AMERICAN RARITIES HIGHLIGHT RM AUCTIONS’ $11 MILLION HERSHEY SALE

AMERICAN RARITIES HIGHLIGHT RM AUCTIONS’ $11 MILLION HERSHEY SALE

• RM Auctions celebrates a dozen years in Hershey with $11 million in total sales and 94 percent of all lots sold
• Sales led by 1930 Cadillac V-16 Fleetwood Roadster at $495,000 and highlighted by numerous rare motor cars which exceeded pre-sale expectations
• RM Sotheby’s Group continues calendar with Porsche 70^th Anniversary Auction at the Porsche Experience Center Atlanta, 27 October
• Complete results from Hershey available at rmsothebys.com
  
  

HERSHEY, Pennsylvania (13 October 2018) – RM Auctions returned to Hershey this week (11-12 October) for the company’s 12^thannual sale coinciding with the Antique Automobile Club of America’s renowned Eastern Division Fall Meet. RM Auctions achieved an overall total of $10,999,096 across two evenings of spirited bidding at the Hershey Lodge, with a strong 94 percent of all lots sold.

Collectors and enthusiasts poured in from the swap meet field to the auction venue to view the nearly 150 motor cars and plentiful memorabilia on offer, with bidders hailing from 19 countries and 45 states across the U.S. Energy and interest were high across both Thursday and Friday evening sessions, with the top sale being the 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster. Offered with well-known, fascinating ownership history, elegantly presented, and authentically restored with a correct Fleetwood body, the Cadillac sold for a final $495,000, surpassing its pre-sale estimate of $400,000 - $450,000. The top three sellers also included a one-of-35 1941 Packard Custom Super Eight One Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, which reached a final $357,500, and a 1934 Lincoln Model KB Convertible Sedan by Dietrich, one of just 25 examples built in its beautiful semi-custom style, which exceeded estimate at $286,000 (est. $225k/$275k).

“Hershey remains one of our favorite venues to return to, year after year,” said Gord Duff, Global Head of Auctions, RM Sotheby’s Group, following the sale. “Following days spent with collectors exhibiting true interest and passion for the hobby, we saw solid total results and an exceptional sell-through rate. On both Thursday and Friday, numerous individual lots of various categories achieved final prices well above their high estimate, demonstrating the very real interest in truly rare or exceptionally historic American motor cars.”

These stand-out individual results extended from memorabilia, through to the pair of the motorcycles on offer, as well as several automobiles. Kicking off Thursday sales on a strong note, the 1948 Playboy A48 Convertible, an unusual and very rare American post-war microcar, nearly doubled its high estimate at $132,000 (est. $55k/$75k), while just moments later an award-winning 1912 Baker Electric Model W Runabout, formerly of the Harrah and Raymond Carr Collections, sold to a new home for $192,500 against a pre-sale estimate of $85,000 - $100,000. Another electric vehicle, the 1917 Milburn Electric Model 27 Brougham, offered from the Richard L. Burdick Collection without reserve, also drew significant interest, reaching a final $63,250 (est. $25k/$35k). Later on Thursday, an exceptional 1960 Plymouth Fury Convertible, the 1960 Mexican International Auto Show car with a mere 22,000 original miles, ignited a furious competition between a bidder in the room and on the phone, eventually bringing $209,000 (est. $130k/$150k). 

On Friday evening, the auction again began with excitement as a 1912 Marion Model 33 Bobcat, a very rare and highly desirable survivor, sold for $132,000, soaring past its estimate of $60,000 - $90,000, closely followed by a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette ‘Fuel-Injected’ 283/283, which brought a final $159,500 after an extended bidding battle (est. $80k/120k). Finally, it was the one-off 1911 American Eagle Touring which saw perhaps the longest contest of the auction, with multiple bidders in the room and on the phone seeking to add this early piece of Detroit automotive history to their collection. The car was sold for a final $242,000, tripling its high estimate (est. $50k/$80k).

RM Auctions Hershey Top Ten Sales

Lot 397	1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster	$495,000
Lot 396	1941 Packard Custom Super Eight One Eighty Convertible Victoria	$357,500
Lot 378	1934 Lincoln Model KB Convertible Sedan	$286,000
Lot 395	1936 Packard Twelve Coupe Roadster	$269,500
Lot 403	1936 Packard Twelve Convertible Victoria	$247,500
Lot 376	1911 American Eagle Touring	$242,000
Lot 213	1932 Marmon Sixteen Close-Coupled Sedan	$225,000
Lot 418	1913 Pierce-Arrow Model 48-B-2 Seven-Passenger Touring	$220,000
Lot 215	1960 Plymouth Fury Convertible	$209,000
Lot 411	1935 Cadillac V-12 Two-Passenger Coupe	$203,500

Next up, the RM Sotheby’s Group heads to the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, Georgia, for the company’s highly anticipated exclusive, single-marque Porsche 70th Anniversary Auction on 27 October. RM Sotheby’s will bring a curated selection of 64 of the world’s most valuable and sought-after Porsche models, along with 60 lots of Porsche memorabilia, parts, and collectibles, to the home of Porsche Cars North America for what is sure to be an unforgettable weekend. The complete digital catalogue for the Porsche sale is now available at rmsothebys.com.

Complete results from RM Auctions’ Hershey sale and additional information on all upcoming RM Sotheby’s Group events are also available at rmsothebys.com.