A collection of vintage and modern supercars raised blood pressures, eyebrows and even bank balances last week when they went under the hammer at an incredible auction.
The Ferraris on show proved that they are still the alpha cars in the line-up of RM Auctions biennial Monaco sale. With stunning sports cars from the mid-Twentieth Century to the present day on offer, the legendary cars of the Prancing Horse continued to inspire awe in all who beheld them.
The idea of so many beautiful cars in one venue is awesome enough. Imagine then being one of the lucky bidders with money to be able to put in an offer for one of these spectacular beauties. Almost £26m changed hands during these few hours and a brief review of the cars on the floor shows just why. The portfolio included twenty-two Ferraris which spanned six decades of the illustrious marque’s heritage of craftsmanship and performance.
Expectant buyers came from over thirty-three different countries to marvel and lust after these impeccable models.
Going home for a winning bid just shy of £4m, the most expensive car of the day invoked huge interest and a riveting bidding process. It is the rarest of all Testa Rossa models ever made, having been produced in 1957. It by far exceeded the anticipated £1.5m to £2.3m estimate that the seller expected. This set a new record for the model.
Other cars also achieved all-time records, with four being sold for prices in excess of £1.5m and ten of them costing no less than three quarters of a million pounds apiece.
One such car was the practically-peerless Ferrari 625 TRC Scaglietti Spider made in 1957 as well. It is one of only two ever made, and neither of them has been on the market for thirty years.
Another big ticket item was the 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport Spyder ‘Tuboscocca,’ which garnered a winning bid of almost £2m. The same price was paid for a 1966 Ferrari 206 S Dino Spyder, one of only 18 such cars ever built. Other epic Ferraris which sold well were the 1987 F40 prototype and a 2006 FXX Evoluzione.
Proving that a car’s history also improves its worth, a Ferrari Grand Prix car raced by Michael Schumacher in his highly successful 2000 season when he won the Driver’s Championship that year was also auctioned. This pedigreed F1-2000 racer fetched £666m at the fall of the hammer.
One of the oldest cars, a very rare 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Sport Cabriolet A sold for £1.75m, proving that true value is often improved with age.