Every now and again, there comes an auction that stuns the world with the quality of the lots. An example of this is the Riyadh auction by Silverstone Auctions that occurred last Friday. However, there are some cases that within an auction, a private collection being sold may take the spotlight in the whole auction. A good example of this being the case is the extremely large Young-Timer collection that RM Sotheby's sold over the course of 4 or 5 auctions, which contained cars that were put aside in this collection to be seen as 'future classics'. These 140 cars were sold over the course of these 4 or 5 auctions with moderate success. However the topic of analysis in this post will be 'The Pinnacle Portfolio' which sold at the 2015 Monterrey Car Week RM Sotheby's auction. 25 cars which were sectioned off by the previous owners to be a 'rare collection of automotive distinction'. It was seen to be one of the most incredible collections and was one of the highest valued single collection of cars. I shall very briefly go through the cars, explaining why they are in this collection and the price at which they sold, before totalling the cars.
The first car is a 1993 Jaguar XJ220 which is in the collection because it was the world's fastest car, before the great McLaren F1 arrived onto the scene, with a top speed of 212mph. This is considered to be one of the forgotten 1990s supercars mainly because it was eclipsed by the McLaren F1, Bugatti EB110 and the Ferrari F50, but also because it did not fully live up to the legacy of Jaguar supercars that began with the early D-Types and E-Types. However the 281 examples, built in conjunction with Tom Wilkinshaw Racing, created a new legacy that reflects the $462,000 this example sold for.
Next in the auction is a 1988 Porsche 959 'Komfort'. This is one of the most technological advanced, mid-engine supercar of the 1980s due to the mid engine layout over the preferred rear or front engine layout taken by Ferraris and Lamborghinis at the time. With 450bhp and a sub 4 second 0-60 time, this is one of the fastest and most ahead of its time car of its generation. 337 examples were created by the legends at Porsche and therefore the rarity plus the technological advancements reinforce the $1,210,000 price tag it holds.
Enzo Ferrari was a sculptor and a genius in the car world, so a car named after him should hold and respect his legacy. The 2005 Ferrari Enzo certainly does the great man justice. With a large 6.0 V12 with 650bhp, pushing the car up to a speed of 220mph which is one of the fastest Ferrari road cars of all time. Not only that but it was tested and extensively driven in pre-production by the legendary Michael Schumacher. The production numbers were originally limited to 349 but with an excess in demand, Ferrari pushed the numbers up to 399. This one however is chassis 400, made and gifted to His Holiness Pope John Paul II by Ferrari themselves. It was later auctioned off to aid charity and once again found its way to the auction block in 2015. The final price of the Pope-owned, excess chassis Ferrari Enzo was $6,050,000, which is by far the most expensive sale price of a Ferrari Enzo at auction.
The next car along is a typically unheard of car to most car people but it is one of the most influential cars ever made. The 1967 Toyota 2000GT was the Japanese equivalent to, say, the Jaguar E-Type of Europe and the Corvette Stingray of the USA. It was the first proper Japanese supercar that had a few issues when establishing itself in the market, mainly the £7000 price when new, considering a Porsche 911 was just over £1000. Besides this, Toyota managed to produce just over 350 of these and the one sold here was the first US car to be sold. The car that kickstarted the Japanese sports car market that has gone on to produce the Toyota Supra, Nissan GT-R family and the Lexus LFA. The selling price for this car was $825,000.
The Lamborghini Miura on the other hand is debated to be the first supercar of all time. Coming from a fairly unheard company in Central Italy, the Miura put Lamborghini on the map to produce beautifully constructed cars. This particular example is the SV P400S, the most famous of the Miura family, with a total of 150 cars and powered by the 4.0 V12 that found itself in the later Urraco and Espada models. The design by Bertone helped the Miura SV to become a fan favourite among celebrities at the time with Rod Stewart, Elton John, Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra being owners of the Miura. This car had a best in show award at the 2007 Concourso Italiano which increased the price to a final $2,475,000.
