Ferraris, Mercs and BMWs prove popular at Scottsdale sales
Scottsdale, Arizona, was swamped by classic cars and classic-car enthusiasts last week, as several of the top auction houses held massive multi-million-dollar sales.
The Scottsdale auctions are traditionally seen as a bellwether for the industry, indicating which way the market is going each year. And from the looks of the results, it’s in pretty robust health.
Of the hundreds of cars offered over the weekend an impressive 16 fetched more than a million dollars apiece – with the top three in our list changing hands for more than $5m each.
Click through to see those 16 in all their gleaming glory.
1967 Ferrari 330GTS
Sold for: £1.5m ($2m)
The first of a fleet of Ferraris that sold in Scottsdale, this dashing example of the ’60s roadster fetched a packet with RM Sotheby’s.
Previously part of the Skip Barber Collection, it goes to its new owner complete with original engine and gearbox, as one of just 100 open-top GTS machines ever built.
1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster
Sold for: £777k ($1m)
Next, one of three 300SL machines that changed hands over the weekend. The cheapest of the bunch was no steal at $1m – a pristine example of the world-beating German cruiser in open-top roadster guise.
Stabled with the same owner for almost half a century and restored twice in the last six years, at least it looks a million dollars.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Sold for: £855k ($1.1m)
A second 300SL and a second million-dollar price tag? Welcome to Scottsdale.
This mid-century Merc wears those iconic Gullwing doors, but they weren’t the only reason for its high price tag: once owned by racer Lothar Motschenbacher, the 240bhp machine has been preserved but never restored – so it went under the hammer in incredibly original condition.
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing
Sold for: £1.1m ($1.4m)
Surprise! It’s a third and final 300SL – and the most intriguing of the bunch. Ordered new by the then-conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, it was only rediscovered last year, after more than 30 years of dry, static storage in the garage of its former owner.
The result? A time-capsule car that’s remarkably original and uniquely preserved. Sure, it’s in need of a good service, but who isn’t at 64?
1985 Ferrari 288GTO
Sold for: £1.9m ($2.5m)
Built for the fearsome Group B racing category of the ’80s, the 288GTO never actually raced – which has only made the fabled Ferrari more, well, fabled.
This pristine example is one of just 272 built and it sold in Scottsdale with a mere 7605 miles on the clock – which, even among well-maintained rarities, is low indeed.
1964 Shelby 289 Cobra
Sold for: £777k ($1m)
From a 288 to a 289, Shelby’s featherweight Cobra remains a captivating classic thanks to its blend of lightweight British style and brutish American power.
Shipped to the USA in ’63, this example was finished the following year in full 289 guise – complete with desirable rack and pinion steering.
Restored more than once, it was upgraded in the ’90s with a more powerful motor – though the original block also accompanied the car at the Gooding & Company auction.
1963 Ferrari 250GT Lusso
Sold for: £1.5 ($1.9m)
A stunning tourer with V12 power and timeless Pininfarina style, it’s little wonder the Ferrari 250GT remains a much-vaunted classic today.
Of all the variants, the Italian marque built just 350 in luxurious Lusso guise – including this one, which sold in immaculate condition with Gooding & Company, complete with matching-numbers engine and gearbox.
1951 Maserati A6G/2000 Spider
Sold for: £2.2m ($2.8m)
This jaw-dropping Maserati is an exercise in mid-century Italian elegance. One of just three Spiders built by Frua on the A6G/2000 platform, it was raced in the ’60s before being consigned to storage.
Come 1997, the original owner’s daughter told its tale to a lucky group of collectors who’d stopped for dinner at the restaurant where she worked.
Classic & Sports Car ran a magazine feature on it the following year and, in 2000, it sold to a new owner, before receiving a stunning restoration – which does plenty to explain the equally breathtaking price tag.
1963 Porsche 356B Carrera 2 GS
Sold for: £777k ($1m)
You can get cheaper machines good for 130bhp, but none quite as handsome as this mid-century cabriolet.
The fastest Porsche of its era – not to mention the most expensive – just 300 were built, including this highly original number finished in a dashing shade of red. It sold with Bonhams after 30 years with the same owner.
1985 Ferrari 288GTO
Sold for: £2.6 ($3.4m)
A second 288GTO, this Prancing Horse is even closer to new than the first: finished in ’85 and equipped with a host of desirable extras – including air-con and power windows – it sold with RM Sotheby’s with a scant 2900 miles on the clock.
It goes without saying that this is as good as they come, and you’ll struggle to find a more original example of Ferrari’s first true supercar.
1956 Bentley S1 Continental
Sold for: £855k ($1.1m)
A lesson in touring luxury, this beautiful Bentley has enjoyed a suitably aristocratic life. Wrapped in a fully bespoke Park Ward bodywork, it shipped first to heiress Mary Baird in 1956 before, several owners later, ending up in a prominent private collection – where it remained until the RM Sotheby’s sale. And it’s still as sublime today as the day it was finished.
1952 Ferrari 212 Europa
Sold for: £1.5m ($1.9m)
Display stock usually ships at a discount, but not so when you’re bidding on a rare Ferrari that was shown on the marque’s stand at the 1952 Paris Auto Salon and 1953 Brussels Motor Show – not to mention raced in the first ever Nürburgring 1000km in 1953.
For the better part of $2m, the winning bidder received a race-proven Prancing Horse that received a stunning, concours-quality restoration from Ferrari’s own Classiche Department back in 2012, as well as a stack of historical documents. Sounds like a fair deal.
1958 BMW 507 Roadster Series II
Sold for: £1.7m ($2.2m)
It might have almost bankrupted BMW, but the German marque’s mid-century roadster is a bona-fide stunner – and, with just 252 ever built, it’s also properly rare.
How rare? This concours-quality Series II number from ’58 – complete with five-speed gearbox, period-correct engine and factory hardtop – topped two million dollars with RM Sotheby’s. Yes, that rare.
1953 Ferrari 250MM Spider Series II
Sold for: £4.2m ($5.4m)
What’s more remarkable than a mid-century racing Ferrari? A mid-century racing Ferrari that competed extensively in period, retains its original chassis, engine and gearbox, and still wears the stunning coachwork it received from famed coachbuilder Vignale – as just a dozen 250MM machines did.
Little wonder this one broke the $5m mark.
1958 Ferrari 250GT Tour de France
Sold for: £4.6m ($5.9m)
Ferraris have been topping auction lists for years. But when they look and sound as good as this one, it’s not hard to see why.
The Ferrari 250GT Tour de France came clothed in gorgeous aluminium coachwork by Scaglietti and equipped with a thrumming V12 engine.
A tour-de-force of mid-century motoring, this vehicle was raced in period and has since become a regular sight at concours events, rallies and historic races.
It went to auction with its original body, chassis and drivetrain, as well as a raft of documents and invoices, all of which makes it something of a steal at almost $6m.
Event at that price, though, it wasn’t the most expensive lot at Scottsdale…
1963 Ferrari 250GT SWB
Sold for: £5.9m ($7.6m)
No, the top honours went to this stunning number at the Gooding & Company sale – another 250GT, and it’s basically a check-box exercise in Prancing Horse perfection.
One of just 166 SWB examples, a mere 96 finished in upmarket Lusso trim and only 77 second-series machines, it’s been stabled with a raft of notable Ferrari collectors – including Nicolas Cage – and exhibited numerous times over the course of its very well-kept life.
Restored in the late ’90s, it went under the hammer with matching-numbers engine and gearbox, Ferrari Classiche certification and a very big price tag. In fact, by our count, it’s the 96th most expensive car ever sold at auction.