The first auction is the Driving into Summer auction which acted as one of the larger online sales for RM Sotheby's with 217 lots total compared to the average of 100 in their other auctions. It also varied from the standard auctions as it featured a lot of low priced cars as well as the usual high end sales meaning that they had a lot more bidders than they usual obtain according to RM Sotheby's. The star of the show for this auction also became the most expensive car to sell at an online only auction and was a 2003 Ferrari Enzo. With less than 1250 original miles and two owners from new, this was always going to be a high seller and even though it was an online auction (meaning the top prices were never truly achieved), it still managed to sell for $2.64m and set the precedent for how the rest of the auction was to go. A 1995 Ferrari F50 failed to sell as it was one of a few cars to have a reserve but a 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO did sell for $2.31m. Sticking with Ferrari, a 488 Pista Spider retained its reputation as being far more expensive than the price at new with a black and red example selling for $605,000, over double the price at new and nearly the same price as the limited series 458 Speciale Aperta. Two Ferrari 250 GT Coupe's were also in this auction with the Ellena bodied example selling for $671,000 and the Pininfarina example failing to sell. It wasn't just Ferrari dominating the top sellers however as a 2017 Ford GT also crossed the block, with a sale price of $836,000, nearly double the $420,000 price new. However this shows that Ford GTs are in fact an investment much like the previous generations of the GT name. Being an online auction, there were some examples of cars that sold for much cheaper than I expected them to sell for and some much more expensive than I would've expected. The first of which is a 2002 Aston Martin Vanquish S. When this first launched, it was the pinnacle grand tour car with the 5.9l V12 which could hit 200mph but also all the luxury and comfort of a Rolls-Royce at the time. This car was the leading car in the market and therefore the original price of the car was £170,000. Yet 18 years later and with only 33k miles on the odometer, this car sold for $46,200. For context, for the same price in the UK is a second hand Range Rover Velar for the same price as a 200mph supercar. Besides this there were not many cars that had a surprising sale price although many of the lots were classic American muscle cars and I don't fully know their market values. There were however two lots that caught my eye for being interesting and unique beginning with a 1990 Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II which is one of the most interesting cars around. The car was originally developed by Mercedes to challenge the Talbots and Ford Escorts that were dominating the world rally championship and therefore designed the saloon body and went to Cosworth for the 16 valve twin cam competition engine to complete the project. However by the time Mercedes had done all this, Audi had revolutionised world rallying with the four wheel drive Quattro, rendering the 190E useless. It therefore turned its attention to the DTM Touring Car Championship where it would rival the class leading BMW M3.It launched into the championship with incredible drivers such as Niki Lauda, James Hunt, Stirling Moss, Michael Schumacher, Elio De Angelis, Alain Prost and a rookie known as Ayrton Senna. After immense success in the DTM, the 190E didn't translate good in sales with the E30 M3 dominating the market so Mercedes produced a homologated version that used the same engineering as the racing car and called it the Evo 2. With the large rear spoiler and 350bhp produced in only 502 examples, it was a hit due to the German engineering and rarity, and sold at this auction at a snip over $230,000. The other car is the 1939 Delahaye USA Pacific. This car is without a doubt one of the most beautiful cars potentially ever built, and with a very interesting story, because in truth this is not a 1939 car. Delahaye USA is a resto-mod manufacturer who recreate classic body shapes with modern technology and this car is a homage to the Bugatti Type 57S Atlantic with its smooth and sleek body shape and with a modern BMW 12-cylinder engine giving it 300hp. The interior, though styled to look vintage, is fitted with modern air conditioning, heaters, electric windows and other modern conveniences whilst retaining the flair of the 1930s. This car sold for $220,000 compared to the $40m price that the car it is based on holds.
The other large auction that RM Sotheby's hosted was the European Sale which replaced the Essen 2020 auction and featured the highly anticipated Petitjean Collection. This collection is one of the largest to ever be brought to auction with 103 lots crossing the block. Not only was it a large collection, it was also a very eclectic collection, different from many collections sold at auction which typically feature mainstream supercars and vintage cars. The first high seller was one of the most interesting new supercars being the 2020 Porsche 935 Martini. This was a car built to celebrate Porsche's 70th anniversary and to pay tribute to the Porsche 935 racing car which dominated endurance racing and, specifically, Le Mans. The modern 935 is based on the 991 Porsche GT2 RS and resembles the most famous 935 racing car, the Moby Dick, with the longtail bodywork. However it is adapted with Porsche's most successful racing cars such as the LED taillights from the 919 Hybrid LMP car as well as mirrors from the GT3 R. For a car that is track only, this car sold for a massive £1.32m, although this could be due to the fact only 77 units are being made and it is finished in the legendary martini livery. The next highest seller excluding the Petitjean Collection is a 1939 Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet by Gangloff which sold for £770,000. It was shown on Bugatti's stand at the 1939 Geneva Motor Show and was a company demonstrator for the Bugatti works team driver Jean-Pierre Wimelle, of whom the famous tank car was named after, as well as the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse Legend Edition. It is also a one off as it is the only example bodied by Gangloff and it remained in the same ownership for 56 years before its sale. In terms of interesting lots to cross the block, I could use a whole new post to go into depth with all the rare, unique and beautiful cars offered for sale and therefore the detail will not be as thorough. The first car to catch my eye was the 1988 EuroBrun ER188 which was a Formula One team to run in the 1988 season but unfortunately did not meet the expectations of the team owners. Due to it not being a successful team, the car only sold for £89,100 although it is now painted in an attractive Jägermeister livery. The next two cars sold for exactly the same price of $49,500 and I'm torn between which I'd have. The first is a 1978 De Tomaso Longchamp which was a grand tourer from the same manufacturer as the incredible Pantera and Mangusta based on the Maserati Kyalami that it rivalled. It was never a commercial success due to the Maserati based chassis and body and only 395 examples were build. The second of these cars is a 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera Cup car which was the first generation of the Porsche Customer Racing 911s and preceded the first GT3 model. This car is not road legal however it is still an incredible investment. Moving onto the Petitjean Collection for unique cars which is certainly a definition that could be applied to the collection featuring many interesting manufacturers. A first of these is the Apal RSK 1600 Spider which is a Belgian sports car based on the VW Beetle chassis and styled to look like a Porsche 718 RSK hence the name. Following on from this there are cars such as the Bitter CD, Bizzarrini 1900 Europa, Fournier-Marcadier Barquette, Ghia 1500 GT, Ginetta G20 and G33, Intermeccanica Italia Spyder, Ligier JS2, Matra Djet and a collection of classic Lamborghini models including the Islero, Jarama, Espada and Urraco. This shows that the Petitjean collection is one of the most unique and special car collections to ever cross an auction block and there possibly won't be another collection like that to cross the block for a long time.
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