NEW AUCTION WORLD RECORD FOR CARS IN EURO: OVER 30 MILLION!
The epoch category of racing cars from 1953 to 1961, the era of the first World Sportscar Championship, remains by far the most expensive for historic racing cars, at least in terms of auction results. The current ranking of all results here in the Euro era since 2002 shows only seven-figure values in Euros for the first 71 places (!). In the top 20 places, all vehicles are valued at over 3.5 million Euros, and now the top five results – for four Ferraris and a '53 Jaguar C-Type Works Lightweight – are even eight-figure.
The previous record, set at the Bonhams auction during the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed at approximately 14.4 million Euros for a „54 Ferrari 4.9 Liter 375 Plus Spider Competizione, was surpassed by RM/Sotheby's in New York late last year, which sold a “56 Ferrari 290 MM for over 25 million Euros. This new record for that era category, however, only lasted a few weeks, as Artcurial at Retromobile in Paris on February 5th truly outdid themselves, fetching 32,075,200 Euros for a '57 Ferrari 335 S! This simultaneously marks a new world auction record for cars overall – in Euros and British Pounds. Only when measured in US Dollars does the '62 Ferrari GTO, which Bonhams sold for 38.115 million US Dollars at Quail Lodge, remain ahead. According to the auctioneer, the Ferrari 335 S Spider Scaglietti, with its 3.8-liter V12 cylinder engine and chassis number "0674," debuted at the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring in the hands of Peter Collins and Maurice Trintignant, finishing sixth. Later that year, Wolfgang von Trips drove it to second place in the Mille Miglia. Sold in 1958 to American Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti, it won the 1958 Cuban Grand Prix under Stirling Moss and Masten Gregory. After another sale in the USA, French collector Pierre Bardinon acquired the car in 1970 and was its owner for 35 years.
The traction of the racing cars of that era also reaffirmed the result achieved by RM/Sotheby's in Paris at the beginning of February for a „55 Porsche 550 Spyder. The 2.744 million euros for chassis number “550-0068," according to RM/Sotheby's, which was also exhibited at the IAA in Frankfurt in 1955, were quite close to the two previous record prices for vehicles of this series (Gooding & Company, Amelia Island 2012, converted to around 2.8 million euros, and Mecum Auctions Monterey 2013, converted to around 2.77 million euros).
In rapid succession, in January at Gooding & Company in Scottsdale/Arizona and then at Artcurial in Paris in early February, the auction world record for touring cars was significantly improved twice, in both cases by 1965 versions of the Alfa Romeo GTA. In the era category of touring cars from 1963 to 1975 (European Touring Car Challenge, European Touring Car Championship), the new record now stands at 441,040 Euros, achieved by Artcurial in Paris for one of the very first GTAs delivered to France, chassis number „AR 613311.“ This car had been in the hands of the same owner there for 40 years. This surpassed the previous record by more than 100,000 Euros (also Artcurial for a 1970 Alfa Romeo GTAm on the same occasion two years ago: 328,992 Euros).
Gooding & Company achieved 440,000 US dollars (approximately 390,000 euros) for the '65 GTA, which originally and repeatedly belonged to the well-known Berlin race driver Herbert Schultze and was used very successfully in his hands over the following years. According to the auctioneer, the complete racing history between 1965 and 1971 is also documented here and was published by Gooding & Company. In the touring car category, three Alfa Romeos now occupy the top three places, ahead of a '66 Ford Mustang.
RM/Sotheby's set another new auction world record in January in Arizona, where an early „65 version of the seven-liter Cobra Roadster went under the hammer for $2,255,000 (just over two million Euros). This improved the old record for vehicles of this model series by more than €450,000 (also by RM/Sotheby's on the same occasion three years ago: $2,007,500). According to the auctioneer, chassis number “CSX 3010" also has an extensive racing history in the USA and Canada between 1965 and 1971.
Bonhams also managed to set a new record at Retromobile in Paris – 156,400 euros for a 1975 Fiat-Abarth 124 Rallye Group 4, more than double the price in 2014 for a 1973 model at its own auction during the Goodwood Revival (51,750 GBP). According to the auctioneer, the first owner was Fiat itself, before Luca di Montezemolo personally handed it over to the Italian rally champion of 1972, Vanni Tacchini. Tacchini entered the Fiat-Abarth 124 Rallye in the 1977 Rallye Sanremo and the Rallye della Lana before it disappeared into his garage for more than 40 years. However, between 2009 and 2012, the car was used again in various Historic Rallyes in Italy.
