RM Sotheby’s, Amelia Island, Florida, March 4, 2023

After a quarter century as the official auction of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in 2023 RM Sotheby’s was displaced at the Ritz Carlton by the affiliate of the Hagerty Group, new owner of “The Amelia”, Broad Arrow Auctions.

RM had built its Amelia Island sale from nearly nothing (66 lots, $6.4 million in 1999) to a position as one of the year’s most important auctions, selling $71.4 million in 2017 in a two-day auction of 150 lots with a 90% sell-through rate. In the process they led a parade of auctions to Amelia Island including Gooding & Company and Bonhams with occasional appearances by Hollywood Wheels, Motostalgia and an abortive appearance by Russo and Steele. Along the way RM sold a total of $698,729,415 with 2,560 lots offered, 2,240 sold, and an 87.5% sale rate over the 25 years including 2023.

Over the years 133 lots were sold on bids of $1 million or more (plus a few more closed after the auction at undisclosed prices), 5.9% of the sold lots across the board. There were exceptional results like Duesenberg Model J Disappearing Top Torpedo (engine J-414) in 2021 for a mind-bending $5,725,000 and some equally eye-opening bargains like Talbot-Lago T26 Record Cabriolet d’Usine (chassis number 100064) sold in 2017 from the Orin Smith estate for $352,000.

It’s also been a welcome Florida springtime respite after the helter-skelter of Scottsdale with dinners at the Crab Trap, the Down Under and always reliable Pablo’s.

RM established Amelia as an auction venue, starting slowly and building over the years with a varied assortment of offerings, through good weather and bad (remembering previewing cars in the dull, dark Ritz Carlton parking structure, tropical heat, biting cold winds and rain.) There were personal experiences like chiding PR chief Amy Christie’s fiancé, reminding him that she was our patron and we held him accountable to take care of her as she had taken care of us.

RM Amelia is gone now and it’s to be replaced by a soon to be announced RM Sotheby’s South Florida venue for 2024.

RM Sotheby’s ended with a bang, even exiled to the sandy woods along Amelia Island Parkway, with a magnanimous $63.2 million sale, its second highest total in 25 years with sixteen lots sold on hammer bids of $1 million or more, and an 88.6% sell-through (neither counting the two lots sold post-block).

Rob Myers left his mark on Amelia Island and Amelia 2024 will be different without RM.

Year Cars Sold/ Offered Sale % Sold < Low Est Sold > High Est Average Sale Median Sale Total $
2023 78/88 88.6% 55.1% 11.5% $810,763 $439,500

]54.2%]

$63,239,510
2022 77/87 88.5% 39% 13% $600,762 $321,250

[53.5%]

$46,258,640
2021 94/99 95% 47.9% 16% $446,723 $190,400

[42.6%]

$41,991,940
2020 135/146 92.5% 66.7% 9.6% $262,789 $145,600

[55.4%]

$35,476,500

On-site observations are by Andrew Newton and Greg Ingold. Lots are sorted in lot number order.


Photo courtesy RM Sotheby’s

Lot # 114 1949 Snowberger-Offenhauser Automobile Shippers Special Indy Car; S/N 130; Engine # 130; Orange/Black; Estimate $175,000 – $225,000; Competition restoration 2- condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $220,000 plus commission of 12.00%; Final Price $246,400. – Meyer-Drake Offenhauser DOHC engine, Hilborn fuel injection, Galco timer, four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes, wire wheels, transverse leaf spring front axle, torsion bar rear axle. – Terence Adderley Collection, driven in Indy 500 qualifying rounds in 1950 and 1951 and in USAC during 1950. Restored in the 1980s and in nearly like new condition but showing some age. – Considering that this Snowberger-Offy has no notable history when new the result it brought here is pretty remarkable and a tribute to its restoration and presentation.

Lot # 118 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe, Body by Pininfarina-Scaglietti; S/N 12923; Engine # B180; Black/Black leather; Black top; Estimate $550,000 – $650,000; Older restoration 3+ condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $525,000 plus commission of 10.95%; Final Price $582,500. – 4,390/352hp, 5-speed, Plexiglas nose panel, Borrani wire wheels, Michelin XWX tires, air conditioning, power windows. Exhibited at 1969 Canadian Automobile Show and a dealer show car in period. – Represented as matching numbers. Terence Adderley Collection. Originally Bianco Polo Park over Rosso Scuro. Paint crack and scratch ahead of the hood, and more cracks near the hood vents. Light scratches on the driver’s door. Tidy underneath. Faded dash top and worn leather. A driver-quality early Daytona. – A cross-section of Daytona price history, it was sold by RM at Monterey in 1998 for $91,592, a bargain at the time but not by a lot, then sold to Terry Adderley at Bonhams Scottsdale auction in 2015 for $748,000. The result here is appropriate in 2023 for this car’s configuration, history and condition, it’s just the market that has moved away from the Daytona.

