Auctions Commentary from CCFS Market Analyst Richard Hudson-Evans
The 1971 Miura P400S in rarer right-hand drive that was supplied by Lamborghini Concessionaires in 1971 to first owner, rock star Rod Stewart, 45 years before he was awarded the Sir-prefix, has been sold by Coys to an absent Canadian bidder for £909,000 including charges at the Richmond firm’s London’s Ally Pally sale during CSM Show weekend. Chassis 4863 had only recently been treated to an SV-spec conversion during a circa £100k restoration at marque specialists Colin Clarke Engineering.
A new world record price of £303,000 was claimedfor a 1972 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS, one of only eight made in right-hand drive, that had been formerly owned for many years by U2 drummer Adam Clayton. The 26th Range Rover manufactured meanwhile, believed to have been the first one Land Rover registered to themselves as a ‘Range Rover’ 27 May 1970 and the first of the batch of 20 press launch cars, had been the subject of a diligently executed restoration by a model guru was hammered away for £80,000, costing the next preservationist £89,500 with premium.
Other market-important movers declared sold in North London included a £425,000 1964 Aston Martin DB5, which had remained in the first and previous ownership for the last 52 years. A 1974 Ferrari 246GT E Series, one of 498 Dino Coupes in right-hand drive was hammered away to a telephone bidder for £374,000 and a 1977 London Motor Show exhibited 512BB, one of 101 rhd ones and with increasingly reassuring Ferrari Classic Certification, went for £225,000. Before any additional post-sales had been concluded, some 60% of the 62 lots offered were declared sold ‘live’ on the Coys-tv www-feed, the 37 cars grossing more than £3.6m
Later the same afternoon at Artcurial HQ on the Champs Elysees in Paris, 60 of the 77 voitures viewed for the tenth time in the underground carpark next door sold in an 80% sold 900,000 euros (£810,000 in our island money) during the ‘AutomobilesSur Les Champs 10’ sale. A European mainland collector paid a more than top estimate 649,600 euros (£584,640) for the DB5 built by Aston Martin for the 1964 Paris Salon and the ex-works 1964 Le Mans 24 Heures class winning Alpine M64 Berlinette was acquired by an American buyer for a within the guide band 359,600 euros (£323,640).
A 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0, prepared as a Group V RSR model and campaigned by the Almeras Bros, remained in the EEC with a 220,400 euros result (£198,360), forecast money, and a claimed to be still very original 1962 Jaguar E Type 3.8 Coupe doubled its estimate to sell for £104,400 (£93,960). A 1967 Ferrari 330GT V12 for 2+2 found 197,200 euros with premium (£177,480), a mid-estimate valuation by a European collector, and a 1992 Lancia Delta Evo I Martini HF with discreet Martini stripes, but a Martini Racing branded rear of roof mounted spoiler, that had been driven 57,500k by two owners, raised a more than forecast 102.080 euros (£91,872 with premium).
In this, their 10th such Paris sale, Artcurial had successfully shifted 8 out of every 10 consigned cars, although 17 of the reserves were too much for the market makers and certainly too much for those paying in Sterling at the current rates of exchange. If the courts and the Remain lobby in the city and on the TV studio sofas get their undemocratic way, of course, Brexit may never actually happen and Brits will soon be able to afford to buy cups of coffee and classic cars at European prices.