on the block, Rob working the bidders: this was an RM classic car production on the big stage in the Big Apple.
What little there was of Sotheby’s presence consisted mostly of carefully turned out barely wet-behind-the-ears associates, notable for their stylish New York black-and-white attire, taking in the unusual scene. They weren’t quite slack-jawed at the RM show, but close.
The 10th floor preview area was, as it was two years ago, lushly presented. Access was limited, but rarely presented a real problem and if a respite from great cars was needed there was an adjacent preview for to-die-for mechanical watches. Troupes of handlers walked through pushing carts of carefully covered up timepieces on their way to the auction room, shadowed by watchful guys almost certainly licensed and carrying.
The consignment was down slightly, from 35 to 31 lots, and the sell-through also was well below the 90+% RM Sotheby’s has achieved in most of its recent auctions. However the total sale at $72.5 million was well above the $62.6 million of 2013.
While the sale’s popular sensation was the $1.76 million sale of Janis Joplin’s Porsche 356 SC Cabriolet, it wasn’t wholly unexpected. The car guys in the room, on the other hand, were aghast at the $3.74 million realized for the Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow sedan, another notch in the belt of a healthy and largely fad-resistant Classic Car market.
Only one of the Ferraris did anything spectacular, and it wasn’t the headline consignment 290MM at $28 million. The Ferrari surprise was the Enzo, which brought $3.3 million, a step up on the order of two times from other recent (non-Papal) Enzo transactions.
Overall, good sense prevailed, setting a sound and rational baseline for the upcoming Arizona auctions.
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RM Sotheby’s New York City 2015 – Auction Report
Lot # 201 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe, Body by Pininfarina-Scaglietti; S/N 16951; Engine # B1934; Black/Red leather, Black bars; Estimate $800,000 – $1,000,000; Recent restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $770,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $847,000. With Reserve. Becker Mexico cassette, air conditioning, power windows, headrests, chrome spoke Borrani wire wheels, Michelin X tires, U.S.-spec popup lights, manuals, tools, jack. – Very good paint, chrome, interior and engine compartment. Restored like new without excess. An 8-time FCA Platinum Award winner including Coppa Bella Machina. Ferrari Classiche certified despite having a later Euro-spec engine – Offered at Rick Cole’s Monterey auction in 1992 where it was bid to $175,000 and was in essentially the same condition as it was today, it was re-restored in 2004 and is still impeccable. Bought realistically for the replacement engine, it represents a sound value for the money.Lot # 202 1972 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Coupe, Body by Bertone; S/N 5014; Engine # 30700; Giallo Miura (Orange), Silver sills/Black leather; Estimate $2,400,000 – $2,800,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $2,200,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $2,420,000. With Reserve. Power windows, Pirelli CN12 tires, owner’s handbook, tools, jack, split sump. – Freshly restored to better than new without going too far. Described as all original body panels. Maybe not beyond perfect, but so close as not to be far off. – It’s hard to beat a Miura, especially in its most fully developed SV split sump configuration, and they have been on a roll among discerning collectors later. If this isn’t the best one in the world it’s hard to imagine how another could be better, which for a trophy car is a trophy purchase. It’s never been shown and the new owner should have a great time taking it on a grand tour of concours for the next couple of years then, having taken the edge off, taking out to experience its magnanimous performance. The price is not quite a Miura benchmark, but if anything is a better (and far more fresh) car than the one that by a smidgen holds that honor, RM’s Pinnacle Portfolio s/n 4906 at Monterey in August.Lot # 203 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante; S/N 57766; Engine # 57C; Dark Blue, Black/Tan pigskin; Estimate $2,200,000 – $2,500,000; Concours restoration, 1 condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $1,700,000. With Reserve. RHD. Chrome wire wheels, Marchal headlights. – Concours restored. – This is a fascinating history in a single car with tales to tell both of configuration and originality. Let’s start with Christie’s Greenwich auction in 2007 where this car, stored for 45 years in the outbuildings of John Straus’s Westchester estate, emerged in as-found condition. It had been displayed at the 1939 New York World’s Fair with Stelvio