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Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde á Paris, March 10, 2021

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No, it wasn’t at the Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées, it wasn’t during Rétromobile, nor in fact was it even in France. Les Grandes Marques du Monde á Paris was literally aethereal and online only. It also didn’t share the usual exceptional collection of rare, valuable and famous European cars and obscure French marques and models […]

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RM Sotheby’s, “Paris” Online, February 13, 2021

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With Rétromobile CoViD displaced to June, the Rétromobile week auctions were left to their own devices. RM Sotheby’s chose to rely on their established and efficient Online format with a 40-lot sale (plus automobilia). The cars were scattered across the Continent and the U.K., the later now formally divorced from the EU with all kinds […]

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Photo by Phillipe Louzon

Artcurial Motorcars, Parisienne, February 5, 2021

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The annual pilgrimage to Paris, winter weather be damned, was put off this year by CoViD. The gigantic Rétromobile show months ago postponed to June 2-6 hoping to catch the CoViD slipstream – a hope that is increasingly ephemeral. The auctions that orbit Rétromobile from Artcurial Motorcars, Bonhams and RM Sotheby’s were left to follow […]

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Artcurial Retromobile, Paris, February 7, 2020

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Artcurial at Retromobile in 2020 had an abundance of wonderful cars. It was, however, the middle and bottom of the market that found buyers. The big money cars struggled, leaving the auction with its weakest performance in years. One of the feature elements, the sale of four gorgeous yachts at no reserve (gorgeous to contemplate, […]

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RM Sotheby’s, Place Vauban, Paris, February 5, 2020

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RM Sotheby’s left some $14 million on the table with just three lots this year (Jaguar D-type XKD 520, Daytona Spider 15535 and the Batmobile-ish Lamborghini Veneno that is not reported here but brought a reported high bid of $4,347,370 and had kids barely old enough to shave fawning over it in the preview), carving […]

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Bonhams, Grand Palais, Paris, February 6, 2020

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“Those were the days”. Bonhams Paris auction is set in the best location, the Grand Palais which hosted automobile and aviation shows in the early 20th century when Paris was the center of the automotive world. Bonhams brings back relics of the age once again to luxuriate in the ambience of the Grand Palais, accented […]

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Not this year.

Scottsdale and Paris 2020 Auctions

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While this belated report on the overall Scottsdale auctions was caused by the proximity of the three Paris auctions it also is an opportunity to put both of them in perspective. The numbers are a good place to start: Year Cars Sold/ Offered Sale % Average Sale Median Sale Total $ Change Exchange Rate Scottsdale […]

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Bonhams, Les Grandes Marques du Monde,Le Grand Palais, Paris, February 7, 2019

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First of all, the annual observation that Le Grand Palais is the most extraordinary, wonderful collector car auction venue in the world. The setting is epic and unlike the usual fabric-covered marquee or bland multi-purpose convention center ballroom the filigree of cast columns and arches, glass-paned roof and artfully-placed rivets is endlessly fascinating. Le Grand […]

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Artcurial, Salon Retromobile, Paris, February 9-10, 2018

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Artcurial’s Retromobile auction is “the Official Sale” of the Retromobile show in Paris at the Porte de Versailles Paris Expo center, a lavish, enthusiastic, celebration of all things old cars. Retromobile covers thousands of square meters of enclosed exhibition space with just about every kind of exhibitor from tightly focused one-marque clubs and tables covered […]

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Artcurial Motorcars, Rétromobile, Paris, February 10, 2017

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On the numbers Artcurial’s $34.7 million 2017 sale looks light, but that isn’t taking into account the $35 million sale of the Ferrari 335 Sport last year which had no comparable blockbuster in 2017. Then there was the $19.1 million sale of the Baillon Collection’s Ferrari 250 GT SWB Cal Spyder two years ago. Without […]

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