2017 Gooding Scottsdale Classic Car Auction Results

Gooding’s top results at the Scottsdale 2017 classic car sale were for a 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix car and a 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast.

1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix
1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix © Gooding

A 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix sold for a model record price of $3,300,000 as the top result at the Gooding & Co Scottsdale 2017 classic car auction in Arizona, USA. The second highest price paid at the sale was $2,915,000 for a 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast. Gooding sold nine cars for more than a million dollar at the Scottsdale 2017 auction.

Gooding & Co Scottsdale Classic Car Auction 2017

Gooding & Company held its 10th annual two-day Scottsdale Auctions on January 20 and 21, 2017, at the Scottsdale Fashion Square in Arizona, USA.

In 2017, Gooding gained $33.4 million at the Scottsdale auction by selling 106 of the 126 lots on offer – a good 84% sell-through rate. In 2016, Gooding grossed $43 million from 113 cars and in 2015 it achieved $51.5 million from 126 cars on offer.

Ten Top Results at Gooding Scottsdale 2017

The following were the ten highest results achieved at the Gooding Scottsdale 2017 classic car auction:

Year Car Price ($)
1 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix 3,300,000
2 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast 2,915,000
3 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Series V Grand Sport Roadster 1,595,000
4 2011 Ferrari 599 SA Aperta 1,485,000
5 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing 1,457,000
6 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra 1,100,000
7 1928 Bentley 4 1/2 Litre Open Sports Tourer 1,100,000
8 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort 1,089,000
9 1961 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster 1,034,000
10 1969 American Motors AMX/3 891,000

Million-Dollar Cars at Gooding Scottsdale 2017

The following were the nine cars sold for more than a million dollar at the Gooding Scottsdale 2017 sale:

1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix

1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix
1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix © Gooding

A new model world record was set for the 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix that achieved $3,300,000 at the Gooding & Co Scottsdale 2017 sale. The Bugatti, finished in French racing blue, retained its original engine, chassis and bodywork despite being raced in period. Its bodywork is considered the oldest surviving on a Type 35 chassis.

The Bugatti originally belonged to American Standard Oil heir Wallis C. Bird and the purchaser will be only the fourth owner of this lovely car.

The lot sold immediately after the Type 35 was the smaller 1928 Bugatti “Type 52” Bebe – a half-size scale model of the Type 35 with electric engine made for children by Bugatti. It sold for $88,000 – probably a record too and proof that rich children get the best toys. Around 500 were made, of which around 100 survived.

Artcurial will have a similar Type 52 on offer at Paris 2017 but at a lower estimate of €30,000-€50,000. Ironically, the French auctioneer prefers the description Baby to Bebe.

1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast

1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast
© Gooding

Gooding’s top result for a Ferrari in the Scottsdale 2017 auction was $2,915,000 for a 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast – a result similar to what was achieved on two Ferrari 500 Superfasts at Monterey in 2016.

These Ferraris are not only fast but rare too – only 36 were built with Pininfarina adapting the cars to each owner’s personal specifications. The car sold was the seventh of the 28 built with left-hand drive.

New, a Ferrari 500 Superfast sold for around double that of a standard 275 GTB. Although Gooding struggled to sell the two 275 GTBs on offer in the sale, the price gab has certainly moved in favor of the more sporty GTBs.

1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Series V Grand Sport Roadster

1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Series V Grand Sport Cabriolet
© Gooding

A 1932 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Series V Grand Sport Roadster sold for $1,595,000 at the Gooding Scottsdale 2017 sale. Although quite a bit below the $2,250,000-$2,750,000 estimate, these Alfa Romeos are notoriously difficult to predict with many fine examples often failing to find buyers at a high price.

This supercharged car has open coachwork by Figoni and is in very good condition. The ownership history is only known from 1934 and it is speculated that Pierre Dreyfus was the original owner.

2011 Ferrari 599 SA Aperta

Gooding had a spectacular result of $1,485,000 for a 2011 Ferrari 599 SA Aperta – a new model record. The pre-auction estimate of $1,200,000-$1,400,000 seemed optimistic – the two cars that sold in 2016 went for less.

The 559 SA Aperta was built to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Pininfarina. Only 80 were made making it rarer than many other modern supercars from Ferrari. The silver over black is the only one in this color scheme. It had three previous owners but covered only 2,500 miles.