Photo courtesy RM Sotheby’s

Lot # 119 1934 Packard Super Eight-Series 1104 Coupe Roadster; S/N 759143; Engine # 753576; Blue/Tan leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $190,000 – $240,000; Older restoration 3 condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $150,000 plus commission of 12.00%; Final Price $168,000. – 385/145hp, 3-speed, rumble seat, Trippe driving lights, dual enclosed sidemounts, painted wire wheels with hub caps and trim rings, wide whitewall tires, luggage rack. – Older restoration from the 1980s with new convertible top. Ex-Dr. Barbara Atwood. Handicap winner of the 1985 Great American Race and still a solid event or tour car. – Offered by RM at Meadow Brook in 2009 where it was reported bid to $185,000 and sold afterward to the present owner. It is a very good value for the money in this transaction, a car the new owner can proudly enjoy for years to come and be confident in the quality of its restoration.

Lot # 120 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Coupe; S/N DB52270L; Caribbean Pearl/Dark Blue leather; Estimate $1,200,000 – $1,500,000; Older restoration 2+ condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $1,225,000 plus commission of 10.41%; Final Price $1,352,500. – Engine upgraded to Vantage specs in the 1990s. Marchal driving lights, twin fuel tanks, wire wheels, Normalair air conditioning, non-original but vintage looking Motorola radio with Bluetooth and USB, Blaupunkt shortwave adapter, fog lights. Originally ordered by Prince Abdul Ilah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. – Represented as matching numbers engine. Restored by Kevin Kay and then shown at Pebble Beach in 2017. Still a stunner, showing limited use since its trip to the lawn at Pebble. – Acquired at RM Monterey in 2014 by the present owner for $1,650,000 then extensively updated by Kevin Kay Restorations at a cost of $200,000 to ready it for Pebble, it was offered by RM at Monterey in 2022 where it was reported bid to $1.4 million. “All good things come to those who wait” does not apply in this market-correct situation.

Lot # 123 1991 Jaguar XJR-15 Coupe; S/N 42; Mauritius Blue Metallic/Savile Gray; Estimate $1,200,000 – $1,500,000; Unrestored original 3+ condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $1,150,000 plus commission of 10.43%; Final Price $1,270,000. – RHD. 5,993/450hp, 5-speed, OZ Racing wheels. Comes with OEM fuel bladder and fuel pumps among other spare parts. – One owner from new, 153 miles, and reportedly hasn’t been started since it left the UK in 1991. Paint blisters on front and below the headlight covers. The windshield is delaminating all around the edges, and the exposed carbon below it is starting to yellow. The hardware for the harness has made a deep imprint on the leather in the driver’s seat. Not as clean and well-preserved as you might expect given the mileage and lack of use. – TWR built just 27 of these Le Mans racers for the road but there were two on offer in Amelia this year. Neither one did anything noteworthy on the block, with Broad Arrow’s higher mileage but better-presented and more usable example not sold at a $1.2M high bid, and this one selling for a price more down to its long-dormant condition and mechanical needs than its low miles and single owner. Its recommissioning will make it expensive before it is ready to be driven.

Lot # 125 1950 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Super Sport Coupe, Body by Touring; S/N 915668; Engine # 923769; Light Green/Brown leather; Estimate $800,000 – $950,000; Recent restoration 2- condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $650,000. – RHD. 2,443/110hp, triple carburetors, floor shift 4-speed, Nardi conversion kit, Borrani wire wheels, Blockley tires, original Autovox radio. – Seven-year restoration completed in 2019 but the paint shows more age than that. Clean wheels and lightly used underneath. Beautiful interior, and the gauges on this car are a work of art. Falls short of concours condition but this is a fresh and very sexy automobile. – Some might interpret “7-year restoration” as a sign of extreme care and meticulous attention to detail. Others might see it languishing in the corner of some Italian barn, partially finished and gathering dust while early work quietly ages. The latter would seem to be the case here and it seems to have affected the room’s appreciation for it. It is a fine car and the high bid is light for its specifications, body design and condition. It is offered post-sale on RM’s website asking $750,000.

Lot # 126 1983 Lamborghini Countach LP500S Coupe, Body by Bertone; S/N ZA9C00500DLA12593; Black/Black leather piped in Blue; Estimate $625,000 – $675,000; Older restoration 3+ condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $560,000. – 4,754/325hp, 5-speed, phone dial wheels, Pirelli P Zero tires, Alpine stereo, air conditioning. Delivered new to US. – 10-year-old restoration, during which car was changed from Blu Acapulco to black. Paint cracks on the engine cover and near the left headlight door. A few small paint chips and tiny dent on the nose. Dull plastic mirrors. Lightly worn leather and the upholstery on the transmission tunnel is slightly warped. A used Countach even if it has been restored. Reportedly first owned by Walter Payton, gifted to him by a sponsor for setting the all-time career rushing yards record in 1984. – It doesn’t help that there is no direct evidence – no title, service paper, old insurance policy – that this Countach ever actually belonged to Walter Payton. The only evidence given seems to be some old For Sale ads and the presence of door-mounted speakers that have now been removed and are remembered only in the dim recollections of people who worked on it: Flimsy at best. Even giving full weight to the ephemeral Walter Payton history the reported high bid here is generous for the Lambo’s condition and color change and it could have sold without regret.

Lot # 127 1950 Allard K2 Roadster; S/N 91K1704; Skyy Vodka Blue/White leather piped in Blue; Estimate $140,000 – $180,000; Older restoration 2- condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $82,500 plus commission of 12.00%; Final Price $92,400. – LHD. NOS crate Cadillac 331 V8 installed in 2000s, dual 2-barrel carburetors, Edmunds intake manifold and air filters, side exhaust, hub caps, wide whitewalls tires, engine-turned dash. – Restored in early 2000s. The paint is holding up quite well but the wheels are showing their age and there is significant wear plus discoloration to the seats. Worn steering wheel with a small crack. Tidy and lightly used underneath. Orderly engine compartment with fuel-stained carburetors. A lightly used fat fender Allard. – K-series Allards like this one are more luxurious and less racy than the better-known cycle-fendered J2s, but they follow the same formula of basic, lightweight British chassis plus big, thumping American V8. This one was restored by an Allard enthusiast, has a desirable powertrain, and is in solid usable condition. It sold about right for its condition and for less than half as much as the J2 offered in the same sale, but it certainly isn’t less than half the car.

Lot # 128 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS Spider, Body by Pininfarina; S/N 07501; Engine # 07501; Rosso Corsa/Tan leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $1,300,000 – $1,600,000; Older restoration 3+ condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $1,500,000 plus commission of 10.33%; Final Price $1,655,000. – 3286/260hp, 5-speed, Borrani wheels, Becker Europa radio, woodrim steering wheel. – Two owners from new, Willy-Peter Daetwyler in Switzerland and Rodolfo Junco de la Vega, Jr. in the U.S. Originally Ivory over red leather. Restored in 2011, upholstery dates from 2018. Shown at the Amelia Island Concours in 2013 and Cavallino Classic in 2015, recent service. Decent older paint showing some polishing swirls under direct light. The driver’s door is slightly out of alignment. The chrome and trim show well. The underbody exhibits some wear from age and the interior presents well overall, however the driver’s seat upholstery Is stretched from use. An older restoration in driver condition. – An unusually brief ownership history is the highlight for this 275 GTS and is unusually reassuring, which shows in the bidding and the price it brought.

Lot # 135 1931 Duesenberg Model J Convertible Coupe, Body by Murphy; S/N 2414; Engine # J-395; Red, Black/Beige; Estimate $3,850,000 – $4,500,000; Older restoration 2- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $3,900,000 plus commission of 10.13%; Final Price $4,295,000. – 420/265hp, 3-speed, wire wheels, blackwalls, sidemount spares, suicide doors, rumble seat, luggage rack dual horns, engine-turned dash, wood door panels, disappearing top Murphy coachwork. ACD Category 1. – Formerly owned by Pacific Auto Rentals, the company that loaned out interesting cars for Hollywood films, and its best-known appearance was in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Matching numbers engine, chassis, firewall and original coachwork. 2005 Pebble Beach class winner. Restored in the 1990s-2000s and further sorted in the 2010s. Overall presentation of the body and paint is excellent, there are no notable flaws. There is a small leak at the back of the transmission, otherwise the underbody has been kept in excellent condition. The driver’s seat exhibits minimal wear. An astonishingly well-maintained older restoration. – Sold at the Hershey Auction in 2002 for $723,600, then by RM at Amelia in 2008 for an eye-popping at the time $2,640,000 which prompted the observation, “‘The quality will be remembered long after the price is forgotten,’ or at least the new owner better hope so.” Subsequent owners have done better than that, but this is a better, more pure, beautifully restored Duesenberg than most, a lot of car for a lot of money.

