The 2023 collector car auction season got off to a roaring start in January. The Bonhams Scottsdale auction reached $30M in sales, and RM Sotheby’s reported $44M. The big surprise came from Bonhams, where a 1912 Simplex brought $4.8M, a record for a pre-WWI car. Supercars were still supreme, though, with a Ferrari LaFerrari getting $4.075M at RM Sotheby’s and, earlier in the month, a Ferrari F40 topping the Mecum sale in Kissimmee, Florida at $3.135M.
Will the 812 GTS be Ferrari’s final front-engine, naturally aspirated V-12 spider? Based on the appropriately named 812 Superfast Berlinetta, the 812 GTS shares a lineage with a line of classic open Ferraris, including the magnificent 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider of the early ’70s. The 812 GTS has a retractable hardtop roof and a 789-horsepower 6.5-liter V-12. Bonhams’ Scottsdale auction is offering a 2021 812 GTS with just 217 miles.
A few Scottscale Auction highlights: a record $6.8 million for a 1955 alloy-body Mecedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing; a $335,000 sale of the 1949 “Rain Man” Buick Roadmaster convertible; and $775,000 for a rebuilt Duesenberg Model J engine – yes, just the engine. Read all the highlights here
The F355 was Ferrari’s successful response to the next-to-last ranking of its F348 predecessor in a five-way Car and Driver comparison. This 1995 F355, with only 900 miles, is offered by Bonhams at its Scottsdale auction, with a pre-sale estimate of $130k – $160k.
Get geared up to bid at Gooding’s “Geared Online” stellar line-up of dream cars at its 2022 Scottsdale Auction. Premier’s professionals have selected some of their favorites, include two classic Porsches and a rare 1962 VW Transporter (a/k/a “microbus”) with 23 windows. Contact us to pre-qualify to finance any Gooding’s 54 motorcars.
Picture yourself behind the wheel of this classic 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 Cabriolet, with your hair slicked back and Wayfarers on. Back then, you would have paid $14,380 for a new one. Today, the pre-sale estimate for this restored beauty at RM Sotheby’s Scottsdale auction is $300k – $350k.
Think you’re “a very good driver” like Raymond Babbitt? Here’s your chance to own the 1949 Buick Roadmaster from “Rain Man,” the 1988 film starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. The car has been owned by Hoffman for 34 years, and is now offered by Bonham’s at its Scottsdale auction, with a pre-sale estimate of $150k – $250k.
Ferrari’s long-awaited Purosanque SUV, scheduled for launch in early 2022, is not the marque’s first “family” car. Ferrari’s discontinued GTC4 Lusso was preceded by a number of “2+2” coupes; notably its 250 GTE Series, introduced in 1960. RM Sotheby’s will offer two at Scottsdale: a silver 1963 Series III and a red 1962 Series II.
The SLS AMG, the successor to the legendary Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, has been described as “a beauty with a touch of brute.” At its Scottsdale auction, Gooding & Company will offer a single-owner 2011 SLS AMG with only 3,000 miles on the odometer. The pre-sale estimate is $175k – $225k. Give Premier a call, so you’re prepared to bid on this beauty.