Race Car Auction Results
Racing Cars / Racing Prototypes / Sports Cars
Car Ferrari 335 S Sport Scaglietti
Year of manufacture 1957
Result: 32,075,200 Euros
Auction Artcurial Retromobile Paris
Car Porsche 550 Spyder by Wendler
Year of manufacture1955
Result:2,744,000 Euros
AuctionRM/Sotheby's Retromobile Paris
Car Shelby 427 Competition Cobra
Year of manufacture 1965
Result:$2,255,000 USD
Auction RM Sotheby's Arizona
Car Allard J2X
Year of manufacture 1952
Result: 451,000 USD
Auction Gooding & Company Scottsdale
Car Jaguar XK 120 Alloy Roadster
Year of manufacture 1949
Result: 407,000 USD
Auction RM Sotheby's Arizona
Car Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster by Reutter
Year of manufacture 1955
Result: 341,600 Euros
Auction RM/Sotheby's Retromobile Paris
Car McLaren M1B Can-Am
Year of manufacture 1966
Result: 220,000 USD
Auction RM Sotheby's Arizona
Car Ligier JS2
Year of manufacture 1972
Result: 143,040 Euros
Auction Artcurial Retromobile Paris
Car MG TC Midget
Year of manufacture 1949
Result:56,100 USD
Auction Bonhams Scottsdale
Car MG TC Roadster
Year of manufacture 1949
Result: 39,000 AUD
Auction Shannons Melbourne Summer Classic Auction Cheltenham/AU
Grand Tourers
Car Shelby 289 Cobra ‘Dragonsnake’
Baujahr 1963
Result: 990.000 USD
Auction RM Sotheby's Arizona
Car Porsche 356 Speedster
Year of manufacture 1955
Result: 352.000 USD
Auction Gooding & Company Scottsdale
Car Shelby Mustang GT 350
Year of manufacture 1966
Result: 179.200 Euro
Auction RM/Sotheby's Retromobile Paris
Car Fiat-Abarth 124 Sport Rallye Coupé Groupe 4 Spider
Year of manufacture 1975
Result: 156.400 Euro
Auction Bonhams Retromobile Paris
Car Alpine A 110 1600 S Groupe IV, Ex-Jean Saurel
Year of manufacture 1970
Result: 116.816 Euro
Auction Artcurial Retromobile Paris
Car Chevrolet Corvette Race Car
Year of manufacture 1968
Result:110.000 USD
Auction Mecum Auctions Kissimmee/FL
Car Austin-Healey Sprite Mk I ‘Think Pink’
Year of manufacture 1959
Result: 60.500 USD
Auction RM Sotheby's Arizona
Car Fiat-Abarth 750 GT Zagato
Year of manufacture 1958
Result: 53.640 Euro
Auction Artcurial Retromobile Paris
CarLotus Elan S4 FHC Race Car
Year of manufacture 1970
Resultat 29.250 GBP
Auction Silverstone Auctions Race Retro
Car Fiat-Abarth 750 GT ‘Double Bubble’ by Zagato
Year of manufacture 1958
Result: 30.800 Euro
Auction RM/Sotheby's Retromobile Paris
Formelwagen
Car Stanguellini Formula Junior
Year of manufacture 1959
Result: 72.500 Euro
Auction RM Sotheby’s Retromobile Paris
Tourenwagen
Car Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA
Year of manufacture 1965
Result: 441.040 Euro
Auction Artcurial Retromobile Paris
Car Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA, Ex-Herbert Schultze
Baujahr 1965
Result: 440.000 USD
Auction Gooding & Company Scottsdale
Car FIA Ford Falcon
Year of manufacture 1964
Result: 67.500 GBP
Auction Silverstone Auctions Race Retro
CarFord Capri Grp. 1
Year of manufacture 1979
Result: 65.250 GBP
Auction Silverstone Auctions Race Retro
Car BMW 2002 Tii Group 2 Touring Car
Year of manufacture 1970
Result: 32.060 GBP
Auction Silverstone Auctions Race Retro
Car Ford Anglia Race Car
Year of manufacture 1960
Result: 22.500 GBP
Auction Silverstone Auctions Race Retro