Even though colour-changed and static-stored in Finland for the last 15 years, and therefore liable for additional tax if domiciled within the EU, a ‘No Reserve’ Countach still magnetised the well-heeled investors in Monaco, where it raised 504,000 rocky euros (£398,160) including 12% of RM Sotheby’s buyers premium.
Latest classic car auction commentary: 24/05/2016
With original 4-litre V12 still present and roaring well on start-up, the 14th of the 50 Series 1 Countach LP400S reared by Lamborghini in 1978 - with distinctive telephone dial alloys shod with wider Pirellis to help put down the Raging Bull’s 375bhp to planet earth - was much viewed by potential tamers as it entered the carpeted underground car park at Le Sporting.
A world record 672,000 euros (£530,880) was also forthcoming for a 17 years younger Lamborghini, an even more intimidating looking Diablo SE30, one of 150 wild animals bred to commemorate Lambo’s 30th Anniversary and one of only 15 to factory-upgraded Jota specification. In unique special order Blue Violet with two-tone Bianco and Dark Blue leather, one of the wildest Diablos built had only been exercised for 6700 stone-chip free kilometres by two registered owners in Japan and Germany.
Among other valuations to blip my lap-top’s screen beside the Med, a 1968 Roman-registered Ferrari Dino 206GT, one of only 153 aluminium-bodied ones that reportedly had been largely original prior to a recent back to bare-metal repaint, made a more than top estimate 560,000 euros (£442,400).
The £476,000 paid (£376,040) for a 1982 Renault 5 Turbo was a memorable milestone for the French Pocket Rocket. Admittedly the record breaker waswas the ex-Renault Chartres Group IV rally car that French Champ Jean-Luc Therier had employed to scrabble through the blizzard to finish 4th overall and be the 1st two-wheel drive equipped competitor home on the 1984 Rallye Monte Carlo.
Whilst ‘XJB 871’, the BMC Team Austin-Healey 3000 that finished 3rd and was the highest-placed Britis car on the dusty 1961 Acropolis driven by Peter Riley and Tony Ambrose, and which was then privately owned by Flying Finn and works driver Rauno Aaltonen, fetched 403,200 (£318,528), more than 100,000 euros more than had been forecast.
The highest priced classic to sell during the four auctions held during Monaco’s bi-annual Historic GP weekend though (just beating the Bonhams sold £5,723,550 C Type to top the results table in the Principality) was a 1951 and 1952 Le Mans raced Ferrari 340 America with still elegant Barchetta coachwork by Carrozeria Touring. 65 years after being sold to WW2 hero Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, the 3rd of 23 340 America chassis and the 2nd of 8 bodied by Touring was acquired under the spot lights in Monte Carlo for a below forecast 7,280,000 euros (£5,751,200).
This was the first Monaco gig for the North American House without former RM Europe Chef D’Equipe and gavel-wielder Max Girardo on the rostrum. For the multi-lingual specialist with one of the best stocked contacts books in the collector automobile world has gone it alone to trade under Girardo & Co. Fellow RM specialist Peter Wallman has taken up the Euro-reins however and was, again, was on the Monaco stage introducing lots alongside auctioneer and RM Sotheby’s Europe MD Maarten ten Holder, who bravely had to fill what was and will be a considerable void.
By the end of a very long evening, and after some post-selling had been concluded, 48 or 62% of the 78 classics in the main glossy catalogue had changed hands. And after the 27 cars from the Quattroruote Collection in the earlier session had sold out however, 76 of the 105 car entries had sold and the overall sale rate rose to 71% and the premium-inclusive sales total to 27,333,120 euros (22.59m).
30 cars in the main sale, just under 40% of them, did not achieve reserves which were set ahead of current trading conditions, which despite some strong performances and the occasional record busting price, would appear to be softening.