RM held their 13th Arizona auction at the beautiful Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa on January 19 and 20, 2012. This well-established auction presented a magnificent roster of 140 blue-chip motor cars that spanned the spectrum of the collector car market before a standing-room-only crowd. RM’s global clientele included bidders from 21 countries around the world, with a strong showing of European enthusiasts.
Although the majority cars that RM brought to Scottsdale were out of our price range, we still love going because it may be the only opportunity to see some of these rare and historic beasts before they go into a collection for only a few to enjoy. RM is also a class act when it comes to offering cars of this caliber; no crowds of people surrounding the stage or pressure from staff to increase your bid. We would say it’s an environment of civilized excitement for serious car collectors and enthusiasts.
Ferraris took the lead with the top seller for the two day event being a 1957 Ferrari 410 Superamerica Scaglietti Coupe, the only example of the thirty-four 410 Superamericas to have been bodied new by Scaglietti. It was the first new Ferrari road car to be bodied by the esteemed coachbuilder and it sold for a strong $1,815,000 to great applause from the crowd.
Cementing RM’s position as a leader in the presentation of important and historic Ferraris at auction, the sale presented no less than 10 examples from the Modenese prancing horse. A 1991 Ferrari F40 Berlinetta, with less than 300 miles and originally delivered new to famed auto executive Lee Iacocca, spurred a lively bidding war in the room, achieving a record price of $781,000, while a desirable 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder, offered for the first time in 23 years, brought $990,000. A multi-award-winning 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta, realized $979,000.
Additional sale highlights included a beautifully restored 1959 BMW 507 Roadster for $990,000 and a low-mileage 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra Roadster for $880,000.
Amongst these high priced beauties, RM also offered cars that would attract a variety of tastes. Some of those include:
- 1954 Jaguar XK120 Drophead Coupe - $60,500
- 1952 Studebaker 2R5 1/2-Ton Pickup Truck - $24,750
- 1955 Lincoln Capri Convertible - $46,750
- 1950 Hudson Commodore Convertible - $44,000
- 2001 Ford F-150 Lightning Rod Concept - $46,200
- 1950 Mercury Custom "Tradition" - $74,250
Our favorite of the auction under the “great buy” category was the 1950 Jaguar Mark V Landaulette for $57,750. The car had a complete body-off-frame, photo-documented restoration in 2002 which resulted in the Best Saloon award at the 2003 West Palm Beach Concours d’Elegance.
This car retained all the style and elegance for the discerning Jaguar owner, but because it began life as a right-hand drive, home-market Mark V saloon and then at some point it had been converted to the Landaulette body style characterized by a fixed roof above the driver and a retractable top above the passengers, the price didn’t reflect what an original restoration would have. But we loved the unique feature of the Landaulette along with the cream and white exterior color combination.
Our favorite “historic car” at the RM auction was the “The Queen Mary,” the ex-Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower 1938 Cadillac V-16 Presidential Convertible Parade Limousine that sold for slightly under its estimate at $269,500. This was one of two limousines that were leased by Cadillac to the U.S. government through 1956 as part of the White House fleet to carry Secret Service agents or directly chauffeur the Presidents. The one sold at RM was nicknamed the “Queen Mary” and the other “Queen Elizabeth,” as a lighthearted reference to the large cruise ships of the same name.
Overall, the sale totaled more than $25.5 million and achieved an 89 percent sell-through rate. Full sale results are available on RM’s website.
Suggested Reading:
Suggested Reading:
Barrett-Jackson's 2012 Scottsdale Auction Review
Gooding & Company's 2012 Scottsdale Auction Review
Bonhams First Scottsdale Sale Review
Russo and Steele - Scottsdale 2012 Highlights