Cabriolet coachwork (first owned by Nicholas Embiricos), swapped for this body in the 1940’s when both it and s/n 57733 with this body were owned by Ray Murray. Al Garthwaite then bought and raced it including at Watkins Glen and Bridgehampton in 1948. Garthwaite sold it to Dr. Sam Scher, perhaps the original adherent of ‘Pebble Beach’ restorations, from whom John Straus acquired it. Laden with squirrel nut shells, but all there and complete, at Greenwich it was the ultimate barn find, a complete car with all its parts and completely as-delivered by Bugatti except the body swap. Resuscitated by Scott Sargent so it ran and drove, it did the ‘Preservation’ circuit, then was sold by RM in London in October 2008 for $1,029,015. A complete restoration then followed, also by Scott Sargent, to the present impeccable standards of fit, finish and function. Subsequently displayed at Pebble Beach (2nd in class), it sold for $2,035,000 ($1,850,000 hammer) at Gooding’s Scottsdale auction in 2013. It is a gorgeous car, beautifully presented and with coachwork that is barely surpassed by the few, incredibly expensive, Bugatti Type 57 Atlantics. Yet, from 2007 to 2015, with a meticulous and fabulously expensive restoration in between, it has served its concours-queen purpose and has been reduced to just another Atalante. With today’s ‘barn-find’ fascination what would it be worth, running and driving, preserved largely as-found in John Straus’s Westchester barn? Its below-estimate no-sale bid here is an endorsement of the preservation ethic of Dr. Fred Simeone and Miles Collier. It’s lost its essence and, as beautiful as it is, is just another restored Atalante, a great history subsumed by shiny paint and fastidious attention to details. The tragedy is that it can never be un-done; its vestiges of history are lost forever.Lot # 204 1991 Ferrari Testarossa Coupe; S/N ZFFSM17A1M0087139; Engine # 24933; Black/Black leather; Estimate $400,000 – $500,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $290,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $319,000. No Reserve. Air conditioning, no books or tools. – One owner from new, always stored at the selling dealer in St. Catherine’s, Ontario, driven 300km since new, just around the block a few times. Belt serviced in 1999 and 2007, fluids changed and front brakes rebuilt in 2014. A beautifully preserved time capsule. Excellent original paint and interior. Like new. – Cosmetically like new, perhaps, but with so few mile and only intermittent service putting it back on the road is fraught with uncertainty. There is, however, probably no Nero/Nero Testarossa around with so few miles and it brought a healthy premium price even in an accelerating Testarossa market. It may be a quarter under the optimistic low estimate but it is still a benchmark price.Lot # 205 1954 Pegaso Z-102 3.2 Berlinetta, Body by Touring; S/N 1021500150; Engine # 01020170150; Green/Green, Tan leather; Estimate $800,000 – $1,000,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $675,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $742,500. With Reserve. Chrome wire wheels, Dunlop blackwall tires, luggage, heater, Marchal head and fog lights, original spare tire and tool kit. – Raced in period by its first owner, Spanish Conte de Caralt, upgraded in period to a renumbered 3.2 liter engine. With the present fourth owner since 1981. Indifferent old repaint with many edge chips and stars on and around the deck lid. Weak trim chrome. Sound upholstery and loosely fit carpets. Clean and orderly engine compartment but not restored. Underbody resprayed over old undercoat. Heater has no hoses. A beautiful car in mediocre but largely original and reassuringly honest condition. – In contrast to the Bugatti Type 57C Atalante this is the essence of cherished, preserved (if not original) condition, a four Spanish owner car with [local] racing history, cosmetic attention but never restored in the present sense. The catalog wasted time on the efforts of a ‘totalitarian dictatorship … to further Spain’s reputation by building a world-beating sports car’. In fact this was former Alfa Romeo chief engineer Wilfred Ricart’s masterpiece, a 4-cam V-8 built to Grand Prix standards, slipped into a GP class chassis with independent front suspension and De Dion rear axle with a 5-speed gearbox and seductive alloy coachwork by Touring. The claim of 223hp from its 3.2 liter engine might be questioned, but the Pegaso’s performance and technical specifications put it among a small cadre of seriously sassy Fifties’ models, with performance and style that make BMW 507s pale in contrast. This is choice example with documented 4-owner history, a connoisseur’s collector car that brought a reasonable price for its obscurity but should gratify its new owner with its sophistication, history and style. It is an astute