Auction Results: Bonhams’ 2014 Scottsdale sale

Anticipation was high for Bonhams coming into its third annual Scottsdale auction, following the company’s terrific outing in Carmel in August, and the auction house certainly didn’t disappoint. Overall results were nearly twice as high as they were in 2012, which were more than twice the company’s Arizona results from the year before. In all, 86 of 101 automotive lots sold (85%) for $23.5M, including buyer’s premium, establishing the reinvigorated auction house as a major factor in what is one of the most important weeks on the American collector car calendar.

The sale’s two star lots both found new homes at heady prices, with an exceptional 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Zagato Spider selling for $3.08M (a new world record for the model), and Enzo Ferrari’s tailor’s 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Berlinetta earning slightly more at $3.19M. A beautiful longnose Ferrari 275 GTB 6-carb car also sold strongly at $2.64M.

A barn-find 1965 Porsche 911 coupe found a new home at an enthusiastic $116,600, and a lovely 1967 911 coupe sold five lots later for $1,100 less. Other stunning prices include $50,600 for Tom Hanks’s 1978 Volkswagen Super Beetle convertible, $114,400 for a fiberglass 1976 Ferrari 308 GTB, and $242,000 for a 1958 Jaguar XK150 S 3.4L roadster. On the bargain side, an unusual and original 1967 Simca 1000 coupe went for $24,200, and $20,900 bought a restored 1951 MG TD roadster.

Top 10

1. 1951 Ferrari 212 Export Coupe sold for $3,190,000
2. 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider sold for $3,080,000
3. 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Coupe sold for $2,640,000
4. 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Sports Phaeton sold for $1,430,000
5. 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster sold for $1,237,500
6. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe sold for $1,078,000
7. 1968 Ferrari 330 GTC Coupe sold for $803,000
8. 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC Coupe sold for $660,000
9. 1947 Bentley Mk VI Coupe sold for $605,000
10. 1935 Auburn 851 Supercharged Boattail Speedster sold for $467,500

Bonhams next U.S. sale is slated for June 1 in Greenwich, and its next European car auction is set for Feb. 6, 2014, in Paris. This sale, which coincides with Retromobile, has an impressive roster, including a 1929 Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix two-seat roadster, a 1947 Delage D6 3L Grand Prix roadster, and a 1968 Ferrari 275 GTB/4.