Bonhams
Bonhams kicked off the Amelia weekend with its auction at the Fernandina Beach Golf Club, starting at 10:30am, Thursday, March 10. Longtime Bonhams executive and auctioneer Malcolm Barber shared sales duties with podium regular Rupert Banner. Their two styles complemented each other, Barber dispatching sales briskly and efficiently, and Banner patiently coaxing and cajoling bidders to reach deeper into their pockets.
Bonhams had the smallest number of Porsche cars offered at auction during the week, but it made up for that with some of the more interesting non-Porsche vehicles.
The list below replicates the one RSM published in March with some notes, and with sale prices. All sale prices here include auction commissions.
Porsche:
- Lot 136: 1989 Porsche 930S Turbo Slant Nose Cabriolet – Estimate: $175-250K – Sold for $181,500
Ex-Andre Agassi. Without reserve. White with red interior. - Lot 138: 1967 Porsche 911 S 2.0 Coupe – Estimate: $140-180K – Sold for $126,500
White with black interior.
- Lot 150: 1994 Porsche 928GTS – Estimate: $75-100K – Sold for $132,000!
Without reserve. Silver with white interior. 5-speed manual gearbox.- This was an exceptional example and it provoked fierce bidding among three enthusiasts in the room. And it surprised nearly everyone.
- Lot 171: 1963 Porsche 356B Super 90 Cabriolet – Estimate: $140-180K – Sold for $149,600
Triple black. - Lot 191: 2005 Porsche Carrera GT – Estimate: $800-900K – Did not sell (at a top bid of $780,000)
Silver with black interior
Among Bonhams’ special “vehicles” were:
- Lot 102: 1895 “Paris Trouville Rocket” Private European Road Coach (as in horse-drawn) – Estimate $200-250K – Did not sell (at a top bid of $120,000)
Body by Guiet & Co. of Paris. Black and cream lacquered wood with blue cloth interior. It’s worth going to Bonhams online catalog just to see this bit of history. Do – especially – pay attention to the view and caption of the interior of this coach.- This proved to be too special a vehicle and did not sell at $120,000 top bid.
- Lot 123: 1967 Ferrari 275GTB/4 Coupe – Estimate $2.7-3.2M – Sold for $2,750,000
Silver with black interior. From the Wade Carter collection. This man had interesting eclectic taste.
- Lot 139: 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Sports Tourer, body by Vanden Plas – Estimate not published – Sold for $9,375,000
Blue with blue interior. Well-deserving of the eight pages it got in the catalog. Like Guiet, Vanden Plas started making horse-drawn carriages in Belgium before expanding operations to the U.K. This car looks especially like a classic British pontoon-fender sports car but with a fine French pedigree.- Bidding began at $6 million, instantly jumped to $7M, and climbed steadily to $8.5 between a bidder by phone and another in the room, provoking a buzz in the room. The room went quiet at the $8.75M phone bid and then erupted in enthusiastic applause when – after a patient delay to coax more out of any one interested – the buyer in the room heard his offer hammered down it at $8.85 million, or a total of $9,375,000 with fees. This set a world record for the most expensive Bugatti sold at auction in the United States.
- Lot 142: 1910 Thomas Flyer Model K-6-70 “Flyabout” – Estimate: $900k-1.2M – Sold for $825,000
Red with red interior. In 1908, a four-cylinder 60-horsepower Thomas Flyer WON the New York to Paris race (that ran by way of Seattle and Moscow). This – the six cylinder 70-horsepower version – is the high-performance upgrade of that around-the-world racecar.- Bidding on this car stalled at $750,000, when the reserve came off, prompting the auctioneers to blurt out, “Thank you, underbidder!” With fees, the sale price was $825,000.
- Lot 167: 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet A body by Sindelfingen – Estimate not published – Sold for $2,970,000
Black with tan interior. Remember that a Special Roadster A – the more desirable body – sold at Scottsdale, setting an Arizona record at $9.9M at RM.- This car sold for $2,970,000, a more typical price for the Cabriolet bodywork.
- Lot 175: 1933 Maserati 8C 3000 Biposto Grand Prix racecar – Estimate not published – Sold for $1,001,000
Red with tan interior. France was the home of the Grand Prix. The French made the rules allowing two-seat GP cars that also raced in endurance races such as Le Mans. In the mid 1930s, the Italians were teaching the French how to say “Gran Premio” with cars like this.