buy in New York where ‘Pegaso’ probably brings to mind Mobil’s flying horse and not Ricart’s masterpiece. There are few better places to spend 3/4 million dollars on a car than this.Lot # 206 1964 Porsche 356 SC Cabriolet, Body by Reutter; S/N 160371; Engine # 811908; Art/Black vinyl; Black cloth top; Estimate $400,000 – $600,000; Visually maintained, largely original, 3- condition; Hammered Sold at $1,600,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,760,000. With Reserve. Blaupunkt multiband radio, chrome wheels, Michelin XZX tires, luggage rack. – Janis Joplin’s ‘History of the Universe’ Porsche. Re-created exterior paint and new upholstery, original interior panels. Decent unrestored gauges and dashboard. New wheels and tires. Painted assembled with masking errors and rust under the sill chrome strips. Dirty underbody with old undercoat. Displayed for two decades at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A cultural artifact, not a car. Offered by the Joplin family, single family ownership from new. – Bought used by Janis Joplin from Otto Zipper and painted with ‘The History of the Universe” hippie style by Dave Richards using house paint, driven daily. Later restored in the original Dolphin Grey, then re-created in the original ‘History of the Universe’ livery in the 1990’s. Brought back to running and driving condition after display in Cleveland by RM Restorations, featured in a January 2016 episode of ‘Chasing Classic Cars’. It doesn’t get much better than this and the Joplin family’s preservation of Janis’s legacy got a big lift. How could such a small person have such a big voice? The price means nothing about 356 SC Cabs, but everything about cultural history and is a lot less than Ringo Starr’s drums. Full credit to RM Auctions and Andy Reid for bringing it to New York and Sotheby’s. Question is, will it show up again in six weeks in Scottsdale where the bidders are old enough to remember Janis?Lot # 207 1965 Jaguar XKE SI 4.2 Roadster; S/N 1E10804; Engine # 7E3286-9; Opalescent Silver Grey/Red leather; Black leatherette top; Estimate $250,000 – $325,000; Concours restoration, 1 condition; Hammered Sold at $270,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $297,000. No Reserve. Chrome wire wheels, Michelin X tires, two tops, tool kit, jack, JDHT certificate. – Done better than new with superb paint, chrome, upholstery and meticulous attention to detail. New floors and sills. Impossible to fault, except for being better than new. – RM hit an out of the park home run here two years ago in their first auction at Sotheby’s New York headquarters, selling a similarly spectacular XKE SI 4.2 for $467,500, but didn’t do so well with this far beyond perfect XKE. Go figure. The New York market can’t be saturated. This car was a good value, even at this price.Lot # 208 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300Sc Coupe; S/N 1880145500025; Engine # 1989805500027; Dark Blue/Grey leather; Estimate $600,000 – $800,000; Older restoration, 2 condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $550,000. With Reserve. Wheel covers, wide whitewalls, US headlights, fog lights, Becker Mexico AM-FM – Restored years ago by Charles Brahms to showroom condition and ageing well with 55,530 miles from new according to the catalog. An outstanding example. – Crammed into a ‘Heavy Classics’ space at Sotheby’s, across the aisle from the 300Sc Cab, this beautiful 300Sc coupe got scant attention, an afterthought, which it does not deserve, but an excellent opportunity for an astute collector to experience a superlative quality automobile’s performance, luxury and presence at a reasonable price. It is surprising that RM|Sotheby’s didn’t make this deal happen if there was money anywhere in the area code.
RM Sotheby’s New York City 2015 – Auction Report Page Two
Lot # 209 1969 Ferrari 206 GT Dino Coupe; S/N 00404; Engine # 1004; Red/Black vinyl, Red cloth; Estimate $700,000 – $850,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $700,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $770,000. With Reserve. Cromodora centerlock alloy wheels, Michelin XWX tires, Carello headlights. 