$9.465m Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta tops Gooding’s final day at Amelia Island

It was another successful day for the Santa Monica firm in Florida. The sell-through-by-number of at least 90% matched yesterday’s figure, and all the big guns – other than the Miura P400 S – fired on the day. While top billing deservedly went to the gorgeous 1950s Ferrari, nearly as much excitement was generated by the ultra-low-mileage RUF CTR ‘Yellowbird’ that found a buyer at just over $6m all-in.

After accepting an opening bid of $6,150,000 for the headlining Ferrari, Charlie Ross took it in $100k stages before a final fight to the finish between a buyer’s representative in the room and a telephone bidder. The latter won the car and it was hammered sold at $8,600,000. Next stop, we hope, will be a return to as-ordered blue with a black roof and an entry at Pebble Beach, where it would surely be a contender for Best of Show.

The yellow RUF CTR (pictured, top) was estimated at $6m but once bidding on it hit $5.5m Ross announced the car was selling and that proved to be the final bid. A short while later, a blue RUF CTR2 achieved $2,645,000, almost matching its upper estimate.

At a glance (Friday 7 March, provisional)

* Gross, motor cars: $48,361,781
* Percentage sold by number: 90%
* Top-selling car: 1955 Ferrari 375 MM Berlinetta $9,465,000 gross, $8,600,000 net (est. $8m to $10m)    
* Well sold? Like many others on offer, it was a good car, but $951,000 with premium paid for the 1969 Ferrari 365 GTC takes us back to the sort of figures posted eight or nine years ago at the height of the market.      
* Well bought? We liked yesterday’s early E-type 3.8-Litre FHC. Another one was bought well today, the cream 1963 3.8-Litre Roadster that went to the US trade for $148,400. Est. $225k to $275k

Significant non-sellers included the superb, but maybe a price too far, Miura, the 1967 Ferrari 330 GTS that has been on the market since Pebble Beach last year and the magnificent 1931 Bentley Eight Litre Sports Tourer, probably not too optimistically estimated at $1.5m to $2m.

Much pre-sale hype surrounded the two AMG Mercedes (above), both given guide prices in the mid-$1ms. In the end, they were sold for far less than this: $665,000 for the 1989 300 CE 6.0 ‘Hammer’ and $753,000 for the 1988 300 E 6.0 ‘Hammer’. The latter had been bought for €84,000 plus VAT and taxes at an auction in Milan in 2016, but has been traded and restored since.  

Other results of note (all prices gross):

* 1963 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Series II Coupe Aerodinamico, $2,535,000 (below). Proof that these cars still have their admirers and do sell, albeit not at the level of interest seen in the past.

* 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort, $2,205,000. On the money for a Graphite Metallic car with history in Brunei.
* 1958 Lancia Aurelia B24S Cabriolet, $390,000. Not a more desirable Spider America, note. Strong figure for an underrated Cabriolet.
* 1959 Porsche 356 A 1600 GS Carrera Deluxe Coupé, $401,000. One of the many Porsches on offer and despite coming from an increasingly finicky sector, still sold pretty well. Original engine a big plus.
* 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/435 Coupe, $103,600. Contender for ‘buy of the day’. Fabulous preservation class ‘big block’ with period drag-racing history in the hands of its Vietnam vet owner.
* 1965 Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ, $1,160,000. Very good, genuine car well bought.

It was a good day for Gooding, with a strong sell-through achieved at the expense of prices: working on provisional figures we believe at least three-quarters sold below lower estimate.

When Gooding released the final figures including post-sales, the combined gross for two days totalled $67,427,210 (2024, $67,342,270) at 93% sold by number. Last year that figure was 87%.

Photos by K500