PARIS.- RM Sotheby’s has achieved auction history by conducting the highest grossing collector car sale in Europe. The two-day Paris sale on 4-5 February achieved total sales of €66,490,850, during which the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM was the undoubted star of proceedings.
The historically significant Ferrari 250 LM was the Chinetti/NART entry for the 1965 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race in which Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt achieved overall victory, a feat not accomplished again by a Ferrari until 2023. The car then went on to be one of just six Ferraris to compete at Le Mans three times in the Enzo era. Following on from the record price of €51,155,000 achieved for the 1954 Mercedes Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen in Stuttgart last week, the 250 LM brought an astonishing €34,880,000, against a pre-sale estimate of €25,000,000 Euro. The sum makes it the sixth most valuable car to be sold at public auction and the fourth most valuable Ferrari ever sold publicly.
Other sale highlights include a 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari, finished in bespoke Giallo with Nero roof over a matching black and yellow interior and presented on centre-lock, forged wheels from the track-only FXX-K, which made an excellent €3,548,750.00. The third highest selling car was another remarkable hypercar, the 2022 Pagani Huayra R. It was the first time one of the limited production, track-only hypercars has been offered at auction, and with single ownership from new and only 196 kilometres at the time of cataloguing, the car richly deserved the €3,042,500 it achieved on the day.
Augustin Sabatié-Garat, Director of Sales, EMEA, said: “This has been a landmark sale in so many ways. To have achieved the highest-grossing collector car sale ever conducted in Europe is a remarkable achievement for all of us at RM Sotheby’s, but to have done that with the sale of the Ferrari 250 LM, which has now become the sixth most valuable car ever sold at auction, makes it all the more special. What a week it has been, given that this comes so soon after the Mercedes Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen was sold for €51,155,000, making it the most valuable grand prix car ever sold. We have had the honor of selling an astonishing €69,073,275 of cars in a mere five day period, and weeks like this are truly a once in a lifetime moment for our team.”
Top 10 selling lots in Paris
• 1964 Ferrari 250 LM €34,880,000.00
• 2015 Ferrari LaFerrari €3,548,750.00
• 2022 Pagani Huayra R €3,042,500.00
• 2011 Koenigsegg Agera €1,917,500.00
• 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Gran Sport Spider €1,833,125.00
• 1974 Mercedes-Benz 600 'Six-Door' Pullman Landaulet €1,355,000.00
• 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback Sports Saloon €1,265,000.00
• 1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 ‘Periscopio’ €820,625.00
• 2010 Ferrari 599 GTO €815,000.00
• 1964 Aston Martin DB5 €736,250.00