90-inch L-series wheelbase, Ferrari Classiche certified (level not stated.) – Freshly restored to showroom condition with better paint and chrome. Better than perfect. Confirmed by Ferrari Classiche as the first long wheelbase L-series Dino. – Hidden in Japan for many years, freshly restored to high standards, but not stated to have Ferrari Classiche certification, this price is a ‘Holy Mary’ that many attributes can come together to combine the alloy body and 2.0 liter with the later L-series wheelbase. The buyer (and the underbidder) was convinced, and the condition is above reproach. At $33,000 less than the 206 GT Gooding sold at Pebble Beach in August (s/n 00320) it’s a good wager but still in a sizzling market.Lot # 210 1959 BMW 507 Series II Roadster; S/N 70205; Engine # 40230; Black/Red leather; Estimate $2,300,000 – $2,600,000; Older restoration, 3+ condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $1,900,000. With Reserve. Blaupunkt AM-FM, heater. – Good older paint, chrome and interior. Underbody repainted over old undercoat. Orderly but aged engine compartment. A sound and attractive older restoration to the standards of the time. – Offered at Guernsey’s Bridgehampton, LI auction in 1991 reasonably freshly restored with a reported high bid of $357,500 and offered as an Exposition (private treaty) sale at The Auction in Las Vegas in November 1992. Based on viewing the car in Bridgehampton this is the same restoration, remarkably well preserved and holding up extremely well but not to present day standards. It’s now a respectable driver that can be shown with some confidence at the end of a day’s touring and submitting it to a reputable restoration shop will soon blossom into a full-fledged re-restoration appropriate to the reported high bid, not the estimate range. Albrecht Goertz’s design is a milestone, but a milestone for which this example would have been bought respectably, if not generously, at the reported high bid.Lot # 211 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet SI; S/N 0791GT; White/Dark Blue leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $6,000,000 – $7,500,000; Cosmetic restoration, 2- condition; Hammered Sold at $5,200,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $5,720,000. With Reserve. Chrome spoke Borrani wheels, Michelin tires, covered headlights, Michelin head and fog lights, 4-wheel disc brakes. – Owned by Buck Fulp for a year or so until it was traded for a 410 SA. Modified for James Harrison by Pozzi in France with a 400 SA style dashboard and instruments and re-engined later. Bought by Bob Donner in 1971. In 2014 Re-engined by DK Engineering with an inside plug Ferrari Classiche replacement and restored in the original colors. Excellent fresh paint and interior. Good chrome, gauges and black wrinkle dashboard. Very good engine compartment. Old undercoat in the wheelwells and scuffed side window sill trim. Not restored as much as it is very well preserved and given attention as needed. – Sold by Gooding at Scottsdale in 2014 with dark blue paint and the old outside plug engine for $6,160,000 before the extensive recent work by DK Engineering. Its price here is a surprisingly good value and must represent a loss after DK Engineering’s work in mid-six figures since it was acquired two years ago. ‘Not the original engine’ weighs heavily on the buyers’ reception for this beautiful Ferrari Cab.Lot # 212 2006 Lamborghini Concept S Roadster; S/N ZHWGE32T86LA00001; Pearl White/Black leather, White piping; Estimate $2,400,000 – $3,000,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $1,700,000. With Reserve. Polished alloy wheels. – A topless speedster concept with divided cockpit first shown at Geneva in 2005 as a design study, based on a Gallardo platform. This functional prototype was unveiled at Concorso Italiano in 2006. Never brought into production. Shown by Lamborghini at Pebble Beach in 2006 and 2008. One owner from new. A slightly aged show car with negligible miles, reputed to be 180km. – A High Art car with dramatic presence but also rather pointless, having never sired the production examples that cost and the 2008-09 financial crisis pre-empted. It may be unique, but even at that the reported high bid is a lot for a rebodied Gallardo.Lot # 213 1953 Chrysler Special Coupe; S/N 7232631; Light Metallic Green, Dark Metallic Green roof and rockers /; Green leather, White piping top; Estimate $700,000 – $900,000; Concours restoration, 1- condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $550,000. With Reserve. 331/180hp, automatic, P/W, P/B, P/W, P/antenna, pushbutton radio, chrome wire wheels. – Over-restored in the early 80’s by Fran Roxas, then owned by Joe Bortz. Still in nearly concours quality condition and brilliant, showing just a little age in the interior. Superb paint, interior and chrome. – Sold by Joe Bortz to John O’Quinn at RM’s Arizona auction in 2005, then by RM at Meadow Brook for the O’Quinn estate in 2010 for a staggering $858,000. The quality of the Roxas restoration and the care it has subsequently received is apparent by how well it has held up but it would not have been unreasonable if it had sold at the high bid reported here.Lot # 214 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow 4-Dr. Sedan; S/N 2575029; Engine # 360005; Silver, Grey accent/Beige broadcloth; Estimate $2,500,000 – $3,000,000; Older restoration, 1- condition; Hammered Sold at $3,400,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $3,740,000. With Reserve. Chrome wire wheels, wide