Lot # 136 1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS Spider, Body by Pininfarina-Scaglietti; S/N 8302; Rosso Chiaro/Tan leather with Black bars; Estimate $650,000 – $750,000; Older restoration 2- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $685,000 plus commission of 10.73%; Final Price $758,500. – 2,419/195hp, 5-speed, fender flares and Daytona-style seats (aka “Chairs & Flares”), Campagnolo wheels, air conditioning, power windows, Ferrari Classiche certified, books, tools. – US market car. The paint has a stone chip on the frunk lid. There are some repaired chips on the lower nose, and the Dino badge is aged. The rear trunk lid is misaligned. The engine compartment and underbody show some age and grime. The interior shows light wear from use. An order restoration that shows well as a driver’s car. Ianelli Family Collection. – This is a massive price that would have bought a concours-quality Dino with regular fenders and seats. It’s no fluke, however, as the better-preserved unrestored Chairs and Flares Dino at Gooding’s sale brought nearly a million dollars.

Lot # 137 1964 Shelby Cobra 289 R&P Roadster; S/N CSX2208; Vineyard Green/Saddle leather; Estimate $900,000 – $1,200,000; Recent restoration 2- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $1,500,000 plus commission of 10.33%; Final Price $1,655,000. – 289/271hp, 4-speed, wire wheels, wind wings, woodrim steering wheel, Stewart Warner gauges, aluminum Cobra valve covers, grille and trunk guards. – Documented ownership from new, including 47 years with one owner. Factory-optioned with luggage rack that is no longer fitted. Restored in the 1980s and again in the 2010s. Good paint, but the driver’s door is out of alignment and doesn’t close fully when latched. The engine compartment is immaculate and so is the underbody. The driver’s seat has some stretching from use. A decent looking Cobra that just needs a few items addressed. – Sold by Gooding & Company at Pebble Beach in 2015 for $902,000 and color changed since back to its original Vineyard Green. It was a fine Cobra in 2015 and so it is today having added just over 120 miles to the odometer since then. It also is breathtakingly expensive in this transaction and nothing in its history sets it apart from similar 289 Cobras. It would have been fully valued within RM’s pre-sale estimate range and this result is a hammer bid 25% over the high estimate.

Lot # 144 1950 Allard J2 Roadster; S/N 99J1738; Maroon/Tan leather; Estimate $250,000 – $350,000; Older restoration 3+ condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $230,000 plus commission of 12.00%; Final Price $257,600. – RHD. 331/180hp Chrysler Hemi with dual Strombergs, chrome wire wheels, dual sidemount spares, Michelin X tires, headlight stone guards, Brooklands aero screens, engine-turned dash, Stewart Warner gauges. – Period race history including the 1950 and 1951 Pebble Beach Road Races. Originally equipped with a Mercury flathead but received the Hemi in period. Owned by the consignor since 1963, and raced in vintage competition from the 1960s up through 2000. Then restored and shown. Lightly worn leather and aged steering wheel. Light detail scratching in the paint. Light hammer marks on the wheel nuts. In fine condition for racing or weekend driving. – This car has led quite a life but it is in no need of retirement. Allards are eligible for all sorts of historic races, tours and rallies commonly frequented by much more expensive and exotic machinery. This is a decent price for this J2, and it’s plenty of car to keep up with the million-dollar Mercedes and Ferraris on the Copperstate or Colorado Grand.

Lot # 145 1936 Lancia Astura Series III Tipo Bocca Cabriolet, Body by Pinin Farina; S/N 333277; Black/Brown leather; Estimate $2,000,000 – $2,400,000; Concours restoration 1- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $2,000,000 plus commission of 10.25%; Final Price $2,205,000. – RHD. 2973/82hp 4-speed, fender skirts, wire wheels with chrome wheel covers, Blockley tires, boot cover, luggage rack, ash trays in the back of the front seats, Jaeger gauges, driving lights. – One of a handful of Asturias styled by a fairly young Pinin Farina. Shown at the London Motor Show. Once owned by Eric Clapton and spent some time in Pininfarina’s ownership. Best of Show at Pebble Beach in 2016. The paint and brightwork are all still gorgeous, probably just a heavy detailing away from taking top honors at concours again. – Tipo Bocca roughly translates to “mouth type” but it was actually named for the Bocca brothers, a group of Lancia dealers who commissioned a small batch of Astura chassis for Pinin Farina coachwork. Being a Best in Show winner at Pebble Beach is just about the most prestigious title around in this hobby and there is only one of them a year. But this car has been there, done that, and Best in Show isn’t really the kind of thing a car wins twice. That didn’t matter too much to the Amelia bidders, however, who recognized that the rare, sophisticated coachwork and excellent restoration are desirable traits regardless of what’s in the trophy case.

