Setting aside the €135,000,000 paid for the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupe which was ably covered by Lockton last month, the big news in May was the return of the Monaco Historique and with it the accompanying blue-chip sales for RM Sotheby's and Bonhams. Nigel Mansell took the opportunity to offload a brace of iconic F1 cars direct from his private collection at RM's sale. The Williams FW14 that he drove to five victories in 1991 claimed the honours for the top result at €4,055,000, comfortably eclipsing its €1.5-3.0m estimate. GP fans are more likely to remember 'Red 5' as the 'F1 Taxi' that Mansell used to give Ayrton Senna a lift after the Brazilian ran out of fuel in the British Grand Prix. A Ferrari 640 that gave Mansell his first win for the Scuderia at the opening race of the 1989 season also found a new home, hammered away for €3,605,000 (est. €2.5-5.0m).
Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider – Paolo Carlini ©2022 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's
Other big-ticket Italian machinery in RM's line-up included a US-supplied 1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider with 34,624 miles – sold for an above-estimate €2,592,500 (est. €2-2.2m); a concours award-winning 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV that served as the US-homologation prototype and featured in publicity material and the SV brochure fetched a mid-estimate €2,480,000; and Classiche-certified 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, used for the French homologation road test and as a press car for Sport Auto magazine, drew €2,030,000 (est. €1.7-1.8m).
Porsche 959 – © Bonhams
German 'young timers' performed well at Bonhams' Monaco sale, led by a 26,000-km 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort at €1,437,500 (est. €1.4-1.6m). A barely-used one-owner 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM AMG with Middle Eastern registration documents blitzed its €140-180k guide, taking €414,000, as did the Swiss-spec 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series, also single owner and negligible miles, which brought €301,875 (est. €120-160k).
De Tomaso Vallelunga – © Aguttes
French auction house Aguttes set a new high-water mark for a De Tomaso Vallelunga when it made €324,860 (est. €300-330k) at its May Day sale. The rare right-hand drive example – one of the few 'Competizione' cars powered by a Lotus twin-cam in place of the standard car's Ford engine – started life in the UK before heading to Australia where it remained until 2014.
Iso Grifo GL350 – © Silverstone Auctions
A 1967 Iso Grifo GL350 that was first owned by the multiple-World Motorcycle Champion Mike Hailwood crept above its lower estimate, selling for £309,375 at Silverstone Auctions' sale, held during the Supercar Fest event at Sywell Aerodrome. Crashed and rebuilt during Hailwood's stewardship, it was long-term stored by a subsequent owner prior to a meticulous restoration in Germany.
Lamborghini Countach LP5000 Quattrovalvole – © Mecum
Lamborghini Countachs continue to make strong money, none more so than Mecum's 1988 LP5000 Quattrovalvole which changed hands for $599,500 at their Indy sale. Slated to achieved $450-475k, the car was offered from The Asi and Lisa Sheikh Collection, in original unrestored condition, with 16,000km from new.
Full May results here:
