Artcurial garners strong results at Retromobile
Artcurial held its annual Retromobile sale in Paris on February 3, 2012. This year’s auction garnered strong prices overall, with an impressive 93 of 103 lots selling (90%) for a total of $17.2m. The total marked one of Artcurial’s best sales in recent memory
As has become somewhat expected at auctions over the past few years, a handful of vintage motorcycles kicked off the sale before moving into the automotive lots. Consignments were interesting and varied, as the usual European marques comingled with more unusual nameplates (Horch, Lorraine Deitrich and Delaunay Belleville), and a rather surprising sampling of American icons, such as the Cadillac Series 62 Coupe deVille, a Shelby GT350, a Buick and two Corvettes.
Top sale was a 1959 Ferrari 250GT California Spyder with closed headlights that sold for $5.74m, followed by a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet B ($630,000) and a 1956 Ferrari 250GT Boano ($610,000). A Triumph TR3 continued the model’s recent success at auction by nabbing a sale price of $48,500, while a 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 convertible pulled a model’s very strong price, just under $200,000.
Past sales have been mixed for Artcurial, with totals typically ranging from $3m to $10m. This year’s success can largely be attributed to the fantastic array of vehicles on offer. Seemingly every era was represented in this sale and every price point as well, which is no small feat considering only 100 lots were consigned.
Artcurial will return to the podium to sell automobiles on July 7, 2012, at Le Mans.
Brian Rabold is the editor of Hagerty Price Guide.