Lot # 146 2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series Coupe; S/N WDDRJ7HA6EA010498; Mystic White II/Black Alcantara; Estimate $800,000 – $1,000,000; Unrestored original 2 condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $850,000 plus commission of 10.59%; Final Price $940,000. – 6,208/622hp V-8, 7-speed dual clutch AutoManual, black 19-/20-inch forged wheels, Telematics Package. – One-owner car with 616 original miles. There is no visible wear or flaws. Everything is highly designed and in excellent condition. A practically new car. – A quarter-million dollar car when new that has fared better than most in the aftermarket benefiting from its exclusivity, luxury and performance. Bought appropriately today.

Lot # 149 1934 Tatra T77 4-Dr. Sedan; S/N 23014; Blue/Gray leather; Estimate $500,000 – $700,000; Recent restoration 3+ condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $350,000 plus commission of 11.43%; Final Price $390,000. – 2,968/59hp V-8, 4-speed, floor shift, hub caps, Firestone tires, fender skirts, dash clock, robe rail. – Very rare T77, the original streamlined Tatra. Restored painstakingly to all correct specs, reportedly at a cost of around $1M. That said, there are scratches and overbuffed spots in the paint, as well as a few chips on the rear. Scratches in the right rear window as well. Beautiful interior with excellent wood and leather as well as clear, bright, beautiful gauges. A fascinating automobile in any condition even though the restoration doesn’t appear as nice as the stack of receipts might suggest. – The condition of this car was a little overhyped but it’s still a fascinating automobile, an Art Deco masterpiece that was years ahead of its time. Even RM’s presale estimate admits that the car’s restoration cost way more than the car’s actual worth, but the sale price even fell well short of that and shows that you do usually lose money restoring a car, and that it’s often best to let somebody else put money into shop rates and parts costs before buying the finished product yourself. The transaction also is a commentary on estimates and reserves, being offered with reserve but selling on a hammer bid 30% below the low estimate.

Lot # 150 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider, Body by Pinin Farina; S/N 1203GT; Engine # 1203GT; Amaranto/Tan leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $9,000,000 – $11,000,000; Older restoration 3+ condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $8,500,000. – 2,953/240hp, 4-speed, chrome spoke Borrani wheels, cold air box, covered headlights, front fender vents, grille-mounted Marchal fog lights, books and tools. Shown at Salon Prive, Villa d’Este, The Quail, and Cavallino Classic, featured in Sports Illustrated, September 1959, Ferrari Classiche certified. – The paint finish has some polishing marks that show up in direct light. The chrome is very good, and the chrome wire wheels have only been polished on the outer rim but the nooks and crannies have fading and oxidation. The underbody is very clean but shows age and the interior presents well with what appears to be freshly redone upholstery. An old restoration from 2012 that has held up well. – Sold by Christie’s at Pebble Beach in 2001 for $831,000 then restored again in 2012. Passed on the block at this result, reported sold at an undisclosed amount after the auction. The math works like this: Had it sold for the $9 million low estimate the consignor would have netted about $8.5 million after an assumed moderate commission. At the high bid RM would have received $9.355 million leaving $855,000 to make a deal work and a realistic range for a compromise to everyone’s benefit. The numbers could still work even if there were 0% seller’s commission and as all auctions know, some commission is better than no commission.

Lot # 153 1968 Porsche 911S Coupe; S/N 11800988; Engine # 961784; Ossi Blue, White, Red/Black vinyl, cloth; Estimate $400,000 – $450,000; Competition restoration 2- condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $320,000. – 2.0-liter R-spec engine. 5-speed, white alloy wheels, Avon tires, Recaro seats, Personal steering wheel, roll bar. – Won the CASC (Canada) National Championship in 1977, restored in the early 1990s. Engine rebuilt in 2020. Some swirls and minor blemishes in the paint but the finish is mostly fine. Some paint coming off the wheels. Tidy interior. A race car, but a fairly clean one. – Good in-period racing history over several seasons driven by Claude Humbert and Jacques Bienvenue and thoughtfully restored to its 1977 configuration with a period-correct 901/02 twin plug engine. The hammer bid is modest considering the history and restoration. It is now listed at RM as asking $375,000 which is not unreasonable.

