The RM Sotheby’s Concorso Villa d’Este 2017 sale was held 27th May at Villa Erba on the shores of Lake Como, Italy, resulting in total sales of €25,355,850 and a 62 percent sell-through rate. As part of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este weekend, a total of eight cars exceeded €1,000,000 and several auction records for individual models were established.
The top result at the 2017 edition of the RM Sotheby’s Villa d’Este sale went to the 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS ‘Teardrop’ Coupe by Figoni et Falaschi that achieved €3,360,000. A 1937 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante Prototype, chassis 57254, almost matched the Talbot-Lago, bringing €3,024,000, and setting a record for a non ‘S’ model Type 57. The car is one of three Atalante prototypes, and was delivered new to the Bugatti Works driver Meo Costantini with a specially tuned engine. It is one of few built by Carrosserie Bugatti and shows just 26,000 kilometres from new.
Another notable result was the 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8, which was presented with only 10 kilometres and in completely original, ‘as-delivered’ condition. With special-order Polar Silver over Guards Red leather, it is one of 51 Carrera RSRs produced and one of two with a fully trimmed interior. This 964 Carrera RSR set a record for any 964 model 911 at auction, achieving €2,016,000.
Augustin Sabatié-Garat, car specialist and the Villa Erba auction manager, said: “We achieved some great results this weekend. It’s great to see that the demand for special pre-war cars is stronger than ever, and we continue to see rare, low-production supercars with excellent provenance, performing very strongly. Our track record selling rare Porsches for record-setting prices continues, and to have sold eight cars for over €1,000,000 demonstrates that the market is still strong.”
Other top-selling lots included the 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS by Pininfarina, still in its original colour combination and with Classiche certification, which achieved €1,792,000, while the 2015 Porsche 918 ‘Weissach’ Spyder, the only example produced in Porsche’s PTS Arrow Blue, made €1,456,000.
The 1961 Jaguar E-Type Series 1 3.8 Roadster, with an interesting period racing history, was a stand-out sale result. Raced during the 1962 and 1963 seasons in Angola and Portugal, and a multiple race winner against the best from Ferrari, Porsche, and Maserati, this early E-Type is fully restored and made €582,400. This price is a new world record for a non-competition model E-Type sold at auction.
The top-selling lot from the motorcycle collection was the 1954 BMW RS 54, one of 24 RS54s built by BMW in 1954 and later restored by former BMW factory racer, Kurt Busch. This motorcycle sold for €143,325.
RM Sotheby’s Concorso Villa d’Este 2017 – Top Ten Auction Results
1. 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS ‘Goutte d’Eau’ Coupe (Chassis 90110) – €3,360,000
2. 1935 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante Prototype (Chassis 57254) – €3,024,000
3. 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8 (Chassis WP0ZZZ96ZPS496107) – €2,016,000
4. 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS (Chassis 06819) – €1,792,000
5. 2015 Porsche 918 ‘Weissach’ Spyder (Chassis WP0ZZZ91ZFS800537) – €1,456,000
6. 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso (Chassis 5681 GT) – €1,428,000
7. 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport Cabriolet (Chassis 110121) – €1,120,000
8. 1990 Ferrari F40 (Chassis ZFFGJ34B000085749) – €1,064,000
9. 1961 Maserati 3500 GT Spider (Chassis AM101 1129) – €840,000
10. 1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 ‘Periscopio’ (Chassis 1120062) – €817,600
For complete auction results, visit www.rmsothebys.com.
RM Sotheby’s continues its 2017 auction calendar in Santa Monica, California, 24 June. Further information on upcoming events can be found at www.rmsothebys.com.
[Source: RM Sotheby’s; photo: Tim Scott]