whitewalls, fender skirts. – Number 3 of the series and one of three known survivors. Possibly the Silver Arrow sedan displayed at the Chicago Century of Progress exposition in 1933. Owned by Charles Overall, then by D. Cameron Peck and Henry Austin Clark, Jr. then still original and unrestored in the late 40’s (when it was still a teenager.) Restored for Clark by Gus Reuter then cosmetically redone in the early 90’s. Very good paint, chrome, upholstery and interior wood. Body sides are lightly wavy. A quality old restoration. – This is a milestone automobile with sleek (if large) fastback coachwork. It also was far and away the most dramatic bidding at RM|Sotheby’s New York City auction, a protracted contest between two bidders, both in the room, that produced the best – at least as judged by the increment over the high estimate – of any transaction in the sale. Is it the Century of Progress Silver Arrow? No one really knows and the representation is based solely upon inference and supposition but it’s a good bet and a gorgeous automobile. Some cars have always been valuable, or at least appreciated by individuals like Peck and Clark by whom quality and design were instantly recognized. This is one of themLot # 215 1962 Aston Martin DB4GT Coupe, Body by Zagato; S/N DB4GT0186R; Engine # 370/186/GT; Metallic Medium Green/Green leather; Estimate $15,000,000 – $17,000,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $13,000,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $14,300,000. With Reserve. RHD. Overdrive, chrome wire wheels. – Delivered new to Laurie O’Neill and driven for him by O’Neill, Doug Whiteford and Ian Georghegan. Restored by Richard Williams and Zagato in 2002 with many class and show awards. Excellent paint, interior and chrome. Satin finish side window trim is fresh and attractive. Underbody and engine are better than new and show no apparent age or use. – One of the most svelte, sleek designs of all time, a wonderful collaboration between Aston Martin and Zagato that has all the feral, feline appeal of a 250 GT SWB, and then some. The presentation is above reproach despite being used on tours and it is a show-stopping presence. RM has had a monopoly on DB4GT Zagatos in 21st century auctions, selling most recently 0190L in 2005 for $2,695,000. This result in contrast, especially for a RHD example in a LHD setting, is breathtaking, even well under the low estimate.Lot # 216 1953 Ferrari 250 Europa Coupe, Body by Vignale; S/N 0313 EU; Engine # 0331 EU; Bruno Siena, Brown roof/Beige leather, Brown piping; Estimate $3,800,000 – $4,500,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $3,000,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $3,300,000. With Reserve. Chrome spoke outside laced Borranis, Pirelli blackwall tires, heater, studded woodrim steering wheel, matching suitcase, Ferrari Classiche certified (with new Classiche-cast block), Claydon heater. – 1954 New York Auto Show with unique coachwork by Vignale. Convoluted history but finally restored to its as-built configuration with a correct series engine in late 2011. Very good paint, chrome and interior in the original colors. Engine compartment and chassis are like new. A quality restoration to like new standards with meticulous attention to details. FCA Platinum award winner, among many other awards. Eye-candy. – Sold by Bonhams at Quail Lodge in 2013 for $2,805,000 and today in equally good, if not better, condition with with 76 more kilometers on its odometer. It is as refreshing now as it was two years ago to see it in its correct original colors and is every bit the dramatic, nearly singular, design that Vignale excelled in conception and creation. Bought right, and a damper on overblown V12 Ferrari ebullience.Lot # 217 1981 BMW M1 Coupe; S/N WBS59910004301426; Engine # M88503; Arctic White/Black leather, Grey cloth; Estimate $800,000 – $1,000,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $675,000. With Reserve. Air conditioning, Becker Mexico cassette. – Unsold when new and stored in Italy and the US until 2015. New and essentially unused with 684 km on its odometer. Engine compartment is essentially untouched and showing little age but has been freshened mechanically for reliable operation. – An amazing history for a desirable automobile. Worth $600,000 or so in highly original condition (but nowhere close to this as-built, delivery mileage, example), the premium offered here is modest, but anything more requires a collector willing to preserve it in a bubble to retain the low miles, a rare find for a car with performance that is almost too tempting not to be experienced. It’s a car that will depreciate with every km driven, and just 316 more will put its odometer into four-digits. It is going to be hard to find the singular buyer willing to meet the expectations implicit in the estimate range.
