The RM Auctions Hershey 2018 sale was held October 11-12 at the Hershey Lodge in Pennsylvania, resulting in $10,999,096 in total sales and a 94 percent sell-through rate. RM’s 12th annual sale during the AACA Eastern Fall Meet featured nearly 150 cars that attracted bidders from 45 states and 19 countries.
Interest were high across both Thursday and Friday evening sessions, with the top result at the RM Auctions Hershey 2018 sale going to the 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster. Offered with well-known ownership history, and restored with a correct Fleetwood body, the Cadillac sold for a final $495,000, surpassing its pre-sale estimate of $400,000 – $450,000. The top three sellers also included a one-of-35 1941 Packard Custom Super Eight One Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, which reached a final $357,500, and a 1934 Lincoln Model KB Convertible Sedan by Dietrich, one of 25 examples built in its semi-custom style, which exceeded estimates at $286,000 (est. $225k – $275k).
“Hershey remains one of our favorite venues to return to, year after year,” said Gord Duff, Global Head of Auctions, RM Sotheby’s Group. “Following days spent with collectors exhibiting true interest and passion for the hobby, we saw solid total results and an exceptional sell-through rate. On both Thursday and Friday, numerous individual lots of various categories achieved final prices well above their high estimate, demonstrating the very real interest in truly rare or exceptionally historic American motor cars.”
These individual results extended from memorabilia, through to the pair of the motorcycles on offer, as well as several automobiles. Kicking off Thursday sales, the 1948 Playboy A48 Convertible, an unusual and very rare American post-war microcar, nearly doubled its high estimate at $132,000 (est. $55k – $75k), while moments later an award-winning 1912 Baker Electric Model W Runabout, formerly of the Harrah and Raymond Carr Collections, sold to a new home for $192,500 against a pre-sale estimate of $85,000 – $100,000. Another electric vehicle, the 1917 Milburn Electric Model 27 Brougham, offered from the Richard L. Burdick Collection without reserve, also drew interest, reaching a final $63,250 (est. $25k – $35k). Later on Thursday, a 1960 Plymouth Fury Convertible, the 1960 Mexican International Auto Show car with 22,000 original miles, ignited a competition between a bidder in the room and on the phone, eventually bringing $209,000 (est. $130k – $150k).
On Friday evening, the RM Auctions Hershey 2018 auction again began with a 1912 Marion Model 33 Bobcat that sold for $132,000, soaring past its estimate of $60,000 – $90,000, closely followed by a 1957 Chevrolet Corvette ‘Fuel-Injected’ 283/283, which brought a final $159,500 after an extended bidding battle (est. $80k – 120k). Finally, it was the one-off 1911 American Eagle Touring which saw perhaps the longest contest of the auction, with multiple bidders in the room and on the phone seeking to add this early piece of Detroit automotive history to their collection. The car was sold for a final $242,000, tripling its high estimate (est. $50k – $80k).
RM Auctions Hershey 2018 – Top Ten Auction Results
1. 1930 Cadillac V-16 Roadster – $495,000
2. 1941 Packard Custom Super Eight One Eighty Convertible Victoria – $357,500
3. 1934 Lincoln Model KB Convertible Sedan – $286,000
4. 1936 Packard Twelve Coupe Roadster – $269,500
5. 1936 Packard Twelve Convertible Victoria – $247,500
6. 1911 American Eagle Touring – $242,000
7. 1932 Marmon Sixteen Close-Coupled Sedan – $225,000
8. 1913 Pierce-Arrow Model 48-B-2 Seven-Passenger Touring – $220,000
9. 1960 Plymouth Fury Convertible – $209,000
10. 1935 Cadillac V-12 Two-Passenger Coupe – $203,500
For complete auction results, visit www.rmsothebys.com.
Next up, the RM Sotheby’s Group heads to the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta, Georgia, for the company’s single-marque Porsche 70th Anniversary auction on 27 October. RM Sotheby’s will bring a selection of 64 Porsche models, along with 60 lots of Porsche memorabilia, parts, and collectibles, to the home of Porsche Cars North America. The complete digital catalogue for the Porsche sale is now available at www.rmsothebys.com.
[Source: RM Auctions; photo: Darin Schnabel]