Lot # 160 1995 Ferrari F50 Coupe; S/N ZFFTA46B000103501; Engine # 40861; Rosso Corsa/Black, Red cloth; Estimate $4,750,000 – $6,000,000; Unrestored original 2 condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $4,600,000 plus commission of 10.11%; Final Price $5,065,000. – 5,699/513hp, 6-speed, Pirelli P Zero tires, Schedoni fitted luggage, flight case for hardtop, sequence 036/349. – 1342 km (834 miles). Reported single ownership from 1995-2022. Impressive condition, other than a tiny spot at the top of the windshield where the windshield is delaminating. Ferrari Classiche Red Book certified. – With just 349 built and as the halo model for a prominent company, F50s don’t come to market. But auction prices lately are over double what they were pre-pandemic. It’s not as iconic as the F40 (Lot 187, $1.875M) or the 288 GTO (Lot 182, $3.965M) offered at the same sale, but it’s more valuable than either of them.

Lot # 162 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage Drophead Coupe; S/N DB5C1924R; Deep Carriage Green/Tan leather; Tan Everflex top; Estimate $1,400,000 – $1,600,000; Older restoration 2- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $1,375,000 plus commission of 10.36%; Final Price $1,517,500. – LHD. 3,995/325hp, 5-speed, wire wheels, Vredestein tires, Talbot Berlin mirrors, boot cover, Blaupunkt radio, woodrim steering wheel, BMIHT documented. – Rare Vantage, and even rarer convertible, represented as one of seven produced. Concours restoration completed in 2005 and converted to LHD. Restamped replacement engine but the original engine 400/2111/V is included. Very good fresh repaint in the original color but the chrome is a little dull. Lightly worn seats but otherwise good interior. An older but high-quality restoration of a high-spec Aston. – Sold by RM here at Amelia in 2012 for $1,210,000 while still Peony Red, then offered at Monterey in 2018 where it was reported bid to $1,675,000 without selling. It has added only 383 miles in the intervening time with the odometer being about the only thing that’s changed except the color. It is an outstanding car, much more rare than a 250 GT Cabriolet and faster, and a sound value at this price.

Lot # 167 1953 Maserati A6GCS/53 Spyder, Body by Fantuzzi; S/N 2053; Engine # 2067; Red/Red leather; Estimate $2,800,000 – $3,400,000; Competition restoration 2- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $2,350,000 plus commission of 10.21%; Final Price $2,590,000. – 1,985/202hp six, 4-speed, silver painted wire wheels, side exhaust, woodrim steering wheel. – One of 52 built. Driven by Juan Manuel Fangio at a customer demonstration in December 1953, period podium finishes in SCCA racing, listed as having the “correct-type” engine and gearbox, not the original. Powered by a Chevy V-8 in the 60’s. Restored in the 1990s. Overall the paint presents very well with no real imperfections to point out, but the underbody has an oily film that has attracted grime. The steering wheel is worn from use but the seats and remainder of the interior are very good. An older appearing restoration with some use. – This is the first time I’ve been quoted in a catalog description (although not the first time I’ve written one), probably because I described the car (at Artcurial’s Retromobile sale in 2019) as “the best race car preparation I have ever seen.” It has mellowed a bit over the past four years but remains in highly usable and attractive condition. Turning down the Retromobile reported high bid of $3,740,712 (€3.3 million, this result is €2.4 million all-in) wasn’t the best idea, however, and the result here reflects how the market has moved away from it, as well as a differing perception of the replacement engine.

Lot # 169 2007 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Coupe, Body by Pininfarina-Scaglietti; S/N ZFFFC60A970150861; Grigio Silverstone Metallic/Black leather with Dark Gray inserts; Estimate $675,000 – $775,000; Unrestored original 2 condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $750,000 plus commission of 10.67%; Final Price $830,000. – 5,999/612hp, 6-speed manual, Yellow calipers, Pirelli P Zero tires, Daytona-style seats, Scuderia shields. – 4,000 miles and essentially flawless. Just about as important as the condition, though, is the gated shifter between the seats. – This car is represented as one of just 30 599 GTBs built with a 6-speed and one of 20 delivered to North America. While not the last Ferrari available with a manual, the 599 was nevertheless built at a time when stick shift Ferraris were living on borrowed time and hardly anybody ordered one. Collectors have flocked to the late model stick shift cars, and generally the later they are, the rarer they are, and the greater the premium over the equivalent (and, frankly, faster) paddle-shift equivalent. A perfect two-pedal 599 GTB is a quarter-million-dollar car, but sales of 6-speed cars over the past couple of years have included $709k in Monterey in 2021, $549,500 at a Broad Arrow auction last October, $880k in Monterey last year, and €623,750 in Paris earlier this year. This sale is close to the highest we’ve seen, and comfortably more than the $692,500 this same car brought in Amelia two years and about 800 miles ago.

