The US market opened in January with headline auctions reporting bullish results and strong sale rates. RM Sotheby's led the way in Arizona, its 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Alloy Gullwing establishing a new world record for the model at $6,825,000 (est. $7-9m), helping RM post a $43.3 million total and a 95% sell-through rate. One of only 29 factory-built examples of the competition-bred lightweight Gullwing, it was owned by the president of the Gullwing Group for 32 years until purchased by the consignor in 2014.
Porsche 959 – Darin Schnabel ©2021 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
Three Porsche halo cars from the Tenenbaum Collection also went to new owners; a 14,000-km 1987 959 Komfort and a 1,400-mile 2015 918 Spyder finished in Liquid Metal Chrome Blue (a $53,000 option) each fetching $1,600,000, and a US-delivered 2005 Carrera GT, with under 5,500 miles on the clock making $1,545,000.
AC Ace – © Bonhams
Bonhams' matched RM's sale rate with 95% of its inventory changing hands in Scottsdale, where a recently restored concours-winning 1958 AC Ace turned in the star performance, smashing its $325-375k estimate at $516,500. Other strong above-estimate results included a 14,000-mile 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S at $467,000 (est. $260-320k) and an 16,662-km 1989 Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary at $445,000 ($300-350k).
Maserati 5000 GT – Mike Maez ©Gooding & Company
Gooding & Company ran its Scottsdale event as a timed online sale, generating $6.96 million. A Maserati 5000 GT that was exhibited at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show was the jewel in the 57-car catalogue, expected to achieve $700-900k, it commanded a winning bid of $924,000. One of just three bodied by Touring out of only 34 examples, chassis 103.010 was retained by the factory for development and promotional duties until June 1961, and had formed part of the consignor's collection of Maserati GTs since 1999.
Porsche Carrera GT – © Barrett-Jackson
Barrett-Jackson rounded off a hugely successful Scottsdale car week with its multi-day sales hammering away 1,857 cars, all offered at no reserve, for $195.9 million. Home-grown machinery dominated the line-up as usual, but the Europeans headed the non-charity big-ticket sales with a 1,547-mile 2004 Porsche Carrera GT top of the pile at $1,980,000 – a new auction record for the model. Other supercars of note included a 2,365-mile 2014 McLaren P1 that raised $1,705,000 and a Gulf-liveried 2019 Ford GT Heritage Edition with less than 20 miles bringing $1,650,000.
McLaren Speedtail – © Mecum
Mecum entered the record books in style with 2,954 vehicles finding new homes at its 11-day marathon in Kissimmee, chalking up $213 million in sales – the first time a collector car auction had broken the $200 million barrier. The ex-Ken Miles 1965 Shelby GT350 R Prototype “Flying Mustang” made $3,750,000 ($100,000 less than it achieved in 2020), edging out a 194-mile 2020 McLaren Speedtail at $3,300,000 (est. $3.5-4.0m) and a 14,053-km 1992 Ferrari F40 at $2,750,000 ($2.8-3.2m) in the top three. Mecum's 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing set a new high-water mark for non-alloy cars, blitzing its $1.75-2.0m guide with a sale at $2,640,000, while a 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo that featured in the 1995 film "Bad Boys” went for $1,430,000 (est. $1.5-1.7m).
Full January results here:
