Leonard Collection of Modern Porsche sells for £7.5M (in 10 days)

Bidding closed on one among the most impressive of collections of recent Porsche road cars, breaking all sorts of records in the process.

Dubbed ‘The ultimate Porsche collection’ by many observers – was the result of one enthusiast who spent years sourcing the highest-quality examples, with a particular focus on rare Porsche ‘RS’ models.

The Leonard Collection auctions attracted more than 54,000 viewers over three hours of closing on the evening of 16 May, with winning bidders from the UK, mainland Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Watch the video introducing the collection, presented by Chris Harris of Top Gear fame.

Highlights among the results included the unique Porsche Carrera GT, with a winning bid of £765,500 (a new European auction record); an exceptionally rare right-hand drive 997 GT3 RS 4.0 with just 713 miles from new, which sold for £430,000; and an outstanding 911 Carrera 3.2 Club Sport, perfectly preserved with 6,416 miles, which saw the hammer fall at £220,000.

In total, the 38 vehicles in The Leonard Collection achieved £7.5 million in winning bids, equivalent to an average selling price of £197,368. With the buyer’s premium capped at £5,000, the average commission paid by the winners across all lots was just 2.7%.

The highest-grossing lot was the 2006 Porsche Carrera GT, finished in Fayence Yellow with a bespoke interior by Porsche’s Exclusive Manufaktur department, which was sold to another enthusiast in the UK. The buyer’s premium for the winner was equivalent to just 0.7%.

Another star car was the ex-Jay Kay 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS. A car that has graced our JBR Capital pages more than once as part of previous articles. One of just 11 examples known to have been finished in Aubergine from the factory, more than £115,000 had been invested in its restoration, and it sold to a new home for £430,000 – with a buyer’s premium equivalent to 1.2%.

Hosted online in a dedicated ‘Collection’ page to present all the lots as a group, viewing figures for The Leonard Collection broke all previous records on the platform, including notching up more than half a million page views across the 38 detailed listings. There was huge interest in the auction results, with some remarkable prices achieved. Immediate analysis from Hagerty noted that seven of the lots exceeded their Price Guide condition #1 ‘Concours’ values. Hagerty UK’s John Mayhead also summed up the mood of observers perfectly: “During the last few hours of the auction, a friend even excitedly texted me to ask if I was watching, something I’ve never experienced with an online sale before.”