On the Auction Block

Although it was livestreamed with no in-person attendance for the first time ever this year, RM Sotheby’s annual Paris classic car auction still proved to be one of the biggest events for collectors worldwide. Several of the gorgeous vehicles which crossed the auction block on Feb. 13 were offered without reserve, which no doubt helped. And while it was a smaller sale than usual there was no shortage of eye candy.

This year’s event was especially notable for the number of standalone collections featured in the catalog. These included an assemblage of six Lamborghinis spanning the most important 20 years of the marque’s history; the Bowler Collection of seven highly modified Land Rover Defenders; and the Gold Collection of five drivable classics from the 1970s united by their period-correct paint schemes.

There were a couple of one-off mind-bogglers, like a 1931 Bentley 4½-Litre Supercharged Tourer, one of just 50 original 4½-litre “Blowers” ever built. A “true icon of the golden age of motoring,” as RM puts it. And a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTE 2+2 Series III by Pininfarina, “combining stately looks, race-bred performance, and incredible practicality.” Neither of them ended up selling, perhaps because of high seven-figure estimates, though we can’t imagine they’ll remain at large for long.

The Lamborghini collection was a greatest hits lineup from the famed factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, including a 1967 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2, a 1968 Espada Series 1, a 1969 Islero GTS, a 1971 Miura P400 SV, a 1977 Countach LP400 ‘Periscopio’, and a 1984 Countach LP500 S. The ’71 Miura, our favorite, and the star of the show, brought in about $2.9 million, but some of the others were relatively affordable.

The Bowler collection of souped-up Defenders, directly from the collection of former Bowler Director, Richard Hayward, were all offered without reserve. Founded in 1985, Bowler “became renowned for supplying vehicles for many of the world’s most extreme and iconic off-road racing events,” RM notes, including the Dakar Rally, Baja Aragón, and the Africa Eco Race. Also part of the collection is a 2010 Defender 2.4 TDCi that Hayward had made into an exact copy of the custom Defender pickups used in the 2015 Bond flick Spectre, which Bowler built for the film.

Lastly we did not expect to be so enamored of the Gold Collection. While individually the cars in the quirky collection might not all be very appealing, taken together they are pretty cool. The group was led by a pair of Ferraris painted Oro Chiaro, a 1974 Ferrari 365 GT4 BB, and a 1979 Ferrari 308 GTS. Then we have two Porsches, a 1972 Porsche 911 2.4 S Targa, and a 1976 Porsche 911 Turbo Carrera. And finally a 1973 Jensen Interceptor SP. These stylish grand tourers were hand-built at the Kelvin Way Factory near Birmingham, England, and are a relative steal for anyone looking to start a collection of modern British classics. No time like the present….