The 2025 Paris auctions: Artcurial’s Saturday sale

Saturday is always a lower-key affair for auctions during Rétromobile week: the big-hitters have generally gone home and it’s a weekend of mostly local action. As part of a big catalogue of motorbikes and automobilia, home side Artcurial did, though, offer 14 lots headlined by a 1995 Bugatti EB110 GT.

The Bianco Monaco car was the sole example delivered in white, with only one owner from new and an acceptable 19,387km recorded. White might not be to everyone’s taste but this seemed a good car and also came with its original luggage. Estimated at €1.2m to €1.5m, it sold at a fair price for buyer and seller alike: €1,300,000 net, €1,492,000 gross. Say $1.6m on the day.

The other entry that went for big money on Saturday was another Bugatti, the 1930 Type 51 Works Grand Prix car (est. €1.7m to €2.3m). The car started out as a Type 35 and was converted to a 2,300cc Type 51 at Bugatti for factory racing in late-summer 1931. From then onwards it's had the usual complicated history, with a few “eithers’, “believeds” and “maybes” in the description. Nothing new for most racing Bugattis. This one has competed at the Monaco Historics as well as at Goodwood.

It sold for €1,350,000 net, €1,548,000 with premium and was probably well bought.

The official results for Artcurial’s two-day sale have now been published:

Artcurial in Paris, 7-8 February 2025 – results (2024)

Total gross cars: €20,200,080 (€15,843,200)
Number of cars not sold: 29 (36)
Number of cars withdrawn: 1 (2)
Total number of cars: 125 (129)
Number sold: 96 (93)
Percentage cars sold by number: 77% (72%)
Percentage by value average low/high estimate: 52% (26%)
Percentage of cars sold below low estimate: 60% (58%)
Number of cars sold not met avge of estimates: 77 (78)
Percentage of cars sold not met avge of estimates: 80% (84%)
Percentage of cars sold met/exceeded top estimate: 2% (8%)
Average value of cars sold: €210,418 (€170,357)
Average year of cars offered: 1966 (1971)
Percentage of cars offered at No Reserve: 44% (43%)

Photo by K500