Lastly a vehicle RSM missed in March proved captivating at the auction. This was Lot 152, the 1896 Armstrong Phaeton Gasoline Electric Hybrid. Yes, this was a gas-electric hybrid manufactured in Connecticut and invented by Harry E. Dey two years before Professor Ferdinand Porsche created the Lohner in Vienna. Dey and Armstrong produced a single vehicle and this was it. One of Bonhams’ master mechanics had succeeded in getting it running and he gave rides and demonstrated its operating intricacies to potential buyers before the auction began. That kind of enticement and education worked. Bonhams had estimated the sale price between $175,000 and $275,000. And they were way off! When the hammer fell and fees went on top, the sale price was $483,400 all in. For this sale also, the almost incredulous crowd broke into enthusiastic applause.
Gooding & Company
Gooding & Company occupied the second slot in the auction sequence, a typical and seemingly strategic place for founder David Gooding and his effective and entertaining auctioneer Charlie Ross. The first lots went off at 11:00am, Friday, March 11, at the Racquet Park, Omni Amelia Island Plantation.
David was strongest of all in Porsches, having stolen every other sale’s sparkle when he and Jerry Seinfeld announced the auction/marriage made in heaven. Seinfeld joined Gooding on stage and explained his passion for Porsche and his hope that each of his cars went to a good home. As added incentive, he offered buyers a photo op with him, them, and their purchase after the sale. His popularity among Gooding’s bidders and observers was evident with their warm reception of his comments at this offer.
Even from the start, though, it was clear that the energy missing from Scottsdale had returned to sales throughout Amelia Island. As Charlie Ross explained the terms of sale, he also cajoled people in the packed tent to find a seat. “So many people!” he shouted. “You won’t all get a car!” Ross kept the sale moving and his bidders and viewers awake and alert. “I don’t care where we start,” he said at one point when his initial proposals were cut in half. “It’s where we finish that matters.” Later, as a bidder hesitated and hesitated, “I know you want the car. Don’t say you don’t! You’re just pretending…”
Porsche:
- Lot #006: 1996 Porsche 993 Carrera 4S – Estimate $140-180K – Sold for $156,750
Without reserve. Speed yellow with black interior.- This first-of-28 Porsche offered, sold for $156,750.
- Lot #009: 1966 Porsche 912 – Estimate $60-80K – Sold for $66,000
Without reserve. Blue with black interior. - Lot #015: 1979 Porsche 930 – Estimate: $240-280K – Sold for $200,750
Without reserve. Silver with red interior.- This figure fell within the diminished prices (if not expectations) of G-series Turbos that erupted in Scottsdale.
- Lot #019: 1963 Porsche 356 B Cabriolet – Estimate $175-225K – Sold for $187,000
Without reserve. Champagne yellow with tan interior. - Lot #027: 1994 Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 – Estimate $275-325K – Did not sell (at a top bid of $255,000)
Black with cashmere interior. - Lot #031: 1966 Porsche 911 Coupe – Estimate: $200-300K – Sold for $275,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Sand with brown interior.- The first Seinfeld car provoked rapture from Charlie: “Just smell the car,” he ordered the audience. “I did! I sat in the car. I smelt it”. Perhaps that helped it sell for $275,000.
- Lot #032: 2011 Porsche 997 Speedster – Estimate: $300-400K – Sold for $440,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Speedster blue with black interior.- This car provoked a feverish bidding war between buyers on the phone, ultimately hammering for $400,000. With fees, the sale price was $440,000. How they got their photo with Jerry is yet to be determined.
- Lot #034: 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder (550-0060) – Estimate: $5.0-6.0M – Sold for $5,335,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Blue with white rear fender spears, tan seats.- “It’s like driving a Shakespeare sonnet,” Ross said, “or a Beethoven symphony.” With that, he led bidding to $4 million, and like a seamless poetic or musical transition, Jerry Seinfeld, seated in the first row, signaled he was lifting the reserve. As typically happens, that reignited bidding and the car sold, for $5,335,000 to a bidder in the room. Photo assured.
- Lot #035: 1957 Porsche 356A Speedster – Estimate: $500-600K – Sold for $682,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Aquamarine Metallic with tan interior. - Lot #036: 1974 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.0 IROC RSR – Estimate $1.2-1.5M – Sold for $2,310,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Yellow with black interior.- Here may have been another example of a buyer going after not only the vehicle but also its recent provenance, buying a piece of Jerry.