Lot # 171 2010 Pagani Zonda R Coupe; S/N 5; Bare carbon/Red, Black; Estimate $4,800,000 – $6,800,000; Unrestored original 2- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $4,850,000 plus commission of 10.10%; Final Price $5,340,000. – 5,987/730hp AMG V12, 6-speed sequential gearbox, gold wheels, Pirelli P Zero tires, red calipers, race harnesses. – The fifth of 10 built between 2009-11, upgraded to Revolución specs at the factory in 2014. Small scrape on the right front wheel. Light scratching on the sliding side windows. One of the most extreme cars of the last 15 years and one of the most capable track cars anywhere, but at this price would you actually drive it in anger? – The Zonda R was designed for neither race series nor high-speed grand touring but as the ultimate track-focused car. Thoroughly reworked, it shares just a fraction of its parts with preexisting Zondas, and its monocoque is made of a special material developed by Pagani that is essentially a titanium/carbon weave. These cars reportedly started at about $1.8M when new, and it’s hard to imagine driving ten tenths in something so expensive, let alone something that costs $5.34M. This appears to be the going rate for Zondas, however, as others (ones that you can drive on the road) have sold for near $6M at auction before.

Lot # 173 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider, Body by Zagato; S/N 10814313; Engine # 10814313; Red/Burgundy; Black cloth top; Estimate $2,000,000 – $2,500,000; Older restoration 3+ condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $1,800,000. – RHD. Supercharged 1,752/85hp, Memini carburetor, black painted wire wheels, dual rear-mounted spares, folding windshield, Bosch headlights, radiator stoneguard. – Sold new to a Swiss owner, restored in 2009 and subsequently shown at Pebble Beach in 2012 and Concours of America in 2019. The paint has held up very well. There are some cracks in the chrome trim on the quarter panel, and the door hinges have some damaged paint. There is a small oil drip at the oil pan underneath and the underside exhibits some aging. The interior is very good and the seats exhibit little wear. A very well-maintained older concours restoration. Terence Adderley collection. – Sold to Terence Adderley here at RM Amelia in 2015 for $2,420,000, $2.2 million hammer, and it has added just 18km to its odometer since then but remains in very good older restored condition. The description cites a number of components with authentic original-type numbers and markings including on the body and driveline but never goes out on a limb to claim they are, in fact, original, just as was the case in 2015. Maybe bidders have gotten more skeptical and for certain the market for cars like this 6C 1750 has softened. It wouldn’t have been unreasonable to accept the reported high bid or to use it as the basis for a negotiated deal, and RM Sotheby’s states on its website that it was sold after the auction at an undisclosed price.

Lot # 176 1980 BMW M1 Coupe; S/N WBS59910004301226; White/Black leather, Gray cloth; Estimate $550,000 – $750,000; Visually maintained, largely original 2- condition; With Reserve; Not sold at Hammer bid of $485,000. – 3,453/277hp, 5-speed, BFG g-force Sport tires, power windows, Alpine cassette. – Showing 23,084 believable miles. U.S. delivery and a single owner from 1980 to 2019. One of 399 road cars built. Beautiful paint other than a small touch up right in the middle of the nose. Crack in the right drip rail and a scuff on the right window frame. Exterior plastic is a little dull. Lightly worn driver’s seat but otherwise good interior. Clean wheels. A lightly used but used example of BMW’s first and arguably only supercar. – M1 values started to surge in the mid-2010s and have stayed high, and although the reported high bid is modest it’s in the right ballpark and should have been worth serious consideration.

Lot # 177 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet B, Body by Sindelfingen; S/N 169367; Black, Metallic Gray/Green leather; Black cloth top; Estimate $900,000 – $1,200,000; Older restoration 2- condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $700,000 plus commission of 10.71%; Final Price $775,000. – 5,401/180hp, 4-speed, chrome wire wheels, Michelin X tires, dual sidemount spares, dual chrome horns, single Bosch driving light, suicide doors, mother-of-pearl instrument panel, burl wood interior trim. – Good but older paint and chrome, and there are some long scratches on the left front fender. Uneven gaps on the doors. Fantastic interior with a beautiful dashboard and no visible wear to the leather. Very clean underneath. An older restoration with some issues. – Sold by RM at London in 2013 to the present owner who paid $1,289,368 (£820,000 at the time, this result is £730,000) for it. Perhaps not as good now as it was then, it’s still very good and is a classic value (well, actually a good value for a classic) in this transaction. A 540K for under a $1 million, even a Cabriolet B, is by definition a solid value with entree into many choice events.

