In case you were wondering how the upper crust lives, here is an exclusive sale of the most-exclusive luxury vehicles held in a very-exclusive location – a live RM Sotheby’s auction of 25 vintage Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars scheduled for June in Liechtenstein.
All of the prestigious offerings are from a single collection, RM Sotheby’s says, and each one is in exceptional, “on the button” condition. The auction is titled, “A Passion for Elegance.”
Liechtenstein, by the way, is the tiny nation wedged between Austria and Switzerland with a German-speaking population that is, per capita, among the wealthiest in the world, second only to Monaco. Millionaires comprise an estimated one-third of the population.
The auction collection represents 88 years of pre- and post-war production “from the golden era of the two most-famous British manufacturers of luxury cars,” the auction house says in a news release.
“The collection is complete,” the unidentified owner of the curated assemblage is quoted in the news release. “In the case of Rolls-Royce, every single relevant period has at least one representative. The collection of Bentleys shows the development of the marque from the time it was acquired by Rolls-Royce in 1931 up to the present day.
“Similar to an art exhibition, where objects are displayed in relation to each other, the cars can be grouped in accordance with various aspects which is, without doubt, one of the strong points of this collection.”
The star of the auction is a 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Special Town Car by Brewster, which was the most expensive automobile in the world at the time it was manufactured, priced at a then-astounding $31,000, RM Sotheby’s says.
The Phantom wears one-off coachwork, and it is one of three Special Town Cars that retain their original bespoke bodies, the release notes. The Rolls originally was built for American millionaire Matthew Dick.
Among the post-war cars at auction, the highlight is “an exceptional 1958 Bentley S1 Continental Cabriolet by Park Ward, one of the most stylish British open grand touring cars ever made,” according to the release.
Besides the 25 cars, a 1946 Rolls-Royce Aero Merlin engine with propeller attached also will be auctioned.
The auction will be a live, limited-audience event held at an undisclosed location in Liechtenstein, and the exact date has not been released, with details forthcoming, according to RM Sotheby’s. But as they say, if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.
For more information, visit the RM Sotheby’s website.
