Artcurial’s €12.2m 2018 Le Mans Classic sale

11th July 2018

The figures are in. Despite the 1971 Le Mans Ferrari ‘Daytona’ failing once again to cross the finishing line, the Parisian house still posted some of its best-ever numbers at the biennial Le Mans Classic.

As we reported live from the event, the sale was dominated by the colossal $3.6m equivalent achieved for the one-owner 300 SL Roadster. The entries were a cut above those we’ve seen at the same event in previous years, but a subdued saleroom clearly didn’t warm to them: 57% of the catalogue was sold by number, versus 60% in 2016, 81% in 2014 and 87% in 2012.

The €12.2m gross was a touch under the record €12.34m recorded in 2014.

At a glance:

* Gross: €12,200,776 (2016, €8,575,656)
* Percentage sold by number: 57% (2017, 60%)
* Top-selling car: 1963 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, €3,071,200 gross, €2,710,000 net (est. €1.5m to €2m)
* Well sold? No question, the one-owner, low-mileage 300 SL Roadster with alloy block and disc brakes. It even had its original Mercedes-Benz wooden crate, containing the soft top that has never been removed from the box
* Well bought? Hard to call, but we’ll go for the very original 300 SL 'Gullwing', a European matching-numbers car in its attractive original combination of DB50 (Weiss) with 953 (Schwartz) leather interior. €986k all-in works out at $1.15m, enough there for a $400k fighting fund to bring it back to life and still break even

None of the 1973 Porsche Carrera RSs sold, nor did the Ferrari 308 GTB Gp B Michelotto rally car or the 1993 Porsche 964 3.8 RSR. Apart from the 300 SL Roadster, only two cars beat top estimate.

Although selling mainly below low estimate, the collection of modern, limited-edition Mercedes added a handy €1.26m to the gross.

So, a mixed day for Matthieu Lamoure’s likeable team and an interesting prologue to Bonhams’ Goodwood Festival blockbuster and one of the most dramatic Monterey Weeks in recent years.

Artcurial at the Le Mans Classic, 7 July 2018 – Results (2016)

Total gross cars: €12,200,776 (€8,575,656)
Number of cars not sold: 48 (46)
Number of cars withdrawn: 2 (0)
Total number of cars: 109 (115)
Number sold: 61 (69)
Percentage cars sold by number: 56% (60%)
Percentage by value average low/high estimate: 34% (34%)
Percentage of cars sold below low estimate: 62% (51%)
Percentage of cars sold not met avge of estimates: 82% (80%)
Percentage of cars sold met/exceeded top estimate: 5% (10%)
Average year of cars offered: 1980 (1972)
Average price of cars sold: €200,013 (€124,285)
Number of cars offered at No Reserve: 40 (n/a)
Percentage of cars offered at No Reserve: 37% (n/a)

Photos by K500