2015 RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba Auction Results

© Tim Scott / RM Sotheby’s
© Tim Scott / RM Sotheby’s

A 1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta set a new model auction result when selling for €6.7 million at the 2015 RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba classic car sale in Italy. Eleven cars sold for more than a million dollars including seven Ferraris but the two headline cars failed to clear the reserve margins: the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione and the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider.

RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba Auction 2015

Ferraris on Sale at Villa Erba RM Sotheby's Auction
Tim Scott Fluid Images © 2015 RM Sotheby’s

RM Sotheby’s held its bi-annual Villa Erba classic car auction in conjunction with the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy on May 23, 2015.

The auction featured 37 cars and with a sell-through rate of 90% achieved €26,7 million. Major disappointments were the failure of the two pre-auction highlights to clear the reserve margins: the 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Competizione and the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider. Bidding for the latter stopped short less than a million from the €11 million lower estimate and made the record-setting “Baillon” Ferrari looking increasingly expensive.

Top Results at the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba Auction 2015

Ten cars achieved results of over a million euro each at the 2015 RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba classic car auction. In all, eleven cars sold for more than a million US dollars:

Year Car Price ($) Price (€)
1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta by Touring 7,400,736 6,720,000
1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta ‘Lusso’ by Scaglietti 2,220,220 2,016,000
1985 Ferrari 288 GTO 2,096,875 1,904,000
1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II by Pinin Farina 1,726,838 1,568,000
2002 Ferrari Enzo 1,387,640 1,260,000
1996 Ferrari F50 1,356,801 1,232,000
1953 Fiat 8V Cabriolet by Vignale 1,233,456 1,120,000
1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 S by Bertone 1,112,313 1,010,000
1991 Ferrari F40 1,102,810 1,008,000
1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Sport Lightweight 1,102,810 1,008,000
1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster 1,048,437 952,000

Auction in euro, converted at €1=$1.10.

Million-Dollar Ferraris at the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba Auction 2015

The record-setting 1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta crosses the podium at RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba sale
Tim Scott Fluid Images © 2015 courtesy RM Sotheby’s

Not surprisingly, Ferrari took the top honors at the Villa Erba classic car auction – 17 of the 37 cars on offer were from Maranello with 9 of the 15 cars with pre-auction estimates of over a million being Ferraris.

A new auction model record were set when a 1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta sold for €6,720,000 ($7,400,736). This race-ready Ferrari became the unexpected star of the show when the two Ferrari 250s failed to sell. The Ferrari 212 had a successful early racing history and its participation in the 1956 Mille Miglia makes it eligible for the many historic races.

1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta 'Lusso' by Scaglietti
© Jason Dodd / RM Sotheby’s

Two classic 1960s Ferrari 250s found buyers at the Villa Erba 2015 sale:

  • A 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta ‘Lusso’ by Scaglietti for €2,016,000 ($2,220,220), and
  • A 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II by Pinin Farina for €1,568,000 ($1,726,838)
Yellow 2002 Ferrari Enzo
© Tim Scott / RM Sotheby’s

Four modern Ferraris also achieved results of over a million euro at the Villa Erba sale – all selling at the upper end or above pre-auction estimates:

  • 1985 Ferrari 288 GTO for €1,904,000 ($2,096,875)
  • 2002 Ferrari Enzo for €1,260,000 ($1,387,640)
  • 1996 Ferrari F50 for €1,232,000 ($1,356,801)
  • 1991 Ferrari F40 for €1,008,000 ($1,102,810)

Other Million-Dollar Cars at the Villa Erba 2015 Sale

1953 Fiat 8V Cabriolet by Vignale
© Tim Scott / RM Sotheby’s

Only four of the eleven cars selling for more than a million dollar at the RM Sotheby’s 2015 Villa Erba classic car auction were not Ferraris.

A 1953 Fiat 8V Cabriolet Vignale sold for €1,120,000 ($1,233,456) – a good result as several 1950s Fiat at recent auctions failed to find buyers at Ferrari prices. This car was the only cabriolet built on the ten 8V chassis with coachwork by Vignale.

1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 S by Bertone
© Bernard Canonne / RM Sotheby’s

A 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400S by Bertone sold for €1,010,000 ($1,112,313). This Miura was one of the last P400s built and has covered only 30,000 km since new.

1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Sport Lightweight
© Tim Scott / RM Sotheby’s

A 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Sport Lightweight sold for €1,008,000 ($1,102,810) at the lower end of the pre-auction estimate. It was only the second Porsche 911 to have sold for more than a million dollar thus far this year, although at least four others had similar or higher bids rejected.

1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster
© Tim Scott / RM Sotheby’s

A 1958 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster sold for €952,000 ($1,048,000) towards the upper end of the pre-auction estimate. Mercedes Benz 300 SLs continue to sell well at the around a million dollar mark but several at recent auction failed to achieve results in excess of $1.5 million.

See also 2015 RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba Auction Preview for more photos and descriptions of the cars that were on offer.