One of the greatest engines ever fitted to a road car, the 4.7 V12 from the 1990 Ferrari 641 was one of the loudest and competitive engines ever to grace Formula One. The Ferrari F50 had this engine fitted to it which is the key factor to this car. One of 349 made, the F50 was the last 6-speed manual gearbox that Ferrari produced and one of the only Targa topped Ferrari supercar. This car is one of the closest that it is possible to get to driving a Formula One car on the road, only excluding track cars such as the Caparo T1. The F50 is overshadowed in the V12 supercar family made up of the 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari, mainly due to it not being as stable to drive as the 288, not the prettiest and not having the greatest legacy. However it is still a $1,980,000 car.
The next car is similar to one at auction from this year. The McLaren F1 LM-Specification is one of two cars taken by McLaren by their special operations division to be converted to almost a road legal F1 GTR. It is the most desirable McLaren F1 specification in the world due to its rarity but also due to the fact that it is a fully street legal McLaren F1 with all the power, performance and aerodynamics of the LM racing car. The McLaren F1 has been called the modern 250 GTO due to its ahead-of-time technologies, in this case the central seating position and the extraordinary top speed. Before this car came out, the fastest car in the world was the Bugatti EB110 at 218mph. The F1 ran a top speed of 240mph, destroying the previous record. Due to all these factors, the McLaren F1 LM-Spec was the third highest seller at this auction at $13,750,000.
Next along is one of the cheaper cars to be auctioned but still a stunning car. The Porsche 356A 1600 Reutter was one of the genesis cars for Porsche because without it, the car world wouldn't have the 911, the Cayman, the Boxster, the Carrera GT etc, and it was owned by the legend himself, Steve McQueen. This example was completely original, with original engine and paintwork and with a Porsche Certificate of Authenticity, it was one of the best examples around. The car then sold for $330,000, a decent amount for a 356.
Next up will be a short one as the car did not sell. It was a 1955 Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing, but it was the incredibly rare Alloy version, which is one of only 29 aluminium bodied cars. This was at estimate for $5.5million to $6.5million however failed to meet reserve.
Porsche have had a great success at making some amazing cars with some amazing aero parts and not too many come close to the 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.8. The rarest and quickest naturally aspirated Porsche of its time, the Carrera RS shed 100kg from the standard 911 and pumped out a staggering 300hp from the 3.8 flat six. With one of 1120 built, this is sure to be a rare car wherever in the world you are. The car also comes with a built in, bolt-on widebody kit and is one of the best Porsche 993 cars available. This car sold at auction for $550,000 but have now increased their value to over $1million.
No car has made as much of an impact to the motoring world than the Bugatti Veyron. Announced in 2005 to be their first production car since the EB110, Bugatti launched the Veyron at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show with a red and black example. This example was the one sold in this auction and was chassis 001 and therefore the first production Bugatti Veyron. With a miraculous 253mph top speed and 1001hp, this is an extremely important car. At the time of sale it had 753 miles and had recently undergone a service at Bugatti Beverly Hills and therefore it sold for $1,815,000.
The Bugatti Veyron was so successful that 300 coupes were produced including many special editions between 2006 and 2012. This next car is another incredible Bugatti Veyron as it is the 300th one produced, ergo the final Veyron coupe. This example is the Super Sport which increased the top speed to 258mph and the horsepower to 1200hp. At the time of sale this car had recently undergone a service at Bugatti Miami and had just 200 miles from new which led to it selling for a massive $2,310,000 which is still one of the highest selling prices for a Bugatti Veyron at auction.
Classic Ferraris always tend to make a lot at auction, however not many make as much as the 250 series. Made up of the GTO, TR, GTE, GT, Lusso and of course, the LM. The Ferrari 250 LM is one of 32 examples originally made for racing with a few examples prepared for road usage. This example was chassis 23 which was shown at Earl's Court in 1966 in a Concours event, was a part of a legendary Japanese car collection and is one of the most sought after Ferrari models of all time. This example, due to its legendary prestige and history, sold for a superb $17,600,000 and it remains the most expensive 250 LM to sell at auction.