- Lot #037: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster – Estimate $250-325K – Sold for $363,000
Ex-Seinfeld. White with black interior. - Lot #038: 1990 Porsche 962 C – Estimate: $1.5-2.0M – Sold for $1,650,000
Ex-Seinfeld. White with black interior. Chassis 962-012. - Lot #039: 1963 Porsche 356 B 2000 GS Carrera 2 Coupe – Estimate: $1.1-1.4M – Sold for $825,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Silver Metallic with blue leatherette.- Seinfeld waved off the reserve at $650,000 and the car sold for $825,000 including fees.
- Lot #040: 2000 Porsche Carrera GT Prototype – Estimate $1.5-2.0M – Did not sell (at a top bid of $1,000,000)
Ex-Seinfeld. Silver with brown interior. “Non-drivable” prototype. - Lot #041: 1997 Porsche 993 Cup 3.8 RSR – Estimate: $1.2-1.5M – Sold for $935,000
Ex-Seinfeld. White with black seats.
- Lot #042: 1958 Porsche Typ 597 Jagdwagen – Estimate: $350-400K – Sold for $330,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Olive drab with brown seats. - Lot #043: 2012 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup 4.0 Brumos Commemorative – Estimate: $300-500K – Sold for $462,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Brumos paint scheme. - Lot #044: 1973 Porsche 917-30 (#917/30-004) Can-Am Spyder – Estimate: $5.0-7.0M – Sold for $3,000,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Sunoco livery.
- Lot #045: 1994 Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 S Flachbau – Estimate: $1.0-1.3M – Sold for $1,017,500
Ex-Seinfeld. Polar Silver Metallic with brown interior. - Lot #046: 1958 Porsche 356A 1600 1500 GT/ST Carrera Speedster – Estimate $2.0-2.5M – Sold for $1,540,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Auratium green wuith black interior. - Lot #048: 1959 Porsche 718 RSK – Estimate $3.8-4.2M – Sold for $2,860,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Silver with tan seats. #718-019. - Lot #053: 1970 Porsche 911 2.2 T Coupe – Estimate $135-175K – Sold for $165,000
Without reserve. Unrestored. Red with tan interior. - Lot #056: 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort – Estimate $1.3-1.6M – Sold for $1,120,000
Silver with black interior. - Lot #059: 1989 Porsche 930 Coupe – Estimate $140-180K – Sold for $129,250
Without reserve. Black with tan interior. - Lot #066: 1970 Porsche 911 2.3 ST – Estimate $1.1-1.4M – Did not sell (at a top bid of $900,000)
Yellow with red, with black interior. Ex-Larrousse. One of seven ST Coupes. - Lot #072: 1973 Porsche 911 S 2.4 Targa – Estimate $170-200K – Sold for $198,000
Without reserve. Signal Yellow with black interior. - Lot #075: 1968 Porsche 908 Coupe. #908-111 – Estimate $3.0-3.3M – Did not sell (at a top bid of $2,000,000)
Factory team car. White. One of five remaining. - Lot #081: 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster – Estimate $220-250K – Sold for $209,000
Without reserve. White with tan interior.
Ferrari:
- Lot #005: 1976 Ferrari 308 GTB Vetroresina (dry sump) – Estimate $275-$325K – Sold for $236,500
Red with black interior. - Lot #012: 1984 Ferrari 512 BBi – Estimate $300-350K – Sold for $297,000
Red with tan interior. - Lot #020: 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet – Estimate $1.5-1.8M – Sold for $1,512,500
Silver-grey with black interior. 1960 Geneva show car. - Lot #021: 1979 Ferrari 308 GTS – Estimate $160-180K – Sold for $187,000
Without reserve. Rosso Dino with black interior. - Lot #028: 1991 Ferrari Testarossa – Estimate $175-225K – Sold for $170,500
Without reserve. Red with tan interior. - Lot #058: 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe – Estimate $850-950K – Did not sell (at a top bid of $650,000)
Red with tan interior. - Lot #064: 1995 Ferrari F50 – Estimate $2.4-2.8M – Sold for $2,310,000
Red with black interior (red seat inserts)
- Lot #069: 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider – Estimate $15.0-17.0M – Sold for $17,160,000
Red with black interior. One of 37 with covered headlights.- This car entered bidding at $5 million and immediately a voice in the room bid $10 million. The car climbed in million-dollar increments, all in the room, to $14 million when Gooding announced they were “selling the car,” indicating the reserve had been lifted. Then the real drama began. From $13.5 onward, each time Charlie Ross raised his gavel, dozens of fans stood throughout the tent, cell phones in the air, to capture the car, the stage, and the winning bid. It was classic brinksmanship as in-house bidders inched the price up and up, spectators popping up and sagging down like deflated dolls. From opening bid to the hammer – finally – falling at $15.6 million to a bidder in the room and loud applause from everyone else, the process took a bit more than 20 minutes. Ross defended the time it took as “entirely reasonable for such a car and price!” The sale price, $17,160,000, set a new world record for the Short Wheelbase California Spyder and an all-time auction price for Amelia. After Ross’s hammer fall, the crowd let out something akin to a post-coital sigh. Perhaps it just was relief from the exercise their legs had endured, standing every after $50,000 or $100,000 increment.
