RM Sotheby’s, the world’s largest collector car auction house, has announced that its recent London sale was the most successful UK collector car auction of 2023.
With total sales exceeding £14M, the 1993 Ferrari 512 TR Spider was the top-selling car, achieving a record-beating £2,226,875.
A highlight of the sale was The Graham Hill Collection, offered directly from the family of the two-time Formula 1 World Champion. The Collection featured 59 lots charting the life and career of one of motorsport’s greatest drivers and it was Hill’s Period Bell Formula 1 helmet, worn by the driver during the latter part of his career, that topped this section of the sale, making £138,000.
Next up is Las Vegas where, this weekend, RM Sotheby’s will hold the Official Auction of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. With an impressive line-up of supercars – including the 2002 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster (estimate $10,500,000 – $13,000,000) and the 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Coupe (estimate $8,000,000 – $9,000,000) – the auction takes place at the Wynn Las Vegas where it will be hosted by James Corden.
Headlining the sale is Lewis Hamilton’s 2013 Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 W04, driven by the legendary Formula 1 driver in his inaugural victory for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, and the only Hamilton-driven Mercedes F1 Car available for public purchase (estimate $10,000,000 – $15,000,000).
Attention then returns to Europe where, on 25 November, RM Sotheby’s Munich sale takes place at Motorworld. Standout lots of this auction include the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, recognised as a true icon of the classic car world (estimate €1,200,000 – €1,500,000) and the 2004 AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse DTM, raced by Formula 1 race-winner Jean Alesi (estimate €475,000 – €575,000).
Also available at Munich will be The Connoisseur Collection, a single-owner collection of German and Italian sports and touring cars spanning 47 years of automotive history. Highlights include the 1955 BMW 501 Sechszylinder Cabriolet, accompanied by manuals, invoices, and its 1960s German logbook (estimate €230,000 – €300,000); the 1939 BMW 327/28 Coupé, which left the factory for Portugal on 2 March and was driven in the II Rallye Nacional de Miramar in 1949 (estimate €140,000 – €180,000) and a 1962 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint (estimate €50,000 – €80,000).
For further information: rmsothebys.com
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Image: Lewis Hamilton’s 2013 Mercedes F1 W04 © 2023 Courtesy of Sotheby’s