January Auction Previews

 2020 was a tough year for auctions given the coronavirus outbreak affecting the standard auction layout. However, auction houses managed to flourish with their online platforms, making the online auction an entertaining way to sell cars. Now as 2021 begins, and with auction houses continuing an online sales variant, there are some incredible auctions taking place which have caught the attention of many car fans. These sales range from Mecum Auctions, RM Sotheby's, Gooding and Company and Bonhams and each house features incredible highlights which will be shown below.

Mecum Auctions are based in the US and typically feature American muscle cars and very few else but for their Kissimmee auction this month, there are some interesting highlights. The first two highlights that caught my eye were close to delivery mileage Ford GTs. One of which is a '67 Heritage Edition finished in the red and white livery based on the Mk4 Ford GT40, the other in a yellow and black livery and a standard 2017 GT. Both cars are set to sell for around £1 million. The next few highlights come from a few boutique manufacturers of which I am a fan. The first manufacturer is De Tomaso who have four cars in the sale, the first being the Mangusta Shelby Prototype as well as a standard Mangusta sports car. The Mangusta raced in period against the legendary Shelby Cobra, and the De Tomaso Mangusta was named somewhat after the Cobra because in nature, the Mongoose eats the Cobra, and hence they tried to replicate that with the cars. In 1969, Carroll Shelby commissioned a De Tomaso Mangusta to be modified by Shelby to potentially race against the Ford GT40. This car is estimated for around £350,000 and the standard Mangusta has a price upon request. The other De Tomaso's are can-am sports racers which were adapted by Shelby to once again take the fight to the Ford GT40 at Le Mans. Both are estimated for around £2 million. The second manufacturer is Iso, who are responsible for the beautiful Grifo sports car. This example is one of only 20 AC/3 sports cars modified by Bizzarrini to race against the Ferrari 250LM and it is also a 2013 Concours D'Elegance winner. This should sell above its £1 million estimate. The final highlight lots come from Ferrari and many of these are beautiful classics. Starting with a 1952 Ferrari 340 America finished in the French Racing Blue livery which was used for racing in the 1950s and ended up finishing in 5th place at the 1952 Le Mans. It has no estimate at the moment but based on previous results it should reach at least £5 million. Other featured lots include a Ferrari 275 GTS, two Ferrari 330 GTCs, a 300SL Gullwing and Roadster, a Mercedes-Benz 6x6, two Shelby GT350s and a Shelby GT350 R. The Mecum auction features over 2800 lots which should be an incredibly good showing. 

Gooding and Company don't have auctions as big as they used to given the new platforms, so this section will cover the few cars in the Scottsdale auction as well as the European Sporting and Historic Collection. The first car from the Scottsdale auction is a 1926 Bugatti Type 37 Grand Prix bought initially by Peter Larkin of Broadway and kept in his ownership for six decades until this auction.This car replaced the legendary Type 35 in Bugatti's racing models, featuring the same 1.5 litre four cylinder engine which is good for 90mph. It is thought this is the longest private ownership of a classic Bugatti and the last example of a Type 37 to sell at auction sold for £640,000 but given the significance of this car, this could reach up to £800,000. Next is a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Long Nose styled by Scaglietti and recalling earlier styling cues from earlier cars such as the 250 Tour De France and GTO. This example holds 40,000 miles from new and is unique in that it has never been restored, displayed or offered for sale since new Finished in Rosso Chiaro with a red leather interior, it is a very desirable spec and should sell for its estimate of around £2.4 million. The next cars will come from the European Sporting and Historic Collection which will sell a few weeks after the Scottsdale cars. The first highlight is a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT which is one of only 30 left hand drive examples presented in black pearl over dark blue. It also features matching engine and chassis numbers. Due to the auction being a way off, there isn't much information on each car so each car will only have small information snippets. The next car is a 1963 Aston Martin DB5 Convertible, one of only 123 convertible DB5 Convertibles made with initial Scottish ownership. This also features matching numbers which means its entirely original. Other standout lots include a blue Ferrari 275 GTB/4, a Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Sports Tourer and a yellow Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster. 