- Lot #070: 1986 Ferrari 328 GTS – Estimate $175-$225K – Sold for $192,500
Without reserve. Red with tan interior.- Pity the humble Ferrari that follows a world-record California Spyder; still this one sold at $192,500.
- Lot #071: 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso – Estimate $1.9-2.4M – Sold for $1,875,000
Black with tan interior.
Among Gooding & Company’s special cars were:
- Lot #014: 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra CSX 2433 – Estimate $950K-1.1M – Sold for $1,320,000
Navy with black interior. Competition roadster with “Le Mans” hardtop and spare engine. - Lot #022: 1931 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe – Estimate $2.5-3.0M – Sold for $2,640,000
Black with brown interior. Body by Murphy.
- Lot #032: 1964 VW Camper – Estimate $80-100K – Sold for $99,000
Ex-Seinfeld. Unrestored.- As bidding for this camper – which started at $60,000 – shot past $80K, Ross shouted into his microphone “Hurrah!” With good reason. It sold for $99,000.
- Lot #062: 1966 Ford GT Mk 1. #GT40 P/1065 – Estimate $3.2-3.6M – Sold for $3,300,000
Blue with black interior. Right hand drive. One of 31 road Coupes. The accomplishments of racing GT40s – especially at Le Mans in 1966 and 1967 – inspired Ford to resurrect the styling for the 2005 GT and to redesign and restyle it again for 2017. But THIS car is the real birthparent.
RM/Sotheby
RM/Sotheby’s auction took place in the ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton hotel, host venue for them and the concours d’elegance, starting at 11:00am on Saturday, March 12. All three auction houses had reassessed the markets and in Amelia their estimates came much closer to successful sale prices. In fact each had individual lots that soared above their highest hopes.
Rob started off the auction with a welcome and a note: The familiar face on RM’s auction podium, Max Garindo, was absent on Saturday with good cause. He’d lost his father two days before, and Rob, after hesitating briefly, introduced a capable replacement, Eli Rodriguez. Eli – pronounced Ee-lee, proved almost clone like, with very similar style, temperament, and voice to Max.
Porsche:
- Lot #106: 1964 Porsche 356 SC 1600 Sunroof Coupe – Estimate: $140-180K – Sold for $121,000
Without reserve. Champagne yellow with black interior. - Lot #126: 1976 Porsche 930 Turbo Coupe – Estimate $275-325K – Sold for $255,000
Platinum metallic with brown leather. - Lot #133: 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe – Estimate $400-475K – Sold for $495,000
Black with tan interior. - Lot #142: 1988 Porsche 911 Turbo Slant Nose Cabriolet – Estimate $225-275K – Sold for $330,000
Without reserve. White with black interior.
- Lot #149: 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe – Estimate $240-280K – Sold for $308,000
Red with tan interior. - Lot #153: 2005 Porsche Carrera GT – Estimate $750-850K – Sold for $715,000
Silver with brown interior. - Lot #156: 1960 Porsche 356 B 1600 S Cabriolet – Estimate $200-250K – Sold for $242,000
White with red interior, black top. - Lot #186: 1979 Porsche 930 Turbo Coupe – Estimate $300-375K – Did not sell (at a top bid of $250,000)
Silver with black interior. Only 548 miles from new. - Lot #191: 1960 Porsche 356 B Super 90 Roadster – Estimate: $180-220K – Sold for $176,000
Without reserve. White with red interior.
Ferrari:
- Lot #109: 1988 Ferrari 328 GTS – Estimate $120-160K – Sold for $181,500
Without reserve. Red with tan interior. - Lot #123: 1980 Ferrari 512 BB – Estimate $275-325K – Sold for $297,000
Without reserve. Red with black interior. - Lot #137: 2002 Ferrari 575M Maranello – Estimate $400-475K – Sold for $462,000
Blue “Tour de France” with tan interior. Manual gearbox. - Lot #139: 1968 Ferrari 330 GTS – Estimate $2.3-2.6M – Sold for $2,000,000
Yellow with tan interior. - Lot #148: 1984 Ferrari 288 GTO – Estimate $2.3-2.6M – Sold for $2,585,000
Red with black interior, red seat inserts. - Lot #152: 1986 Ferrari Testarossa – Estimate $130-170K – Sold for $181,500
Without reserve. Red with black interior. - Lot #160: 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Coupe – Estimate $750-825K – Sold for $605,000
Red with black interior.
