LONDON.- RM Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house for investment-quality automobiles, posted over £5.1 million* (over $8.2 million USD) in total sales with a solid 77% sell-through at its debut Salon Privé sale in West London last night.
Held in conjunction with the Salon Privé Luxury Super Car Show and Concours d’Elegance, the new ‘Quintessentially English’ summer sale presented 57 automobiles and a select range of motorcycles before a packed house.
Headlining the top-sellers list were popular British marques Bentley and Aston Martin, which attracted strong interest and lively bidding in the room, on the phones and over the internet. A 1929 Bentley Speed Six “Le Mans” Style Tourer (pictured right) claimed the top sale of the evening, bringing £470,400, while a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Vantage Convertible (pictured below), purchased new by famed actor and diplomat Sir Peter Ustinov, spurred a lively bidding war to realize a final sales price of £431,200 – over £110,000 more than its pre-sale high estimate.
Another notable sale was the 1959 Jaguar XK150 3.8S Roadster for £201,600 – an impressive result which makes it one of the most valuable XK150’s ever sold at auction.
“We are very pleased with the results from our debut sale at Salon Privé. Strong bidding demonstrated the strength of the market for quality British cars,” says Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Europe. “Aston Martins in particular have performed exceptionally well in recent months – a theme that was again evident at yesterday’s sale with spirited bidding and strong results achieved across the board.”
The top five sales of the evening were:
1929 Bentley Speed Six ‘Le Mans’ Style Tourer – £470,400
1961 Aston Martin DB4 Vantage Convertible – £431,200
1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Experiental Sports Tourer – £392,000
1955 Bentley R-Type Continental Fastback – £358,400
1939 Aston Martin 2-Litre ‘Brooklands’ Speed Model – £319,200
Topping the motorcycle sales was a rare 1939 Brough Superior 11.50 V-Twin for £36,960 and a desirable 1960 BSA Gold Star for £21,280.
“On the strength of this fantastic debut sale, RM is already excited to return to Syon Park next year. It’s great to be an established partner for the Salon Privé event which is growing in stature each year,” Girardo added.
RM Auctions returns to England, 26th October for its annual, well-established Battersea sale at Central London. Next up, the international auction house heads to the United States for its St. John’s (former Meadow Brook) sale in Plymouth, Michigan, 30th July, closely followed by its highly-anticipated Monterey sale in California, 19th – 20th August, held during the famous Pebble Beach Motoring Week.
