The surging demand for modern supercars was evident Wednesday in Paris as two modern Bugattis sold for record prices at RM Sotheby’s auction and another ultra-fast modern creation, a 2005 Maserati MC12, emerged as the second-highest sale of the auction that kicked off the sales portion of the annual Retromobile collector car week.
The sale posted an 83 percent sell-through and total sales of $29,562,805.13 after the conversion from euro to U.S. dollars, RM Sotheby’s announced. Of 83 lots offered up for bidding, 69 were hammered sold. Leading the way were the modern super sports cars.
“We continue to see immense demand for low-production hypercars,” Augustin Sabatie-Garat, auction manager for RM Sotheby’s Europe, was quoted in the post-sale news release. “They represent the pinnacle of engineering excellence from any given decade, and their place in history and collecting hierarchy is secure.
“The room was packed and the energy high throughout the preview and auction despite the challenges of snowfall in Paris, and we are delighted with another strong sell-through rate and very successful event.”
Topping the sale was a 2017 Bugatti Chiron, one of only 500 scheduled to be produced. The 1,500-horsepower coupe was offered with less than 1,500 kilometers on its odometer and sold for an auction-record $4,138,068.75.
Also setting an auction-sales price was a 1993 Bugatti EB110 SS Prototype. The car was one of 36 produced, had been driven only 3,300 kilometers since new, and sold for a record $1,434,862.50, RM Sotheby’s said.
Second-highest price paid at the auction was, after what RM Sotheby’s termed “fierce” bidding, the $2,492,334.38 paid for the 2005 Maserati MC12, one of only 50 produced. The MC12 was one of three Maseratis among the top-10 sales in the auction.
But RM Sotheby’s noted that it wasn’t only recent supercars that did well at the sale. A 1958 BMW 507 Series II roadster was the third-high sale of the event at $2,212,209.38.
Also noteworthy were cars that received seven-figure bids only to have those figures turned down by consignors. Such vehicles included a 1953 Ferrari 166 MM Spider (bid to $4.295 million), an alloy-bodied 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB (bid to $2.739 million), a 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C ($2.458 million), and a 2014 McLaren P1 ($1.867.5 million).
RM Sotheby’s pointed to several other sales for their significance, including:
• A 1958 Triumph TR3A “works” Monte Carlo Rally car that sold for $229,080, reportedly the highest price ever paid at auction for a TR3.
• A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Series III that brought $643,509, well beyond even its high pre-sale estimate.
• A 1988 RUF CTR Clubsport, believed to be the only Porsche RS in Mint Green, which also beat its high estimate at $443,415.
• A “Dealers Collection” 1995 Lancia Delta HF Integrale EVO II that sold for $200,445.
• A 1977 BMW 633 CSi owned by Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA and that sold for $42,952.50.
Top 10 sales, RM Sotheby’s Paris auction 2018
- 2017 Bugatti Chiron, $4,138,068.75
- 2005 Maserati MC12, $2,492,334.38
- 1958 BMW 507 Roadster Series II, $2,212,209.38
- 1993 Bugatti EB 110 SS Prototype, $1,434,862.50
- 1992 Ferrari F40, $1,161,740.63
- 1958 OSCA 2000 S, $986,662.50
- 1967 Maserati Mistral 4.0 Spyder, $916,631.25
- 1970 Maserati Ghibli 4.7 Spyder, $881,615.63
- 1995 Porsche 911 Turbo cabriolet, $846,600
- 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 S roadster, $805,581.25
(Prices include buyer’s fees.)
RM Sotheby’s remains in Paris through Retromobile with a display of vehicles it will offer at its Monaco sale in May. It’s next collector car auction is scheduled for March 10 on Amelia Island, Florida.
