One of Rétromobile’s recurring highlights is the Auction week, lining up three world-class auctions. These Auctions usually take place during the week of Rétromobile, and we aim to see all three whenever we can, as each of these events is a car show in its own right. Artcurial is the show’s official auctioneer, while Bonhams and Sotheby’s bunk in the city centre.
RM Sotheby’s returned to the carousel hall of the Louvre again, to showcase its fine (albeit somewhat smaller) selection. This, however, did not bother connoisseurs, as RM Sotheby’s has reportedly made auction history by achieving the highest-grossing collector car sale in Europe. The two-day Paris sale on 4-5 February achieved total sales of €66,490,850, during which the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM was the undoubted star of proceedings.
The Louvre offers a perfect setting for the Auction, and bidders and audience can combine their visit with the exhibitions and chambers of the Louvre, and the 250 LM took centre stage, welcoming visitors on a dedicated podium. This car made history in several aspects: the vehicle was entered by the Chinetti/NART team for the 1965 Le Mans race, scoring Ferrari’s last overall victory until 2023. The car then went on to compete at Le Mans three times. Its racing prowess proved itself in the auctioneers’ arena, as the 250 LM brought an astonishing €34,880,000, surpassing the pre-sale estimate of €25,000,000. This sum makes it the sixth most valuable car to be sold at any public auction and the fourth most valuable Ferrari ever sold publicly.
Modern-day supercars also raised considerable interest, taking the next highest bids well over a million euros each. The yellow 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari fetched €3,548,750, while the 2022 Pagani Huayra R was worth €3,042,500 for the highest bidder. At €1,917,500, the 2011 Koenigsegg Agera seemed almost like a steal…
Classic cars also did well at the Auction, with the prewar 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider sold at an astonishing €1,833,125 (and we can skip the jokes about depreciation of Alfa Romeos these days… 🙂 ) and the well-preserved 1974 Mercedes-Benz 600 ‘Six-Door’ Pullman Landaulet costing €1,355,000 to its highest bidder.
The last car to fetch over a million euros was the 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports Saloon, sold at €1,265,000.
We recommend browsing through the gallery to find your favourites and to revisit our reports from the other auctions.
