FROM OLD TO NEW: PRE-WAR CLASSICS THROUGH YOUNGTIMER CARS BRING STRONG RESULTS AT RM SOTHEBY’S $38 MILLION AMELIA ISLAND SALE

FROM OLD TO NEW: PRE-WAR CLASSICS THROUGH YOUNGTIMER CARS BRING STRONG RESULTS
AT RM SOTHEBY’S $38 MILLION AMELIA ISLAND SALE

• RM Sotheby’s achieves $38.1 million in total sales with 84 per cent of all lots sold at 21^st annual Amelia Island auction
• Pre-war classics, blue-chip sports cars, and modern collectables achieve top prices at the two-day sale
• Additional lots from the single-owner Youngtimer Collection bring record results, including $173,600 for a 1994 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Targa
• Complete results from Amelia Island now available at rmsothebys.com
• RM Sotheby’s Group returns to Florida, 29-30 March, for 17^th annual Fort Lauderdale sale

 RM Sotheby’s, the official auction house of the esteemed Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, returned to the Ritz-Carlton, 8-9 March, for the company’s 21^st annual Amelia Island sale, achieving more than $38.1 million in total sales with 84 per cent of all lots sold. The total represents the strongest auction house performance during the 2019 Amelia Island Concours week. Bidders at RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island sale hailed from 28 countries around the world, with 20 per cent representing first-time RM Sotheby’s clientele.

RM Sotheby’s saw strong attendance throughout the Thursday and Friday preview on the oceanfront lawn, which translated to a lively auction room energy during the first sale session on Friday evening. Additional lots from the highly anticipated single-owner Youngtimer Collection opened the sale to tremendous interest, with the very first lot, a 1993 Mazda RX-7, bringing an above-estimate $50,400 to set a record for the model at auction. Also from within the Collection, a 1996 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo sold for $53,200, a 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC AMG 6.0 “Wide-Body” reached $179,200, and a 1994 BMW 850 CSi achieved $184,800, all eclipsing or reaching the top end of the high estimate. The most exciting moment during the Youngtimer cars arose when a highly original1994 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Targa, showing less than 11,200 miles from new, incited a contest between numerous bidders in the room and on the phones, eventually selling for a final $173,600 to well-exceed the current auction record for the stock model and cement the Supra as a staple of the next generation of collector cars (est. $100/120k).

With spirited bidding from start to finish on Friday evening, additional modern collectables outside of the private collection were in high demand. A single-owner, 1,600-mile 2004 Porsche Carrera GT exceeded expectations at $775,000, a Euro-spec 1992 Ferrari F40 (offered without reserve) achieved $1,017,000, and a recently serviced, 750-mile 2015 McLaren P1 sold for a strong $1,490,000. Immediately following the Friday sale, the 2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 ‘Sang Noir’ was successfully sold for $1,500,000 (est. $1.35/1.6m).

RM Sotheby’s Saturday sale session was led by the top sale of the entire week, a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, which sold for a final price of $2,205,000. Meticulously restored by Motion Products, Inc., the award-winning 275 GTB retains its original, matching-numbers engine and is an ideal concours or rally competitor. Additional sports and racing highlights from Saturday include an incredibly authentic 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra with a mere 1,900 original miles, which sold for a final $1,792,500 to become the most valuable non-competition spec 427 Cobra ever sold at auction.

The remainder of the Saturday sale was highlighted by American and European Classic and Brass Era motor cars, a segment of the market which continues to bring healthy prices for exceptional examples. The 1930 Duesenberg Model J 'Sweep Panel' Dual-Cowl Phaeton, featuring a concours-quality restoration by the renowned Fran Roxas, was sold just after it crossed the auction podium for a final $1,650,000 to lead the group, while a stunning 1934 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Convertible Sedan brought a strong $1,325,000. European classics also performed well in Amelia Island, with an elegant 1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B Cabriolet Le Dandyachieving $1,353,500, and a highly attractive 1931 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Henley Roadster prompting a ten-minute bidding contest between multiple bidders in the room and on the phone before selling at a final $566,000 (est. $225/325k). Pre-war motor cars offered from the Richard L. Burdick Collection also brought significant interest on Saturday, with a unique wicker-bodied 1911 Napier 15 HP Victoria tripling its pre-sale estimate at a final $156,800 to great excitement from the packed auction room (est. $40/60k), while a 1924 Bentley 3-Litre Sports Two-Seater, a perennial winner of the Great American Race, also soared past estimate to $434,000 (est. $200/300k).

“We are pleased with the strong results of our sale this past weekend, which demonstrated once again that our Amelia Island auction remains the right venue for the successful sale of great cars across all segments of the market,” said Gord Duff, Global Head of Auctions, RM Sotheby’s, following the sale. “While certain staple cars of the auction market are experiencing softer demand in 2019, exceptional Classics and emerging collectibles are drawing sustained and new interest to the market. The next generation of collectors, whose tastes are exemplified by the cars of the Youngtimer Collection, not only expands the collector car auction market, but the hobby at large.”

RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island Top Ten Sales

Lot 245	1965 Ferrari 275 GTB	$2,205,000
Lot 264	1966 Shelby 427 Cobra	$1,792,500
Lot 230	1930 Duesenberg Model J 'Sweep Panel' Dual-Cowl Phaeton	$1,650,000
Lot 149	2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 'Sang Noir'	$1,500,000
Lot 144	2015 McLaren P1	$1,490,000
Lot 252	1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B Cabriolet Le Dandy	$1,352,500
Lot 240	1934 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Convertible Sedan	$1,325,000
Lot 118	2015 Porsche 918 Spyder	$1,187,500
Lot 137	1992 Ferrari F40	$1,017,000
Lot 147	2017 Ferrari F12tdf	$967,500

The RM Sotheby’s Group returns to Florida, 29-30 March, for the company’s 17^th annual Fort Lauderdale auction at the Broward County Convention Center. The two-day sale will present more than 350 quality collector cars, including several single-owner private collections offered without reserve. The digital preview catalogue for the Fort Lauderdale auction is now available at rmsothebys.com. 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 center. The Essen sale is set to present more than 200 diverse collector cars during the long-running Techno-Classica fair, recognized as the first great German car salon for vintage cars and collector vehicles. The complete Essen digital catalogue will be released in the coming week.

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