RM Sotheby’s third and final auction of The Dingman Collection sent all 740 lots to new owners and generated more than $7 million in revenue, the auction house reported at the conclusion of the sale June 23-24 in Hampton, New Hampshire.
The late Michael Dingman was a member of the board of directors of Ford Motor Company for more than two decades, a major collector of Ford vehicles and various automobilia, and a vintage racer. RM began selling his collection with a sale in 2006 and another in 2012.
The final sale this past weekend featured 37 cars and hundreds of pieces of automobilia, including neon and porcelain signs. Also offered was a complete, restored and updated 1950s roadside diner.
“We saw wonderful attendance at The Dingman Collection sale from start to finish,” Alain Squindo, chief operating officer of RM Sotheby’s Group, was quoted in the news release. “Discerning collectors recognize the quality associated with the Dingman name and the late Mr. Dingman’s meticulous collecting philosophy and came in droves to add an important piece to their own garages.”
RM Sotheby’s said bids came from as far as England, Australia and Asia, and that half of all bids were place via telephone or internet. Also significant was the fact that 40 percent of bidders were new RM Sotheby’s clients.
The top sale of the auction was a 1995 Ford Roush Mustang Cobra race car formerly driven by three-time SCCA Trans-Am champion Tommy Kendall for $720,000, which nearly doubled the cars pre-auction estimate of $300,000 to $400,000.
The Silk City Diner sold for $336,000.
Also doing well in the sale were several of the woodie wagons Dingman had collected.
The bulk of the sale comprised more than 500 neon, porcelain and metal signs, which sold for as much as $48,000. A Ford 24-stud late 1940s flathead V8 engine cutaway display sold for $45,600, far beyond its $4,000 to $6,000 pre-sale estimate.
Top 10 sales, RM Sotheby’s Dingman Collection 2018
- 1995 Ford Roush Mustang Cobra SCCA Trans Am, $720,000
- Silk City Diner, $336,000
- 2006 Ford GT, $302,000
- 1937 Lincoln Model K convertible Victoria, $184,800
- 1947 Ford Super DeLuxe station wagon, $145,600
- 1936 Ford V8 DeLuxe roadster, $140,000
- 1965 Porsche 356 C 1600 C cabriolet, $134,400
- 2014 Porsche 911 GT3, $134,400
- 1946 Ford Super DeLuxe station wagon, $123,200
- 1942 Ford Super DeLuxe station wagon, $117,600
(Prices include buyer’s fee.)
RM Sotheby’s next auction is scheduled for August 24-25 in Monterey, California.
