Record-breaking Ferrari tops Artcurial's Le Mans Classic sale

| 8 Jul 2012

A world record price for a Ferrari 275GTB was the star turn at Artcurial's second outing at the Le Mans Classic.

The 1966 car was estimated at €1.3million but blasted past that to sell for €1,540,200, according the auction house setting a new world record for the model in the process.

It was not the most surprising Ferrari result, however, a 1959 250GT with a seemingly reasonable pre-sale guide of €100,000 more than doubled it to sell for €210,900.

In the high-and-unexpected-hammer-price stakes the 250GT was rivalled, or even bettered, by a series of classics including a 1938 Darl’Mat  Peugeot  (€321,700), 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia sprint GTA (€128,700), 1966 ASA RB Type 613 1300 GT (€297,800) and 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona (€297,800).

Another highlight was a pair of Mercedes-Benz 300SLs reinforcing the models' inexorable recent rise. A 1961 Roadster made €643,300 while the 1955 'Gullwing' topped out at €557,500.

Of the many competition cars being sold, there was feverish local bidding for the 1991 Peugeot 905 EV 13, boosting the sale price to a still below-estimate €654,700.

The delighted auction house reported an impressive 88% sale rate over the 130 lots – 70% of them going under the hammer at no reserve – and amassed a total of €9 million, €2 million more than at the same event in 2010.