- Lot #163: 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica LWB Coupe Aerodinamica – Estimate $2.7-3.3M – Sold for $4,400,000
Blue with tan interior. #3949SA. 1962 Turin autoshow car. - Lot #166: 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider – Estimate $2.5-3.0M – Did not sell (at a top bid of $2,100,000)
Yellow with black interior. - Lot #174: 1957 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Tour de France – Estimate not published – Did not sell (at a top bid of $4,250,000)
#0619 GT. Silver with black interior.- Bidding started at $2,000,000 and climbed steadily but could not pass $4,250,000, where it passed with no sale.
- Lot #181: 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO – Estimate $650-750K – Sold for $687,500
Red with grey interior. - Lot #193: 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 Coupe – Estimate $325-375K – Sold for $341,000
Red with black interior.
RM/Sotheby had other interesting cars that included:
- Lot #120: 1963 Volkswagen Type 2 23-window Super Deluxe Microbus with Eriba Puck travel trailer – Estimate $125-175K – Sold for $159,500
Turquoise. Lots of turquoise.- This popular favorite started bidding at $40,000 and climbed enthusiastically to a sale price of $159,500 to a bidder in the room.
- Lot #121: 1985 Ford RS 200 Evolution – Estimate $475-675K – Sold for $522,500
White with red interior. 600hp all-wheel drive Group B car – Group B in its most insane iteration.- This little beast snorted and belched its way onto the stage, hinting to everyone about it’s no-nonsense potential. It sold for $522,500.
- Lot #125: 1965 Toyota 200GT – Estimate $800-950K – Sold for $797,500
White with black interior. Left hand drive. - Lot #129: 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Stelvio convertible – Estimate $900k-1.2M – Did not sell (at a top bid of $650,000)
Black with cream interior. Right hand drive. Ettore Bugatti’s son, Jean, designed a series of Type 57 models he named after the greatest Alpine mountain passes, of which Stelvio is one. Drive this one on the Colorado Grand. - Lot #141: 1911 Rolls-Royce 40/50HP Silver Ghost Tourer, body by Lawton – Estimate $2.5-3.5M – Did not sell (at a top bid of $2,100,000)
White with red interior. Too young for the London-to-Brighton run (for cars manufactured in 1905 or before) but start in London and you can drive to Brighton by way of Moscow, Beijing, Seattle, and New York in the best of these even a century later.- No one appreciated its capability enough and it did not sell at $2,100,000.
- Lot #161: 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing – Estimate $1.3-1.5M – Sold for $1,265,000
White with red interior. Fitted luggage, Rudge wheels. In Mercedes’ original racing colors!- Bidding was frenetic. It opened at $400,000. It climbed – in the room – to $550,000. The next bid – within an instant – was $1 million. It sold for $1,265,000, proving the market for correct – and correctly fitted and finished – Gullwings is far from done.
- Lot #162: 1932 Ford Model 18 Edsel Ford Speedster – Estimate $1.2-1.4M – Sold for $770,000
First of three Edsel Ford/Eugene Gregorie Speedsters. Green with tan interior. The partnership of Edsel and Eugene created the 1939 Lincoln Zephyr and the Continental in ’41. This was one of their “pet” projects. - Lot #164: 2014 Pagani Huayra – Estimate $1.9-2.2M – Sold for $2,035,000
Blue with grey interior. - Lot #179: 1963 Shelby 289 Cobra – Estimate $950K-1.2M – Sold for $1,155,000
Black with red interior. CSX2188. - Lot #188: 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Special Cabriolet A Sindelfingen – Estimate $3.0-4.0M – Did not sell (at a top bid of $2,800,000)
Red with tan interior. Past Pebble Beach Best of Show. RM sold the Scottsdale week record-setter with another one of these for three times this low estimate figure. They’re a Manly Man’s car, and this seems an attractive price for a real head-turner on any tour or at any concours.- Despite its provenance – ex-Otis Chandler, Pebble Beach Best of Show winner – this car did not excite. After reaching $2,800,000, it did not sell.
