2015 RM Auctions Paris Classic Car Sale Results

1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L 'Lusso' Berlinetta by Scaglietti
1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L ‘Lusso’ Berlinetta by Scaglietti – Tom Wood ©2015 Courtesy of RM Auctions

RM Auctions sold five cars for more than a million dollar each at the 2015 Paris classic car sale. The top result of $1.860,000 was for a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso. The 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Berlinetta that Italian dictator Benito Mussolini gave to his mistress failed to sell despite a highest bid of €1.8 million. Two special Porsche 911s received highest bids in excess of a million dollar but failed to clear the reserve margins.  A 1977 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopio similarly achieved a highest bid of just over a million dollar but failed to clear the reserve.

Million Dollar Results at RM Auctions 2015 Paris Sale

The following five cars achieved results in excess of a million dollar (and million euro too!) at the RM Auctions 2015 Paris sale held on February 4, 2015 at Place Vauban in partnership with the Festival Automobile International:

Year Car Price ($) Price (€)
1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso 1,859,480 1,624,000
1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS 1,635,060 1,428,000
1963 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster 1,410,640 1,232,000
1990 Ferrari F40 1,346,520 1,176,000
1965 Iso Grifo A3/C Stradale 1,186,2200 1,036,000
Auction held in euro. Dollar prices converted at €1 = $1.145.

Ferraris at the RM Auctions 2015 Paris Sale

1990 Ferrari F40 Open Doors
Cymon Taylor ©2015 Courtesy of RM Auctions

Ferraris often play a lesser role at the classic car auctions in Paris and RM Auctions had only two Ferraris on offer expecting to sell for over a million dollar. However, as is often the case at top classic car auctions, a Ferrari provided the highest result on the night.

The top result achieved at the 2015 Paris sale of RM Auctions was €1,624,000 for a 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso Berlinetta by Scaglietti. The car is well-maintained but mostly unrestored and came from long-term ownership.

RM Auctions achieved a strong €1,155,000 for a 1990 Ferrari F40. The Ferrari came from a single-family ownership but more significantly is nearly new with only 1,200 km recorded.

1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Berlinetta

Photo: Tom Wood ©2015 Courtesy of RM Auctions top front view
Tom Wood ©2015 Courtesy of RM Auctions

The highest bid at the 2015 Paris sale of RM Auctions was €1,800,000 for a 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Sport Berlinetta by Touring. This highest but unsuccessful bid was just below the pre-auction estimate of €1.9 to 2.4 million.

This car is famous as the vehicle Italian dictator Benito Mussolini gave to his mistress, Claretta Petacci, for her personal use. It was in this car that she was caught by partisans on the shores of Lake Como while trying to flee Italy in April 1945 at the end of the Second World War.

The car was fully restored around a decade ago with around 90% of the metal considered to be original. The Alfa Romeo won its class at the 2007 Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este and Best of Show honors at Salon Prive in 2011.

Million-Dollar Porsches at RM Auctions 2015 Paris Sale

Porsche 904 & Ferrari F40 at RM Auctions Paris 2015
Image courtesy RM Auctions/Tim Scott

Three Porsches achieved bids in excess of a million dollar at the RM Auctions 2015 Paris classic car sale but only one cleared the reserve. This followed on similar good results for Porsches at the Scottsdale 2015 sales in mid-January.

The top result was for a 1964 Porsche 904 Carrera GTS that sold for €1.4 million. The fully restored car had a successful racing history and came with a FIVA Identity Card.

1969 Porsche 911 S Ex-Works side view
Simon Clay ©2015 Courtesy of RM Auctions

Two Porsche 911s also received bids of over a million euro but failed to clear the reserve margins. The top bid for the 1969 Porsche 911 S – the works entry into the 1969 FIA World Rally Championship – was €1.050,000 with a pre-auction estimate of €1.1-1.3 million)..

A 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Sports Lightweight also received a highest bid of €925,000 (pre-auction estimate €1-1.4 million). Other similar Porsche 911s failed to clear the reserve margins at the Scottsdale sales.

Other Million-Dollar Cars at the RM Auctions Paris Sale 2015

1965 Iso Grifo A3/C Stradale  Green
Simon Clay ©2015 Courtesy of RM Auctions

The other cars selling for more than a million euro at the RM Auctions 2015 Paris classic cars sale:

  • € 1,210,000 for a 1963 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster – a later production with alloy block and factory disc breaks in an exceptionally original condition.
  • €1,017,500 for a 1965 Iso Grifo A3/C Stradale – a great result for a very rare car.

Other Million-Dollar Bid Cars at the RM Auctions Paris Sale 2015

1935 Delahaye 135 S blue
Simon Clay ©2015 Courtesy of RM Auctions

Two further cars received highest bids in excess of a million dollar at the RM Auctions 2015 Paris classic car sale but failed to clear the reserve margins:

1935 Delahaye 135 S had a highest bid of €1,025,000 (estimate €1.2-1.6 million). This racing car is one of only 16 ever constructed. The car competed at Le Mans in 1937, 1938 and 1939 with a best result of second place overall in 1937.

1977 Lamborghini Countach LP400 'Periscopio' front view
Stuart Kortekaas ©2015 Courtesy of RM Auctions

A rare 1977 Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopio, one of only 150 Periscopio cars ever produced also failed to sell despite a highest bid of €950,000 – estimate €1.13-1.45 million.

The next major classic car sales for RM Auctions will be Amelia Island in mid-March and the Andrews Collection in early May. RM Auctions’s next European sale will be the biannual Villa Erba sale during the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on Lake Como in Italy on May 23, 2015.

More on the 2015 Paris Classic Car Auctions