With three vehicles selling for more than $1 million, Auctions America’s California sale generated more than $15.4 million in sales in its new location, the Barker Hangar at Santa Monica.
“We’re very pleased with results from our third annual California sale, which cements our reputation as the leading auction house serving the Southern California collector community,” Ian Kelleher, managing director of Auctions America’s West Coast Division, was quoted in a post-sale news release.
“Despite the rainy weather, we enjoyed strong attendance on Saturday, with some solid prices recorded across the board. Our new venue at the Barker Hangar proved particularly popular among attendees, and provided us with a great opportunity to showcase our team’s creativity.”
Topping the sale were a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K special roadster and a 2004 Ferrari Enzo, each of which sold for $1.87 million, and a 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS that went for $1,622,500. The Mercedes was built originally as a cabriolet B but was rebodied into a special roadster. Prices include buyer’s premium.
Other top-five sales were a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 cabriolet for $407,000 and a 25th anniversary edition 1989 Lamborghini Countach for $360,250.
Other highlights included the 1955 Ford “Beatnik Bubbletop” custom which was consigned by Barry Weiss of the TV show Storage Wars. The car sold for $165,000.
Porsches did well, with a recently restored 1972 911T coupe selling for $140,250, a 1966 911 Twin Turbo bringing $165,000 and a 2007 GT3 RS going for $192,500.
The auction featured 292 cars with 162 selling for a 55.48 sell-through percentage. Last year, the sale offered 400 cars with 254 selling (a 63.5 percent sell-through) for $17.2 million.
This year, bids were received from the residents of 11 nations and 43 percent of bidders were new customers to Auctions America, the auction house announced.
Auctions America’s next sale is September 2-6 at its home grounds in Auburn, Indiana.