RM Sotheby’s New York City 2015 – Auction Report Page Three
Lot # 218 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring Coupe; S/N 9113601018; Engine # 6630992; Signal Yellow, Black Carrera/Black vinyl, corduroy; Estimate $900,000 – $1,100,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $835,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $918,500. With Reserve. Air conditioning, Becker Mexico cassette, Fuchs wheels, Pirelli tires, sliding sunroof, headrest seats, manual, tools, jack, spare, valet key. – Excellent new paint, interior and bright trim. Even the anodized side window moldings are flawless. Spotless engine compartment just like it came out of the factory. A professional restoration to the highest standards by Gunnar Racing. – It is hard to imagine that there is a better one out there, having scored 296.7 of 300 points in 2008 PCA judging and being impeccably maintained since. The price is fully deserved.Lot # 219 2003 Ferrari Enzo Coupe; S/N ZFFCW56A130135440; Engine # 79706; Red/Black leather; Estimate $3,000,000 – $3,500,000; Unrestored original, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $3,000,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $3,300,000. With Reserve. Assembly # 52427. – 560 miles and two owners from new. Scheduled 5,000 mile service done earlier this year. – This is a blinding price for an Enzo, even with so few miles. Its second owner was boxer Floyd Mayweather, but he’s not the Pope, nor even half-a-Pope, to account for the price it brought.Lot # 220 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300Sc Roadster; S/N 1880156500069; Engine # 19998006500071; Dark Blue/Tan leather; Blue cloth top; Estimate $1,200,000 – $1,400,000; Older restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $975,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,072,500. With Reserve. Bosch Euro headlights and fog lights, chrome wheels, wide whitewalls, fitted luggage, Becker Mexico AM-FM. – An older restoration by Charles Brahms that has been meticulously maintained and preserved. Excellent paint, chrome, interior woodwork, upholstery and trim. – This is a million-dollar car, bought for a million-dollar price. The consignor may have hoped for a bit more in the image-conscious New York City market, but took real money for a real car.Lot # 221 1956 Ferrari 290 MM Sports Racer, Body by Scaglietti; S/N 0626; Engine # 0626; Red, Blue, yellow nose band/Tan cord; Estimate $28,000,000 – $32,000,000; Competition restoration, 2 condition; Hammered Sold at $25,500,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $28,050,000. With Reserve. RHD. Driver’s head fairing, passenger’s metal tonneau cover, single aeroscreen, silver painted wire wheels, covered Marchal headlights. Ferrari Classiche certified. – Built by Ferrari for Fangio to driven in the 1956 Mille Miglia where he was 4th overall in a solo drive. Later driven by Phil Hill, Masten Gregory, Luigi Musso, Eugenio Castellotti, Alfonso de Portago, Olivier Gendebien, Wolfgang von Trips, Joakim Bonnier, Peter Collins, Paul O’Shea and Manfredo Lippman, a drivers’ list perhaps never equaled by any car, but only once a winner, at Buenos Aires in 1957 with Gregory/Musso/Castellotti. Later part of the Bardinon collection. Very good paint and upholstery, orderly and little used under the car with a little road dirt accumulation. Engine compartment and chassis are like new. Done like it should be, carefully used and conscientiously maintained. – Displayed by RM|Sotheby’s in its own crypt with looping video and sound and a wall of honor with many of its nearly peerless pantheon of drivers, this Ferrari is an interesting challenge. No matter its competition history it is one of Ferrari’s greats with a huge 3.5 liter Lampredi-based, Jano-refined V12. But it never won anything of consequence beyond Buenos Aires, despite legendary pilots. Widely reported as being offered for some time with a breathtaking asking price it sold here at a moderate, reasonable price and can be considered a sound value for its specifications, history and condition.Lot # 222 1963 Pontiac Bonneville ‘Roy Rogers’ Nudie Mobile Convertible; S/N 863S02964; White/Saddle leather; White vinyl top; Estimate $250,000 – $350,000; Original, with non-original appearance items, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $280,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $308,000. With Reserve. 389/303hp, automatic, power steering, power brakes, 8-lug wheels, narrow whitewalls. – Elaborately decorated by Nudie Cohn with silver dollars, a silver-mounted saddle on the transmission tunnel, tooled leather upholstery, six gun handles, longhorns in front, Winchester rifles on the rear quarters and more. Tonneau cover signed by Nudie’s clients including Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. Later part of the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans museum and used by them for parades and promotions. Chipped and dull old paint. Good upholstery under clear plastic seat covers. Original underbody. Scuffed window trim. A piece of cowboy art on a big, largely original Bonneville. – Surprisingly popular among the New York bidders for a car more appropriate to Branson or Texas than the Big Apple. Maybe the Wall Street types counted the silver dollars and valued it as a hedge on the silver market; as