Paris-based Artcurial Motorcars reports sales totaling $41.7 million at its three-day collector car auction held this past week during Retromobile, Europe’s big winter — and this year very late winter because of pandemic postponement — classic car exhibition.
“Bidding was strong throughout the sales, both on the telephone, in the room and on the internet, with many new record prices achieved over the weekend,” the auction company said, noting an 82 percent sell-through rate.
“Despite covid restrictions still making travel complicated for some, international buyers and sellers were very much present, both in person, on the phone and the internet,” Artcurial added. “Foreign buyers accounted for 4 percent of the sale total.”
Calling the sale “spectacular,” Artcurial Motorcars managing direcgtor Matthieu Lamoure said the sale’s “multiple records illustrate how strong collectors’ desire is to acquire pieces of history, bringing us together in our shared passion for the automobiles that have always made us dream.
“After a two-year absence from this international show, what a pleasure to orchestrate a sale in front of a packed saleroom buzzing with excitement.”
The auction didn’t save the best for last. On the first of three days, it offered the Monegasque Supercar Collection, 11 cars from the estate of Étienne Léandri, a prominent lawyers and state councillor for Monaco, as well as a 1968 Porsche factory 907, a 1950 Gordini Type 18S driven at Le Mans by Juan Manuel Fangio, a 1926 Bugatti 37A, and a 1990 Harley-Davidson owned by French entertainer Jonny Hallyday.
The 907 sold for $4,853,433, a 1996 Ferrari F50 for $4,151,600, several other Ferraris from the Monaco collection went for 7 figures, the ex-Fangio Gordini was purchased for $1,120,057, the Bugatti sold for just shy of $1 million, and the entertainer’s Harley brought $520,497.
By the end of the sale, Artcurial reported record prices had been paid for a 19678 Porsche 907, 1996 Ferrai F50, 1950 Gordini Type 18S, 1957 Bandini 750 Sport, 1988 Aston Martin V8, 1938 Peugeot 402 Eclipse, 1951 Reyonnah 175, 1991 Peugeot 205 GTI and the Harley softail heritage edition.
Also selling were the Baudoin Lempercur Colleciton of 19 rally cars, and at the end, an automobilia collection that included aviation and sailing items and posted a 98 percent sell-through rate.
