In preliminary figures, overall sales from the five major auctions climbed above $200 million, about 15 percent higher than last year?s sales, which showed the solid strength of the collector-car market, particularly in its highest reaches.
The 1937 Spezial Roadster is the most spectacular of the Mercedes-Benz 540 K models. (Photo: RM Auctions) Canadian auction house RM once again took bragging rights for the highest sales totals at an impressive $80 million, compared with $67 million last year, including the significant auctions of rare Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari automobiles.
Leading the pack was the $9,680,000 for an outstanding 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster, the Holy Grail of Mercedes collectors, which set a record for a Mercedes-Benz sold at auction. Five other pre-war Mercedes cars also rang the bell, each of them supercharged specials that sold well into seven figures.
RM?s top Ferrari sale went to a 1960 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione at a lofty $5,280,000, followed by the unique and historic 1952 340 Mexico Berlinetta, which sold for $3,685,000.
The 1957 prototype of the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa went ballistic with a world-auction-record sale of $16.39 million. (Photo: Gooding & Company) The highest RM result that was not a Mercedes or a Ferrari came at No. 12 with the remarkable sale of the 1970 Porsche 911S formerly owned by the late Steve McQueen and driven by him in the opening sequences of the movie Le Mans. Magically enhanced by the McQueen connection, the Porsche sold for $1.39 million, a record for a 911 sold at auction by a very long shot.
Gooding & Company may have come in just behind RM in sales totals, $78 million for this year compared with $65.5 million in 2010, but Gooding scored major hits with the two top sales of the week, each of which set resounding records.
The 1931 Indy 500-winning Miller Bower Seal Fast Special sold by Mecum fetched a cool $2 million. (Photo: Mecum Auctions) Everyone was expecting big money for the actual prototype 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa with its evocative pontoon styling by Scaglietti, but the monumental $16,390,000 sale was still a stunner. It also broke the old highest-sale record for a collector car at auction, also a Ferrari 250 TR, by more than $4 million.
The other record-setter was the 1931 Duesenberg Long Wheelbase Model J Whittell Coupe, which at $10,340,000 was the most ever paid for an American car at auction. Gooding also set a world record for the 1963 Shelby Cobra 289 Factory Team Car that sold for $2,585,000.
A high-performance 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 was sold by Russo and Steele for $286,000. (Photo: Russo and Steele) Worth noting is the sale by Gooding of the oldest existing Bentley production car, a 1921 3 Liter that sold for $962,500.
Gooding?s 15 highest sales each broke the seven-figure mark, with RM close behind with 14 sales crossing into the millions.
The 1979 BMW M1 pro car was painted by official Art Car artist Frank Stella for his friend, IMSA racer Peter Gregg. (Photo: Bonhams) The three other major auctions flew a bit lower in the stratosphere, though each had solid results and decent sales percentages.
Mecum joined the millionaires club with the sale of a historic race car, the 1931 Indy 500-winning Miller Bower Seal Fast Special that sold for $2 million. Top sale behind that was for a 1912 Mercer Raceabout going for $625,000. Total sales for Mecum were just under $25 million, a leap above its $15 million sale last year.
The 1960 Maserati Tipo 61/60 Birdcage at Mecum that created some controversy regarding its authenticity failed to make reserve although it was bid up to $1.85 million.
Russo and Steele sales were also up, hitting $8.5 million compared with about $6 million last year for its collection of mostly muscle cars, sports cars and Detroit cruisers. The top four sales hit all those buttons:
? 1966 Ferrari 275 GTS, $654,500.
? 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7, $286,000.
? 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda, $198,000.
? 1959 DeSoto Adventurer, $192,500.
The Bonhams auction at the Quail Lodge reached $11 million, with the top sale also breaking into the seven figures, a 1957 BMW 507 roadster that sold for $1,002,500, followed by a 1966 Porsche 906 Coupe at $898,000.
Bonhams? third-place sale was the unique offering of the only BMW ?Art Car? ever to come to auction, although it is not one of the factory cars. The 1979 BMW M1 Pro Car originally owned by racer Peter Gregg and painted by Frank Stella ? one of BMW?s original Art Car artists ? sold for $852,000.
Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at
Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/vintage-montery-auctions-soar-set-records/
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