2017 RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba (Hypercars Announcement)

Three hypercars – a Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Weissach and McLaren P1 GTR – are on offer at the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2017 sale in Italy.

2016 McLaren P1 GTR Open Doors
2016 McLaren P1 GTR – Simon Clay ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

RM Sotheby’s will become the first auction house ever to sell a 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari, 2015 Porsche 918 Weissach and 2016 McLaren P1 GTR in the same auction. These three modern hypercars will join the list of around 50 cars and motorcycles that will be on offer at the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba classic car auction during the annual Villa d’Este concours d’elegance on the shores of Lake Como in Italy in May 2017.

RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba Sale 2017

RM Sotheby’s traditionally holds it very exclusive Villa Erba classic car auction every odd year as part of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy at the end of May.

© Tim Scott / RM Sotheby’s

In 2017, the classic car auction will be held on May 27. As in previous years, only around 40 cars will be offered but this year will be joined by around 20 motorcycles from a top private collection.

In 2015, RM Sotheby’s had 37 cars on offer that with a sell-through rate of 90% achieved €26.7 million. The top result set a new model record when a 1952 Ferrari 212 Export Barchetta sold for €6,720,000 ($7,400,736).

Red 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta ‘Competizione’
Photo: Tim Scott ©2013 Courtesy of RM Auctions

In 2013, the auction record was set when a 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta ‘Competizione’ by Pinin Farina sold for a record €9,856,000 (US $ 12,812,800). At the time it was the highest price ever paid for a closed Ferrari Berlinetta, the highest price for a 340/375, and the highest price paid at auction for any car since a 1957 Ferrari 250 TR in 2011 achieved $16,390,000. (This model and auction records still stand.)

Modern Hypercars at the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba Sale 2017

RM Sotheby’s describes the three modern supercars on offer at the Villa Erba 2017 sale as the “ultimate hypercar trinity” – Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 Weissach and McLaren P1 GTR cars have been sold at auction before but never before had all three been offered in the same sale.

Peter Wallman, Managing Director of RM Sotheby’s Europe, says: “When these three cars broke onto the scene they completely changed the way we viewed modern hypercars and indeed hybrid technology. From the P1 GTR, the ultimate P1 in road-specification, to the Porsche’s tremendous all-wheel-drive traction, and the LaFerrari’s incredible styling and outright speed, each is special in its own way. I’m delighted that RM Sotheby’s is the first auction house to assemble all three in a single sale, and can’t wait to see them take centre stage at Villa Erba next month.”

2016 McLaren P1 GTR

2016 McLaren P1 GTR
Simon Clay ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 2016 McLaren P1 GTR, est. €3.200.000 – €3.600.000, on offer at RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2017 sale is one of only 58 ever built and furthermore one of only 27 that have been concerted to road legal specification.

Black 2016 McLaren P1 GTR Rearview
Simon Clay ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Unveiled at the 2013 Paris Motor Show, the McLaren P1 was the first hypercar of its time to be showcased with a twin-turbo engine with an electric motor bolted on for an extra 177 bhp, not that it needed it—the standard 3.8-liter engine produced 727 bhp on its own.

The P1 GTR—a stripped out, track-only version of the P1 introduced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the company’s ground-breaking victory at Le Mans—took it one step further, offering an incredible 986 bhp on tap. This exclusive model was only made available to existing P1 owners, with just 58 units of the coveted GTR version produced in total. Rare to start with, the example secured for RM’s Villa Erba sale—a 2016 McLaren P1 GTR—is further set apart as one of very few converted to road legal specification by McLaren specialists, Lanzante Motorsport. Finished in metallic black with black wheels, it is offered out of single-ownership and comes to auction presented in ‘as new’ condition, having covered just 360 kilometers

Wallman adds, “It’s very rare that such a low-mileage and rare iteration of one of the most exciting modern-day hypercars is offered for public sale, and we anticipate strong interest in its offering.”

The record price for a standard P1 was set at $2,392,500 at the Gooding Amelia Island 2017 sale. Three further McLaren P1 cars achieved just over $2 million since August 2016.

2015 Porsche 918 ‘Weissach’ Spyder

Arrow Blue 2015 Porsche 918 Weissach Spyder
Tom Gidden ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The 2015 Porsche 918 ‘Weissach’ Spyder, est. €1.200.000 – €1.400.000, is a paint to sample car and thus the only one of the 918 produced painted Arrow Blue. However, with 11,000 km on the clock, it is well used in modern supercar terms.

2015 Porsche 918 Weissach Spyder rear
Tom Gidden ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The Porsche 918 ‘Weissach’ Spyder on offer at RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2017 sale is fitted with the desirable Weissach package, a €72.000 cost option, which reduced the weight of the standard car by 45 kg to further its ludicrous performance of 0-100 km/h in just 2.6 seconds onwards to a top speed of 345 km/h. As part of this package, many leather interior parts were swapped for lightweight Alcantara, super lightweight magnesium wheels were fitted, and carbon fiber replaced many aluminum components as well as the windscreen frame, roof, rear wings and rear-view mirror.

This example also benefits from a Front Axle Lift System, painted key and 918 photobook, and comes to market following a recent service that saw new front tyres and Weissach-specific brake pads fitted. Also offered from single-ownership, it has been well-maintained and shows just 11,000 kilometers on the clock – for once, a hypercar owner seemed to actually have enjoyed a car before returning it to the auction market. It should affect the result: the three 918 cars sold at auction thus far were lower mileage samples and achieved $1.6 to $1.8 million.

2014 Ferrari LaFerrari

2014 Ferrari LaFerrari
Pieter E. Kamp ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s
2014 Ferrari LaFerrari Rear
Pieter E. Kamp ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The trio of hypercars set for Villa Erba is rounded out by the previously announced 2014 Ferrari LaFerrari, est. €2.650.00 – €3.200.000. Having covered a mere 180 kilometers since new, it joins the sale with the highly desirable, factory-fitted nose lift kit, brake calipers and benefits from being covered with anti-stone chipping film to keep it in pristine condition. The sale will include several further modern Ferraris including an Enzo – a model that also breached the $3 million mark in 2016 (but usually sell for slightly less).

Nearly new is of course not new – a new LaFerrari was sold for $7 million by RM Sotheby’s in a special charity sale. The other results for LaFerraris at auction were $3.7 and $5.17 million during the Monterey Week 2016 sales.

1928 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Torpedo-Sport Avant-Garde side profile
Daniel Olivares ©2017 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Other highlights previously announced for the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2017 sale include 1930s classics: 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS ‘Goute d’Eau’, a 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Spider 4th Series and a 1937 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante Prototype while the top result is expected from a 1928 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Torpedo-Sport Avant-Garde (Est. €6.500.000 – €8.000.000).