On Friday 6 February 2015, the collectors’ car department at Artcurial once again caused a stir amongst international collectors who came in huge numbers to the Salon Retromobile. The sale netted £34,260,292 following a marathon two part auction lasting over 11 hours. The indefatigable Maître Hervé Poula in brought the hammer down on 89% of the lots.
Starting at 14.00, over 3,500 people crammed into the saleroom to take part in this historic auction that began with the 59 automobiles in the extraordinary Baillon Collection.
Almost 1600 people registered to bid in the sale, with another 1000 connected to the Artcurial Live Bid platform to bid online.
Without a doubt the most exciting moment of the afternoon was the appearance of the uncontested star of the sale, the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, arriving on the stand as the room plunged into darkness. The saleroom held its breath as the bids rose, before bursting into applause as Maître Hervé Poulain’s hammer fell at £ 12. 1M including premium. This is the highest bid in Artcurial’s history. 10 other World record prices were set:
AUCTION WORLD RECORD PRICES
-1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider SWB 1961 : sold £ 12. 1M
-1956 Maserati A6G Frua : sold £ 1.5 M
-1968 Bizzarrini 5300 GT Strada : sold £ 925 000
-2011 Ferrari 599 GTO : sold £ 327 000
-1986 Ferrari Testarossa : sold £ 146 000
-1969 Lamborghini 400 GT Islero S : sold £221 000
-1965 Maserati Mistral 3.7L : sold £134 000
-1965 Mercedes Benz 300 SE Cabriolet : sold £88,500
-1958 Porsche 356 A Speedster : sold £221 000
-1973 De Tomaso Pantera GTS : sold £99,000
The RM Auctions Paris 2015 sale was held 4 February at Place Vauban during the week of Salon Retromobile, resulting in total sales of €19.35 million ($22.1 million USD) and an 82 percent sell-through rate. Bidders represented 34 countries and five lots brought in excess of €1.0 million.
RM Auctions Paris 2015 – Top Ten Auction Results
1. 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L ‘Lusso’ (Chassis 5085 GT) – €1,624,000
2. 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS (Chassis 904-026) – €1,428,000
3. 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (Chassis 198.042.10.003135) – €1,232,000
4. 1990 Ferrari F40 (Chassis ZFFGJ348000087990) – €1,176,000
5. 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C Stradale (Chassis B 0216) – €1,036,000
6. 1964 Aston Martin DB5 (Chassis DB5/1741/L) – €840,000
7. 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta (Chassis 12801) – €705,600
8. 1939 Bentley 4.25-Litre Sports Coupe “Honeymoon Express” (Chassis B30MR) – €672,000
9. 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Coupe (Chassis 0953 GT) – €580,000
10. 1970 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 Spyder (Chassis AM115S 1233) – €550,000
The 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso Berlinetta, chassis no. 5085 GT, was the night’s top seller, garnering €1.624.000. The second biggest seller of the night was the freshly restored 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, chassis no. 904-026, that acheived €1.428.000. Rounding out the top three sales at the RM Auctions Paris 2015 sale was the alloy-block 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster that made €1.232.000.
For complete results, visit rmauctions.com. Source: RM Auction results edited from a longer article on Sports Car Digest