Much like Gooding, Bonhams features a smaller lot list than usual for its first auction of the year at Scottsdale. However this does not mean that the quality of the cars for sale is anything less than expected. The first lot is always a big seller at auctions being the 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special, a 1973 Pebble Beach Best in Show winner and known for being one of the most sophisticated automobiles to exist. One of the most beautiful cars ever built, the 540K features a 5.4 litre Inline 8 engine to give it a rowdy 180bhp. 540Ks much like 500Ks always do well at auction, so much so the last example sold for £4.5 million. The next lot is a 1959 BMW 507 Series 2 Roadster which is one of the most collectable BMWs of all time with only 253 examples being made. It can also be considered as one of the initial grand touring supercar, as the 3.2 litre V8 gave it 150bhp with a low slung and beautiful body. When the 507 launched it was £9000 which was more than a Mercedes 300SL and twice the price of a Jaguar XK120s or two Chevrolet Corvettes in the US market. Though the high cost, the 507 became a celebrity favourite with Fred Astaire, John Surtees and Elvis Presley being notable owners. Currently 507s are topping the £2 million mark but the estimate for this example reaches up to £2.3 million which could be a stretch. The final notable lot for this sale is one of the most modern cars of the auction being a 2018 Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante. With this car being a collaboration between Zagato and Aston Martin, much like the previous collaborations, the car is very special. The Vanquish Zagato collection is made up of four model variants, the coupe, volante, speedster and shooting brake with 99 examples of each except the speedster which has 28 examples. This Volante has to be one of the most elegantly specced examples with BMW Orient Blue over Centennial Tan leather interior with plenty of optional extras such as the steering wheel from the Aston Martin One-77 and over £40,000 more in options. When this car was initially sold, it had a retail value of over £900,000, though second hand prices are falling below initial value. After only 1400 miles, this car is valued to sell for £700,000 as a top estimate. This would be a high price for Zagato Vanquishes but with all these extras I can see it selling for that price. Additional cars in the auction that are interesting include a Lamborghini Islero 400 GT, a Porsche 911 GT3 Touring, a Lancia Delta Evo 1 Martini 6 and a Mercedes-Benz 300Sc Roadster.

RM Sotheby's once again is the king of auctions and their Arizona auction is no different. There are so many interesting and unique lots which will cross the block, so much so I won't be able to cover them all in one section. With a combination of the best modern hypercars, 90s forgotten classics and vintage legends, this auction has it all. Beginning with the most expensive lot to sell, being a 1955 Jaguar D-Type, chassis XKD 518 finished in red with matching interior trim. The D-Type is one of Jaguar's most legendary racing cars with Le Mans success, and this one is rumoured to have been painted red to break into the Italian racing privateer market ahead of Ferrari. Bought new by Peter Blond and later sold to Bernie Ecclestone for £3,500 but was later owned by Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant. Being a well documented example, it has an estimate to sell for around £7.5 million. The next car is the first of its kind to sell at auction being a 2020 McLaren Speedtail. A reimagined legacy of the McLaren F1 in the 21st century and the new fastest McLaren model with a 250mph top speed, the Speedtail is finished in dark blue over tan and is a three seated masterpiece. With only 106 examples created as a tribute to the F1, this example is highly modified by MSO and features only 30 miles from new. This car will most likely sell for £4.5 million which is the top estimate. Next is another new car to cross the block being a Koenigsegg Regera. The replacement for the long lived Agera model, the Regera is one of only 80 produced in four years of production finished in crystal white over clear carbon. Powered by a 5.0 twin turbocharged V8 which produces an insane 1500bhp, taking the car to 255mph and holding the world record for 0-250-0mph which takes just over 31 seconds which is incredible. The interior is gorgeous with full carbon fibre trim accented by 24k gold leaf details built into the carbon and the car features £217,000 worth of optional extras, and with that many extras it has a top estimate of £2.9 million. The next car is the extraordinarily rare Cizeta V16T from 1993, one of only nine examples produced and had an interesting history as it was owned by the Sultan of Brunei and the Brunei Royal Family. The Sultan of Brunei has one of the greatest hidden car collections in the world, with very few cars escaping the collection but this Cizeta being an example of an escapee. The Brunei Royal Family ordered three of the nine Cizeta's via Hong Seh Motors in Singapore. Powered by a 6.0 V16 engine, the Cizeta has 533bhp and got to 60mph in 4.5 seconds which for 1993 was incredible. Due to the exclusivity of the car, the top estimate is £750,000 and I think it will achieve the estimate. The auction is so incredible that it is easier to list the other cars rather than explain them. Other cars to cross the block include a Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer, Ferrari 375 America Coupe, Ferrari Enzo, Aston Martin Short Chassis Volante, Ferrari 250 GT Alloy Coupe by Boano, McLaren Senna, Ford GT Lightweight, Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Touring, Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe Continuation, RUF Turbo R, Shelby GT350, Ferrari 550 Barchetta, the Homologation Collection, Shelby GT40 85th Commemorative Edition and a Porsche 911 Carrera RS N/GT.

The follow up piece to this will cover the results of all the cars that have been mentioned here, whether they sell or not, and for what price they sell for if they do.