Silverstone Auctions kicked off Q3 with its highest grossing sale to date; the live online auction generating £15.8 million and a 76% sell-through rate. Top lot was a right-hand drive 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV in Rossa Corsa which fetched £1,912,500 (est. £1.8-2.4m). A gradual easing of the UK’s lockdown restrictions saw Historics host its first auction open to the public since March, with a brace of Aston Martins heading the big-ticket sales. A Glacier Blue 1964 DB5 that had been restored in 2013 sold for £560,000 (est. £540-640k), and a 1965 example in Goodwood Green, refreshed 30 years ago, achieved £525,000 (est. £570-650k).

Ferrari F40 – Courtesy of Artcurial

Both the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs on offer at Artcurial’s Monaco sale went to new owners; a 38,000-mile Gullwing at €1,416,000 (est. €1.2-1.4m), and a recently-restored Roadster at €858,240 (est. €800k-1m), while a three-owner 30,660-km 1990 Ferrari F40 made a mid-estimate €959,560.

Ferrari 275 GTB Alloy – ©2020 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The eight-car Richoz Collection was 100% sold at RM Sotheby’s European Summer Auction, where the star attraction was a one-of-60 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Alloy at €1,430,000 (est. €1.7-1.9m). The collection’s 1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona went for €434,500 (est. €400-500k), and the 1977 Le Mans class-winning Inaltera LM GTP brought €374,000 (est. €450-550k).

Ferrari 550 GT1- Remi Dargegen ©2020 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The cancellation of August’s Monterey Car Week in the US forced the Big Three (RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams and Gooding & Co) to shift their sales to timed and live online platforms. Understandably, their catalogues were significantly down on last year, when the entries totalled some $385m. Bragging rights went to RM Sotheby’s who set a new world record for the highest price achieved at an online-only sale; the 2004 FIA GT Championship-winning Ferrari 550 GT1 taking $4,290,000 (est. $3.85-4.85m).

Porsche MOMO 356 RSR Outlaw by Emory – Drew Phillips ©2020 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

RM also found a new home for a unique 1960 Porsche MOMO 356 RSR Outlaw, the result of a collaboration between MOMO and Emory Motorsports, which smashed its $450-650k guide, selling for $858,000. An ex-Bob Holbert 1959 Porsche 718 RSK wound up as the top seller over at Bonhams, making $2,232,500 (estimate $2.8-3.2m). Meanwhile Gooding & Company’s six-carb 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB briefly held the record for the most expensive car sold at an online auction when it realised a mid-estimate $3,080,000.

Bugatti Type 59 Sports – © Glenmarch

Gooding’s eagerly awaited Passion of a Lifetime sale played out to a select audience of in-room bidders at Hampton Court Palace in September, with all but one of the 15 cars from the single-owner collection changing hands and generating an impressive £34 million sale total. The catalogue cover star, an ex-King Leopold III of Belgium 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports with outstanding provenance and competition history, set a new world auction record for the marque, selling for £9,535,000. Other highlights included the ex-Earl Howe 1937 Bugatti Type 57 S Atalante at £7,855,000, and a dry-sump 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV, finished in Oro Metallizzato, which attracted spirited bidding, finally hammered away for £3,207,000 (estimate £1.6-2m).

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport – © Bonhams

Bonhams returned to the Bonmont Golf and Country Club overlooking Lake Geneva for a sale of hypercars and classics in September. Held with the public in attendance for the first time since its pre-COVID Paris sale in February, a one-owner 693-km 2012 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super Sport topped the results, selling for a mid-estimate CHF1,840,000 to an in-room bidder. Even rarer still was a one-of-25 2007 Gemballa Mirage GT, listed at CHF600-800k, which raised CHF669,300 on the day.

Visit Glenmarch to view the full auction results and upcoming sales

TOP 20 RESULTS: JULY – SEPTEMBER 2020

CarEstimateResultAuction HouseLocationDate
Bugatti Type 59 SportsIn Excess of £10m£9,535,000Gooding & CompanyHampton Court, UKSeptember
Bugatti Type 57 S AtalanteIn Excess of £7m£7,855,000Gooding & CompanyHampton Court, UKSeptember
Bugatti Type 35 C Grand PrixIn Excess of £3m£3,935,000Gooding & CompanyHampton Court, UKSeptember
Ferrari 550 GT1 Prodrive$3.85-4.85m$4,290,000RM Sotheby’sOnline, USAAugust
Lamborghini Miura SV Speciale£1.6-2m£3,207,000Gooding & CompanyHampton Court, UKSeptember
Aston Martin DB3S£3-4m£3,011,000Gooding & CompanyHampton Court, UKSeptember
Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Long Nose$2.75-3.25m$3,080,000Gooding & CompanyOnline, USAAugust
Lamborghini Miura SV£1.8-2.4m£1,912,500Silverstone AuctionsOnline, UKJuly
Ferrari Enzo$2.2-2.6m$2,354,000Gooding & CompanyOnline, USAAugust
Porsche 718 RSK$2.8-3.2m$2,232,500BonhamsLos Angeles, USAAugust
Ferrari F50$2.2-2.6m$2,134,000Gooding & CompanyOnline, USAAugust
Aston Martin Ulster£1.6-2.2m£1,583,000Gooding & CompanyHampton Court, UKSeptember
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Super SportCHF1.6-2.1mCHF1,840,000BonhamsChéserex, SwitzerlandSeptember
Ferrari 275 GTB$1.8-2m$1,980,000RM Sotheby’sOnline, USAAugust
Pagani Huayra$1.8-2m$1,848,000RM Sotheby’sOnline, USAAugust
Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse$1.8-2.1$1,750,000BonhamsLos Angeles, USAAugust
Ferrari 275 GTB Alloy€1.7-1.9m€ 1,430,000RM Sotheby’sOnline, UKJuly
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing€1.2-1.4m€ 1,416,000ArtcurialMonacoJuly
Vauxhall 30/98 OE-Type Wensum£800k-1.2m£1,247,000Gooding & CompanyHampton Court, UKSeptember
Ferrari F40$1.25-1.5$1,628,000Gooding & CompanyOnline, USAAugust