such it might be a surprisingly good investment but it is even better as a traffic-stopper.Lot # 223 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing ‘Sportabteilung’; S/N 1980405500640; Engine # 1989805500659; Silver/Red leather, plaid cloth; Estimate $5,000,000 – $7,000,000; Cosmetic restoration, 3 condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $4,200,000. With Reserve. Rudge wheels, Michelin XVS tires, hinged steering wheel, no belly pans, Hella halogen headlights, Marchal fog lights. – One of four Gullwings prepared and modified for competition by the M-B Sportabteilung department, one of two known survivors. No known factory racing history but driven by Stirling Moss with Georges Houel as co-driver in the 1956 Tour de France Auto, finishing second overall, and later by Houel in France, then dormant for many years. Belly pan (hanging on the wall) signed by Moss. Good recent repaint, scuffed old bumper chrome, fair interior with sloppy fits. Polished aluminum intake plenum and runners. Repainted engine compartment with dusty corners. Old undercoat in wheelwells. A sound and usable driver. – The catalog remarks on the ‘Sportagbteilung’ Gullwings’ record as a ‘little-known chapter’ and that goes a long way to explaining the difference between the bidders’ opinion of its value and the consignor’s expectations. This is a car that should have made a number of appearances in historic events and concours (despite the mediocrity of its cosmetic restoration) to help build recognition of its history before bringing it into the market. Now it’s been exposed and declined by the buyers.Lot # 224 1955 Ferrari 500 Mondial Sports Racer, Body by Scaglietti; S/N 0424MD(0564MD); Engine # 0424MD; Light Blue/Blue vinyl, Beige stripes; Estimate $5,000,000 – $7,000,000; Competition restoration, 3+ condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $4,450,000. With Reserve. RHD. Driver’s head fairing, single wraparound driver’s windscreen, metal cover over the passenger’s seat, silver painted Borrani RW3102 wire wheels, Marchal head and fog lights. – Built as 0564MD but stamped 0424MD to avoid tax. Indifferent results in only two period events, then returned to Ferrari where it sat until 1975 then passed through several hands and used in many historic events. Stripped of Ferrari’s hasty coat of red and put back to doing what it does best, running the Mille Miglia Storica in 2009 and 2011. Engine freshly rebuilt by Hall & Hall. Buffed through, touched up and clearcoated old paint. Cracked and stiff but complete old upholstery. New wheels and new old style Michelin Pilote X tires. Orderly but aged chassis, interior and engine. An impressive example of how to preserve but still use an old race car. – While the originality of this Mondial is exceptional the lack of any significant in-period racing history is a challenge. The reported high bid here reflects a generous premium for originality and it is likely that a bid more could have seen it change hands. Unfortunately, the bid didn’t emerge and the car will have to try again, but it is a rare opportunity to get a marvelous early 4-cylinder Ferrari sports-racer.
RM Sotheby’s New York City 2015 – Auction Report Page Four
Lot # 225 1953 Ferrari 212 Inter Coupe, Body by Vignale; S/N 0257EU; Engine # 0257EU; Black, Metallic Green roof and fins/Green leather; Estimate $2,000,000 – $2,400,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $1,700,000. With Reserve. RHD. Chrome wire wheels, Dunlop Road Speed tires, tool kit, original owner’s manual, Ferrari Classiche certified. – First owned by Leader Card racers’ owner Bob Wilke, Jr. Freshly restored to better than new condition with much better paint, chrome and interior in its original colors. Exceptionally well and sympathetically restored. Cavallino Classic Platinum in 2013, shown at Pebble Beach in 2014. Represented as re-united with its original engine before the most recent restoration. A sumptuous example of the work of Giovanni Michelotti, Alfredo Vignale and Enzo Ferrari. – Sold by RM at Monterey in 2007 for $495,000 prior to its meticulous restoration, then by Gooding at Scottsdale in 2014 post-restoration for $1,787,500. It is disappointing that it didn’t find more favor here in New York because it is one spectacular coachbuilt Ferrari in a stunning livery.Lot # 226 1981 Lamborghini Countach LP400 S Series III Coupe, Body by Bertone; S/N 1121316; Engine # 1121316; Verde Metallizzato/Beige leather; Estimate $900,000 – $1,100,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $875,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $962,500. With Reserve. Air conditioning, cassette stereo, wing, Lamborghini Certificato D’Origine. – Freshly restored 6,034 km car. Impeccable paint, interior and engine. The original tires might be replaced before it’s driven, ya think? – The combination of a striking color scheme, the Series III’s heavily accentuated body, low miles and a fastidious restoration make this a particularly spectacular Countach. The price it brought recognizes all those things, as well as the swelling Countach market. The seller should be more pleased with the result than the buyer, who paid a generous premium.Lot # 227 1954 Siata 208S Spider; S/N BS535; Engine # BS179; Dark Blue/Red leather, white piping; Beige cloth top; Estimate $1,500,000 – $1,900,000; Older restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $1,500,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,650,000. With Reserve. Chrome spoke wire wheels, Michelin X tires, aircraft style belts. – Excellent paint and interior, brilliant chrome. Class winner at Pebble Beach in 2011, at Villa d’Este in 2013 and Amelia Island in 2014. Every bit as good as it was six years ago. – Offered by Bonhams at Greenwich in 2009, before its most recent refurb at Nino Epifani’s, with a high bid of $600,000. Not only exceptionally beautiful coachwork but also a delightful little engine and excellent chassis with four-wheel independent suspension. On the other hand, it is Alfa Giulia performance for more than ten times as much, but the coachwork represents a large portion of the difference and this is the price to pay. It is a beautiful little thing.Lot # 228 1934 Delage D8 S Cabriolet, Body by Fernandez & Darrin; S/N 38229; Engine # 131; Lilac, Polished aluminum/Cream leather; Light Grey leather top; Estimate $1,300,000 – $1,600,000; Concours restoration, 1 condition; Hammered Sold at $1,300,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $1,430,000. With Reserve. RHD. Black wire wheels with polished wheel discs, Lalique Peacock mascot, Marchal headlights, opening windshield, 3-position top, opening vee windshield, dual rear spares. – Restored in the very early 90’s by Stone Barn for Noel Thompson in the rich pastels preferred by Thompson’s wife (Thompson was color blind and left color choices to Mrs. Thompson.) Excellent paint, chrome, aluminum, interior wood trim, gauges. A beautiful old concours restoration. AACA National First Prize and CCCA Senior, class second at Pebble Beach in 1991. – The first place winner in this Delage’s 1991 class must have been one heck of an automobile because this Delage is everything that ‘Pebble Beach caliber’ has come to mean. Its restoration is high quality and still won’t embarrass either its owner or Stone Barn at pretty much any show, a remarkable statement a quarter century after it was completed. The new owner got full value for money with this Delage.Lot # 229 1975 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe; S/N 9305700163; Engine # 6750157; Copper Brown Metallic/Beige leather, Brown plaid; Estimate $350,000 – $450,000; Older restoration, 3 condition; Hammered Sold at $300,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $330,000. No Reserve. 260hp single turbo 3-liter engine, 4-speed, black center Fuchs wheels, Pirelli P6000 tires, Blaupunkt Bamberg cassette stereo, power windows, tool toll, jack and original spare. – 133,717 km. Restored but not done to exceptional standards and just a car with good paint and interior. – The New York bidders thought a bit more highly of this Porsche than it may have warranted, but its result still reflects the recent emphasis on Turbos and isn’t out of line (at least for examples not once sat in by Steve McQueen.)Lot # 230 1986 Ford RS200 Coupe; S/N SFACXXBJ2CGL00169; White/Red cloth; Estimate $475,000 – $600,000; Unrestored original, 2- condition; Not sold at Hammer bid of $325,000. With Reserve. Alloy wheels, Hella driving lights. – Bought from Ford in 1994 and US imported at the time and US titled with one subsequent owner. Unused but showing age; deteriorated carpets replaced otherwise all original and as-delivered with 1,966 km from new. – There has never been a more exciting era than the time of the FIA World Rally Championship Group B, the appropriately named ‘Killer Bs’. Outrageous contraptions like the Renault R5 Turbo and Audi Quattro complemented the Ford RS200, a 400+hp (in competition form) all wheel drive mid-engined screamer on a wheelbase just under 100 inches to powerslide around tight bends, the 200 homologation specials are exciting machines even with their tuned-down 250hp engine. The reported high bid here is a reasonable price for a quality RS200, but doesn’t recognize this example’s originality and nearly negligible mileage. Though it was described as being maintained in good mechanical condition it would be unwise to test the extent of its performance without a thorough (and expensive) check and freshening various soft components and every additional km will wear on its value. Even considering that, however, a bit more for originality and preservation would not have been unreasonable.Lot # 231 1969 De Tomaso Mangusta Coupe, Body by Ghia; S/N 8MA856; Rosso Aurora (Orange)/Black; Estimate $300,000 – $350,000; Recent restoration, 2+ condition; Hammered Sold at $270,000 plus commission of 10.00%; Final Price $297,000. No Reserve. 302/271hp, 5-speed, air conditioning, cassette stereo, jack, tool kit, owner’s manual. – Freshly restored and better than new with impeccable paint, chrome and interior. Meticulously restored engine and chassis. – Successor to the Cosworth-Ford powered Vallelunga, the Mangusta boasted great but not overwhelming performance, serving instead as an interim development on the way to the larger, faster, more comfortable Pantera. Largely overlooked today, if this isn’t the finest in the world it is so close that the difference is also easily overlooked and in that context the price it brought makes perfect sense. In the concrete canyons of New York City it is a signal visual statement and its condition gives the new owner not inconsiderable bragging rights.
