RM Sotheby’s Paris auction achieved a whopping €81 million in total sales, making it the company’s highest-ever grossing European sale and an absolute highlight of the Paris Auction Week.
One of Rétromobile’s recurring highlights is the Auction week, lining up several world-class auctions. These Auctions usually take place during the week of Rétromobile, and we aim to see them whenever we can, as each of these events is a car show in its own right. For the first time, Artcurial had to move out of the expo, handing over the title of official auctioneer to Gooding Christie’s. With the arrival of Hagerty’s Broad Arrow, Paris hosted five stand-alone auctions. The Auction houses without the official title usually participate in Retromobile with a smaller stage, that also serves as lending site for visitors who take the shuttle service.
RM Sotheby’s returned to the carousel hall of the Louvre again, to showcase its fine selection. This time, they made use of both halls, and some of the highlights were parked in the entry hall.
Visitors are greeted by arguably the coolest car of the auction, a blue 1956 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Berlinetta ‘Tour de France’ that was sold for a whopping €12,000,000, though only after the official auction concluded. This car is one of the most significant Ferrari competition cars, winning the 1956 Tour de France Auto.
Even more money did the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider fetch, sold for €14,067,500. This fine example was delivered new to a customer in Paris, with only five documented keepers from new.
The hall on the left was dominated by the presence of a true F1 legend. The 1997 Ferrari F310 B was driven by seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher during the 1997 Belgian Grand Prix weekend, taken over by Eddie Irvine for the 1997 Italian and Austrian Grands Prix. Strangely, the car did not reach the asking price of €5,500,000 EUR.
The three red hypercars fared much better. The 2004 Ferrari Enzo sold for €8,105,000, as one of 498 examples, in time-capsule condition and with extremely low mileage of just 286 kilometres.
The 1997 Ferrari F50 sold for €7,598,750 with comparable condition. The 223rd of 349 numbered examples built with a mere 1,680 kilometres, accompanied by rare accessories including a hardtop luggage set, and incredibly Ferrari F50 driving shoes.
The oldest of the trio was a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO, sold for €5,855,000. The 18th of only 272 production cars built, this remarkable 288 GTO was the predecessor of the iconic F40, and the first of what Ferrari considered a modern hypercar.
The cars in the next hall also offer an exciting mix. The star of this hall is arguably the 2024 Bugatti Bolide, sold for €3,998,750. We were actually surprised by this sales price, given that we saw many prewar specimens were selling for much more, while this car is a pinnacle of hypercars.
The rest of the best-selling cars are as follows:
1971 Lamborghini Miura SV, sold for €3,717,500
2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Stirling Moss, sold for €3,070,625
2017 Ferrari 488 GTE, sold for €2,873,750
2003 Ferrari 550 GTC, sold for €1,973,750
1962 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, sold for €1,355,000
Overall, the organisers can be proud of these results: this year’s RM Sotheby’s Auction performed exceptionally well. If there were a crisis in the classic car market, these guys did not get that memo…
