RM SOTHEBY’S ACHIEVES BEST EVER RESULT IN PARIS AT €32.4M SALES LED BY RECORD-BREAKING FERRARI F40 LM AT €4.84M DEBUT OFFERING OF THE YOUNGTIMER COLLECTION SEES GLOBAL INTEREST

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RM SOTHEBY’S ACHIEVES BEST EVER RESULT IN PARIS AT €32.4M

SALES LED BY RECORD-BREAKING FERRARI F40 LM AT €4.84M

DEBUT OFFERING OF THE YOUNGTIMER COLLECTION SEES 

GLOBAL INTEREST

• RM Sotheby’s achieves €32.4 million with 79 percent of all lots sold at strongest Paris sale to date, 6 February
• Sale topped by the most iconic 1987 Ferrari F40 LM at €4.84 million, a new world record for the model at auction
• Additional supercars command enthusiastic bidding, with Bugatti EB110 SS smashing the previous record at €2.03M
• The first offering of cars from the Youngtimer Collection sees strong prices achieved for modern and future collectables
• Complete results from Paris sale available at rmsothebys.com

 RM Sotheby’s achieved its highest total for the company’s Paris sale to date on Wednesday evening, generating more than €32.4 million at its sixth annual sale during Rétromobile. A packed auction room, enthusiastic bidding, and strong prices were seen across the evening, beginning with a selection of motorsport memorabilia that well-exceeded expectations. The group was highlighted by an Ayrton Senna McLaren Rheos Helmet, which surpassed its pre-sale estimate at a final €162,000. RM Sotheby’s welcomed bidders from no less than 45 countries to the Paris sale, and noted a 25 per cent increase in total bidders over 2018.

The 1987 Ferrari F40 LM was the undoubted star lot of the sale and represented a very rare opportunity to acquire one of Maranello’s legendary sports racing cars of the modern era. The car offered is a unique piece of Ferrari history as it not only boasts a significant and successful competition history, but it also played an important development role as a pre-production prototype. As a result, pre-sale interest in the car was very strong and intense bidding in the room and over the phones saw the car achieve €4,842,500 to set a new world record for the model.

Demonstrating the continued high demand for top-tier supercars, the 1994 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport, one of just 30 examples built and no doubt one of the lowest mileage examples in existence at a mere 916km from new, sold for €2,030,000 (est. €1.3/1.8m). The EB110 opened a sustained bidding contest between three bidders on the phone and one in the room, eventually nearly doubling the previous record for the SS model held by RM Sotheby’s (€1,152,500). Additional modern performance highlights include the 2017 Ferrari F12tdf, which saw tremendous interest throughout the exhibition for its stunning Brunito paintwork and tan saddle leather custom interior, translating to a bidding contest on the night, resulting in an above-estimate final price of €1,197,500 (est. €825/950k). A 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder, beautifully outfitted from the factory with Liquid Metal Silver finish, Magnesium wheels, and the Weissach package rear spoiler, sold for a final €1,101,875 (est. €950k/1.1m), while the 2018 Bugatti Chiron, showing less than 1,800 km on the odometer, as well as the Classiche-certified 1996 Ferrari F50, were sold immediately following the auction for €2,275,000 and €1,700,000 respectively.

 

Historic sports and racing cars from the 1950s and 60s also starred at the sale, with a 1956 Porsche 550 RS Spyder, Porsche’s first dedicated competition car, selling for a final €3,042,500 to become the second highest sale of the night. A 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C, the first of just eight long-nose, six-carburettor, alloy body, torque-tube examples and freshly restored in its rare original colour scheme, sold for €2,860,000 immediately following the sale, rounding out the auction’s top three.

Augustin Sabatié-Garat, Auction Manager, RM Sotheby’s Europe, said: “We have enjoyed a highly successful night in Paris, achieving the highest sale total since the first auction in 2014. This is a great indication that certain sectors of the market are looking strong for 2019, and it was particularly interesting to see how well cars from the Youngtimer collection sold alongside the established blue-chip collector cars. This was the perfect venue for the presentation of our star car, the F40 LM, with such fantastic French history, and our increased bidder numbers and growing participation from around the world also indicate sustained and new interest in the collector car hobby.”

RM Sotheby’s Paris sale also saw the first offering of cars from the highly anticipated Youngtimer Collection, a single-owner group of more than 140 modern classics from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Prices were strong across the 25 cars presented at the sale, with numerous new benchmarks achieved for models indicative of changing collector tastes. Kicking off the group, a 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC AMG 6.0 ‘Wide-Body’ incited a long bidding contest at Place Vauban, eventually selling for a final €297,500, doubling its pre-sale low estimate and setting a new world record for the model at auction (est. €150/200k). 

The top sale of the Youngtimer group was a 2006 Ferrari Superamerica at €590,000, delivered new to the Kuwaiti royal family and presented in highly desirable six-speed manual transmission specification with the HGTC package (est. €575/650k). Additional stand out lots from within the Collection include a group of low mileage models that well-exceeded expectations, from a 17,000-km 1992 Porsche 928 GTS in eye-catching specification, which smashed its pre-sale estimate, bringing a final €138,000 (est. €70/85k), to a 1994 BMW Alpina B12 5.7 at €207,000 (est. €175/225k), a 1985 Audi Quattro at a final €77,625 (est. €40/50k), and a 1994 Mercedes-Benz E 500 Limited, which sold for €86,250 (est. €40/50k). More than 100 additional cars from the Youngtimer Collection will be presented at RM Sotheby’s upcoming Amelia Island, Fort Lauderdale, and inaugural Essen, Germany, auctions.

RM Sotheby’s Paris Top Ten Sales

1. Lot 126	1987 Ferrari F40 LM	€4,842,500
2. Lot 156	1956 Porsche 550 RS Spyder	€3,042,500
3. Lot 155	1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Alloy Berlinetta	€2,860,000
4. Lot 168	2018 Bugatti Chiron	€2,275,000
5. Lot 165	1994 Bugatti EB110 Super Sport	€2,030,000
6. Lot 159	1996 Ferrari F50	€1,700,000
7. Lot 173	2017 Ferrari F12tdf	€1,197,500
8. Lot 180	2015 Porsche 918 Spyder	€1,101,875
9. Lot 136	2011 Ferrari 599 SA Aperta	€933,125
10. Lot 179	1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster	€902,187

RM Sotheby’s presence during Rétromobile continues this week with the company’s stand (Hall 1A, M105) featuring several cars available via RM Sotheby’s Private Sales division, as well as a 1931 Aston Martin LM5 with wonderful period competition history – an early highlight for the biannual Villa Erba sale set for 25 May. 

RM Sotheby’s continues its 2019 auction calendar next month with its Amelia Island, Florida auction on 8-9 March—the official auction of the esteemed Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. Expanded to two days for 2019, the 21^st annual sale will bring more than 140 of the finest coach-built classics, sports and racing cars, and late model collectables to the Ritz-Carlton. The European calendar continues just weeks later as RM Sotheby’s stages the company’s first-ever German sale during Techno-Classica Essen, 11-12 April at the Messe Essen exhibition centre. The Essen sale is set to present more than 150 diverse collector cars during the long-running Techno-Classica fair, recognized as the first great German car salon for vintage cars and collector vehicles. 

Complete results from RM Sotheby’s Paris, as well as further details on upcoming auctions, are available at rmsothebys.com.