On the opening day of its annual Salon Retromobile auction Friday in Paris, Artcurial Motorcars sold a 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B Touring Berlinetta for $18,977,200, including the buyer’s fee, the third-highest result for a pre-war at auction.
The buyer was identified by the Paris-based auction company as “a private collector from the U.S.”
“This exceptionally beautiful car is the third most expensive pre-war car ever to be sold at auction worldwide,” Artcurial said soon after the sale of the 20th lot of the auction. “It is the highest price by far of any car sold during this week of international collectors’ car sales in Paris.”
Artcurial added the consignor was a Dutch collector sitting in the front row at the auction and that the consignor’s father had purchased the car around 43 years earlier for the equivalent of less than $11,500. The car had remained with the family until being sold Friday.
It is believed the record price at auction for an Alfa Romeo is the $19.8 million paid in 2016 at RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale for a 1939 8C 2900B Spider.
Among all pre-war cars, a 1935 Duesenberg Model SSJ roadster sold for $22 million this past summer at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction.
I for one love most all automobiles, but 18 million dollars one would think could feed a lot of people and put our homeless veterans in a nice little house. I never understood this. Must be nice but I’d rather help people in need then spend that kind of money for something that could be wiped out in a second. Just my opinion.
Steve,
Technically you are 100% correct, the issue is, that argument can be applied anywhere, at any dollar level, its just more extravagant at these levels. You like cars so its safe to say you’ve spent something on cars? Whatever anyone spends, it could have been donated to a charity more worthy than putting Cragars on my Chevelle. Government spends on thousands of projects, should they fund the bridge or the homeless shelter? The wife and I went out for dinner last week, dropped $100, am I evil for doing so? You’re a car guy so you may have missed the art auction, the rare stamp auction, or buying a mansion. All the same.
Probably won’t change your mind, but society picks and chooses every day, and if a "higher authority" is to tell you what to do – well I think you can figure out how that ends up.
That’s an insane price for this precious vehicle. It surely carries a good history and pride.
You can try this car on several tracks around the world in Gran Turismo 7 (PlayStation).