McLaren and Mercedes collaborated in the early 00s in the Formula One Constructors list to great success with Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen. They also collaborated in their road cars for one special model being the Mercedes McLaren SLR. The long nose with the side exit exhausts and long grille is an iconic design that harks back to the previous SLR model, the 300, driven by Moss and Fangio. This example was bought new by David Peterson, who owns the Peterson Museum in the US, with 2 owners and 134 miles from new. Another interesting feature to these cars are its rivals which, at the time, were the top dogs. It went up against Porsche's V10 masterclass in the Carrera GT and the Ferrari Enzo mentioned previously. This car sold for $495,000, just shy of half a million and the highest that standard SLRs have been.
Lamborghini have a case for making limited run supercars, and have been doing so for many years. There's been the Centenario in 2016 which had 20 coupes and 20 roadsters, the Veneno with 5 coupes and 9 roadsters and most recently the Sian which has 63 coupes. The car that started it all however was the Lamborghini Reventon. Based on a Murcielago chassis, the Reventon had 20 coupes and 15 roadsters built and was styled to look like a F-15 jet fighter. In fact, it inspired the design for the Lamborghini Aventador which arrived 4 years later. All examples were finished in matte Grigio Reventon, a colour made specifically for the Reventon. This example was number 7 of the 20 coupes and had 900 miles from new and sold for $1,375,000.
The Ferrari F40 is already a legend in its own right. Heralded as the prettiest supercar ever made, being photogenic from nearly every angle, the first car to break 200mph and one of the most valuable cars ever to be put into production. This however is the F40 LM, one of only 19 produced as a lightweight, more-powerful version of the standard F40. This is the only example to be owned in private hands and rumoured to be the most original in existence. The 720bhp V8 used to scream on the track when it was taken around numerous circuits worldwide and it changed hands for $3,300,000
The Maserati MC12 was a spiritual sister car to the Ferrari Enzo as it used the same 6.5l V12 and the same chassis platform. However the MC12 was an FIA GT Racing car for the road based on the GT1 car with a smoother and much more beautiful body. It has an advantage over the Enzo as well because the MC12 had only 50 examples produced and this one is number 31. Two owners and less than 770km from new, this sold for $2,090,000.
The Ferrari 250 series has already established itself in this list to be a very valuable car model, however this next one might just be the best of the lot (besides the GTO and TR). The Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider could be seen as the sexiest Ferrari model of all time, this one being the 23rd of 50 made, but this one has a story. It was owned originally by Prince Alvise Hercolani and then falling into ownership with ex-Formula One driver Wolfgang Seidel where it remained for many years. It is fitted with the rare Ferrari 400 Superamerica front fender vents, an air intake on the hood and is one of the most uniquely designed LWB California in the world. The whole car has matching numbers and is Ferrari Classiche Certified. This car, due to the rarity and the beauty of it, sold for $8,500,000.
Movie cars are often heralded in the auction world to be gold mines, take the James Bond DB5 that sold for over £10million last year, or the Bullitt Ford Mustang selling next year. However this car has been featured in two films and isn't particularly recognised. It is a 2005 Saleen S7 TT which was the USA's answer to the Ferrari Enzo and Porsche Carrera GT, however with a 1000bhp twin-turbo V8 rather than the exotic V12 or V10 option. This car was the original Saleen press car and was featured in the original Iron Man film which was a global success and Redline, the worst car movie of all time. Nevertheless the car sold for $682,000
Ferrari's most iconic open top roadster is the Daytona, released in the late 1960s and continuing production up until 1973 and named after the world famous American racing circuit. Considered to be one of the most beautiful cars of all time, the Daytona has always been a hit at auctions, always selling high. This example had matching numbers with the chassis and engine and sold for $2,750,000 which is one of the highest prices that a Daytona has sold for auction.
(Once again, due to my ramblings I've run out of space so the final cars will just have to have the prices unfortunately. All of the cars are still extremely special and are some of the greatest cars ever made)
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 by Scaglietti - $3,300,000
2008 Koenigsegg CCX-R - $825,000
1974 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS - $368,500
1985 Ferrari 288 GTO - $2,420,000
1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione by Scaglietti - $13,500,000
For the conclusion, it needs to be reminded that all these cars were offered from the same collection and from the same person and that only one of the 25 did not sell. The total that this one person made from this auction was a ridiculous $88,962,500. An utterly ridiculous number and a sale most likely never to be beaten, making up 51.5% of the total $172,900,000 sale.
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