Lot # 181 1949 Delahaye 135M Cabriolet, Body by Henri Chapron; S/N 800940; Blue/Tan; Estimate $175,000 – $250,000; Older restoration 3 condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $110,000 plus commission of 12.00%; Final Price $123,200. – RHD. 3,557/115hp triple carb six, Cotal pre-selector gearbox, wire wheels fog lights, chrome wire wheels. – Believed to be one of a handful of long nosed Chapron bodied cars and represented as the “proper” engine with original coachwork. Older restoration from the 1980s at the Chapron workshop. The paint shows well, however the car starts to show age from there. The doors are out of alignment, the taillight bezel is pitted, the front badge is damaged and some of the enamel is chipped off. The engine compartment is aged and has patina. The interior is worn in and old. An old Delahaye ready for another restoration. – A desirable triple carburetor Delahaye 135MS but the chassis is buried in a lumpy but practical Chapron body and the originality of its configuration is in doubt. It has many issues and the consignor should be pleased to get this much for it.

Lot # 182 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO Berlinetta, Body by Pininfarina-Scaglietti; S/N ZFFPA16B000056773; Engine # 00213; Rosso Corsa/Black leather with Red inserts; Estimate $4,000,000 – $4,500,000; Unrestored original 3+ condition; With Reserve; Hammered Sold at $3,600,000 plus commission of 10.14%; Final Price $3,965,000. – 2,855/400hp, 5-speed, Speedline wheels, Pirelli tires, air conditioning, power windows. – US-delivered. Showing 7,991 km (4,965 miles). Decent paint overall, but there are a few dings and chips on the lower front bumper as well as chips on the lower brake cooling ducts. The underbody is aged but kept in good condition. The interior isn’t overly worn, but the red inserts to the seats appear faded. A decently maintained GTO that has seen use. Major service in July 2020 with $18k worth of work performed. – Ferraris sold well at Amelia 2023, and this 288 GTO is no exception. This is a strong price for the condition and mileage, and in fact it’s the highest result we’ve seen other than the slightly cleaner $4.4M example sold in Monterey last year.

Lot # 185 1974 Maserati Bora 4.9 Coupe, Body by Bertone; S/N AM11749US686; Engine # AM1071149686; Giallo/Black leather; Estimate $80,000 – $100,000; Enthusiast restoration 3- condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $112,500 plus commission of 12.00%; Final Price $126,000. – 4,930/330hp, 5-speed, hub caps, Pirelli tires. – Represented as the numbers matching engine, U.S. delivery. There are numerous cracks in the paint, notably on the top of the car and on the clamshell where it meets the roof and at the fuel filler door and the hood. There are also filled paint chips using a mismatched shade of yellow. The underbody is grimy and old, a dangling wire can also be seen underneath the car. The upholstery shows some wear and the interior shows general age. It is represented as having mechanical and cosmetic restoration work on 2013, but it is hard to tell where that work was done. – This wasn’t a very good Bora when it was sold at RM Monterey in 2003 for $44,000, and it isn’t much if any better today, just worth a bit more in today’s shrunken dollars. Apparently last attended to in 2013, this is a neglected, disrespected Maserati but the price it brought is representative of its condition and neglect. Sad.

Lot # 187 1991 Ferrari F40 Berlinetta, Body by Pininfarina-Scaglietti; S/N ZFFGJ34B000089121; Engine # 26512; Rosso Corsa/Red cloth; Estimate $1,800,000 – $2,200,000; Unrestored original 3+ condition; No Reserve; Hammered Sold at $1,700,000 plus commission of 10.29%; Final Price $1,875,000. – 2,936/478hp twin turbo, 5-speed, Pirelli P Zero tires, OMP harnesses, air conditioning, Euro spec with adjustable suspension, roll-up windows and catalytic converters. Assembly # 06147. – Major service a month ago with new aluminum fuel tanks and bladders. Showing 45,432 km. Mostly good paint, but there are a few chips on the nose as well as some bubbling in the finish behind the driver’s door and a decent sized chip at the back of the wing. Mostly clean interior, but the carbon is starting to yellow. Some scratching on the wheels. As F40s go, this one is rather used but also maintained. – Condition is matched by the price it brought. It will still grace many Ferrari and high-content tours and events with a car the owner won’t be afraid to drive through gravel-strewn roads. This is a driver’s F40 and it was priced accordingly.

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