1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing

1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing (Estimate: $900,000-$1,100,000)
© Gooding

Mercedes 300 SL prices have been weaker in 2016 and the fad for barn finds waning but the 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing sold for $1,457,000 at Gooding Scottsdale 2017 questioned both assumptions. The pre-auction estimate was a more modest $900,000-$1,100,000.

Although sometimes termed a garage find, the 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing at Gooding is an unrestored car in very good original condition. More interestingly, it was sold by the original owner who had driven it for only 31,239 miles, of which only 500 were added since 1974! The car has not been used on the road for the past 15 years so the new owner will have to invest something whether electing to preserve the car or restore it to concourse condition.

A similar garage find – a 1958 Porsche 356 A Super Speedster – sold for $341,000, well above the $200,000-$275,000 pre-auction estimate. This car has been garaged since 1974 with the owner leaving the body in a rusty state to make it less attractive to thieves!

1964 Shelby 289 Cobra

Original Shelby Cobras continue to perform well at auctions. The 1964 Shelby 289 Cobra sold by Gooding for $1,100,000 is a late-production car with show-quality restoration. RM Sotheby’s sold a 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra for similar money.

1928 Bentley 4 ½ Litre Open Sports Tourer

1928 Bentley 4 ½ Litre Open Tourer
© Gooding

A 1928 Bentley 4 ½ Litre Open Sports Tourer sold for $1,100,000 – Gooding’s second 1920’s car achieving more than a million dollar at the Scottsdale 2017 sale. This car came with a well-documented history and full provenance from new.

The 1928 Bentley 4 ½ Litre Open Sports Tourer retained its original engine, chassis and coachwork by Vandenplas. It is presented in British racing green over dark brown hides. In recent years this Bentley completed at least two 1,000-mile rallies – more than many modern supercars are driven before turning up at auction.

1988 Porsche 959 Komfort

Porsche 959s pop up at collector car auctions with regularity these days and generally sells for a million dollars. The 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort at Gooding Scottsdale 2017 duly sold for $1,089,000, which may be somewhat of a bargain as it comes with receipts for $235,000 for recent mechanical work.

1961 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster

To balance out the success with the Gullwing, Gooding struggled on the second day of the auction to achieve a million dollar bid for a 1961 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster. The final, premium-included result of $1,034,00 confirmed that selling a 300 SL for top dollar at auction remains an uncertain bet worthy of a reserve margin. RM Sotheby’s similarly failed to sell the Gullwing it had on offer – several more will be on offer in Paris in mid-February

1969 American Motors AMX/3

1969 American Motors AMX/3
© Gooding

The 1969 American Motors AMX/3 missed the million-dollar mark but set a new brand record when it sold for $891,000.

This rare car was used in development testing by Bizarrini at the famed Italian Monza racing track. The comprehensively restored mid-engine car won First in Class at the 2016 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegenace.

Top Cars Failing to Sell at Gooding Scottsdale 2017

Some of the more expensive cars that failed to sell at the Gooding Scottsdale 2017 included:

Year Car Price ($) Estimate
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Long Nose Alloy HB 2,500,000 2,900,000 – 3,200,000
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 HB 2,400,000 3,000,000 -3,400,000
1932 Packard Twin Six 906 Individual Custom Convertible Sedan HB 1,400,000 Upon Request
1936 Squire 1 1/2 Litre Touring HB 1,050,000 1,500,000 – 2,000,000
1996 Porsche 993 GT2 HB 950,000 1,300,000 – 1,600,000
1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona HB 720,000 850,000 – 950,000
1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Long Nose Alloy
© Gooding

Four Ferrari GTBs were available at the different Scottsdale, Arizona auctions. Gooding took the highest bid on the two it had but failed to clear the high reserve margins.

After RM Sotheby’s sold one of the 57 Porsche 993 GT2s homologated for street use for a sensational $2.5 million in London 2016 more were expected to test the market. Two did at Scottsdale 2017 with both the silver car at Gooding (highest bid $950,00) and a bright yellow 1996 Porsche 911 GT2 at RM Sotheby’s failing to sell.

Gooding & Co will have its next major auction at Amelia Island, Florida.

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