8 classic cars top the $-Million-mark at 2021 Arizona auction
Top-selling Jaguar D-Type with racing provenance sold for $6-million (US)
Published: January 28, 2021, 8:15 AM
Updated: October 11, 2021, 8:58 AM
Diminished 2021 auction scene still generates big sales
While the traditional Arizona auction scene was scaled back in January 2021, with cancellation and postponement of some events, RM Sotheby’s combined live-and-online auction fielded some top cars that earned big prices, including eight $-million-plus sellers.
(Photo Credit: Patrick Ernzen © 2020 RM Sothebys)
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1955 Jaguar D-Type – $6,000,000 (US)
The top-selling price from all the auctions was $6,000,000 (US) paid for this voluptuous 1955 Jaguar D-Type, one of only about 60 such cars ever completed and one of fewer than a handful that was finished new in scarlet red.
(Photo Credit: Patrick Ernzen © 2020 RM Sothebys)
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1955 Jaguar D-Type – $6,000,000 (US)
With a well-documented history that includes a racing provenance, this car’s list of prior owners includes Led Zeppelin band manager Peter Grant. But it’s the car’s gorgeous form, predictive of the later E-Type, that is its major attraction.
(Photo Credit: Patrick Ernzen © 2020 RM Sothebys)
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1937 Bugatti Type 57 SC Tourer by Corsica – $4,735,000 (US)
The second-highest price of auction week went for this very rare 1937 Bugatti Type 57 SC Tourer, which is a Pebble Beach Concours veteran that retains its original chassis, engine, gearbox, differential, and Corsica body.
(Photo Credit: Patrick Ernzen © 2020 RM Sotheby's)
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1937 Bugatti Type 57 SC Tourer by Corsica – $4,735,000 (US)
This car is one of only 16 Type 57S Bugattis delivered with open coachwork and just eight Type 57S models bodied by English coachbuilder Corsica. The purchase price was below its low-end estimate making it a genuine bargain buy!
(Photo Credit: Patrick Ernzen © 2020 RM Sotheby's)
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2020 McLaren Speedtail – $3,277,500 (US)
This 2020 McLaren Speedtail hardly fits the usual definition of a classic but it was not only a part of the auction, it scored the third-highest sale price of any car there, at $3,277,500 (US).
(Photo Credit: Ted Seven aka Ted7© 2020 RM Sotheby's)
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2020 McLaren Speedtail – $3,277,500 (US)
With an as-new price of about $2-million (US), this 1,000+ hp hybrid Speedtail, said to be the fastest McLaren model ever, was fitted with over $170,000 in options. It was the 36th of only 106 of the dramatically elongated models produced.
(Photo Credit: Ted Seven aka Ted7© 2020 RM Sotheby's)
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1954 Ferrari 375 America Coupe by Vignale – $2,557,000 (US)
It’s common to see a Ferrari at the very top of the price charts, but the most valuable Ferrari collector cars have been in short supply at auctions for the past year, opening the door for some lesser-known models to come to the fore. This 1954 Ferrari 375 America Coupe by Vignale was the top-selling Ferrari at $2,557,000 (US).
(Photo Credit: Darin Schnabel © 2020 RM Sothebys)
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1954 Ferrari 375 America Coupe by Vignale – $2,557,000 (US)
Only 11 Ferrari 375 America Coupes and one Cabriolet were built, each wearing hand-crafted coachwork, mostly by Pinin Farina. Three 375 America Coupe chassis, including this one, were bodied by Turin’s Carrozzeria Vignale, making it among the rarest of the rare.
(Photo Credit: Darin Schnabel © 2020 RM Sothebys)
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1956 Ferrari 250 GT Alloy Coupe by Boano – $1,352,500 (US)
During the 1954-56 period, Carrozzeria Boano was commissioned to build around 80 Ferrari 250 GTs that varied from the primary Pinin Farina design. Of those, 14 of the so-called “low roof” coupes, including this one, were executed by Boano in lightweight aluminum alloy.
(Photo Credit: Darin Schnabel © 2020 RM Sothebys)
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1956 Ferrari 250 GT Alloy Coupe by Boano – $1,352,500 (US)
This “low roof” 250 GT coupe, which sold for $1,352,500 (US), has a credible competition history, having been owned and raced by the Le Mans winning American driver, Bob Grossman.
(Photo Credit: Darin Schnabel © 2020 RM Sothebys)
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1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster – $1,066,500 (US)
While the “gullwing” coupes seem to get all the attention, the roadster versions of Mercedes-Benz’s technically-advanced 300 SL line are also highly desirable, as evidenced by this car’s $1,066,500 (US) sale price.
(Photo Credit: Karissa Hosek ©2020 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's)
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1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster – $1,066,500 (US)
Both 300 SL variants share an obvious resemblance, but the Roadster, of which 1,858 were built, is both more practical, given its easier access and egress, and more technically advanced with a higher-performance standard engine and a revised rear suspension system.
(Photo Credit: Karissa Hosek ©2020 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's)
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2019 McLaren Senna – $1,044,000 (US)
Yet another McLaren joined the million-dollar club in Arizona in the form of this 2019 McLaren Senna, named after the late Ayrton Senna, who won three Formula 1 World Championships with McLaren between 1988 and 1993. It sold for $1,044,000 (US).
(Photo Credit: Jessica Lynn Walker ©2020 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's)
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2019 McLaren Senna – $1,044,000 (US)
This McLaren Senna is the 95th of 500 produced and is and it features Visual Carbon Fiber bodywork, as well as exposed carbon fiber trim on the interior. It had fewer than 500 miles on the odometer when sold.
(Photo Credit: Jessica Lynn Walker ©2020 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's)
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1932 Cadillac V-16 Convertible Coupe – $1,022,500 (US)
While American Grand Classics used to be consistently among the highest-priced auction sellers, this 1932 Cadillac V-16 Convertible Coupe was the only one to crack the million-dollar barrier in Arizona this January, selling for $1,022,500 (US).
(Photo Credit: © 2020 RM Sotheby's)
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1932 Cadillac V-16 Convertible Coupe – $1,022,500 (US)
This sporty Cadillac was one of just 14 Convertible Coupes built by Fisher on Cadillac’s 1932 V-16 chassis, only four of which are known to have survived. A former Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Best-in-Class winner, it was judged Most Elegant Cadillac at the 2018 Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance.
(Photo Credit: © 2020 RM Sotheby's)
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2019 Ford GT 'Lightweight' – $967,500 (US)
It didn’t quite make the million-dollar threshold, but it didn’t miss it by much and it’s just too spectacular to leave it out. So here’s a bonus pic of a 2019 Ford GT 'Lightweight' that sold for $967,500 (US).
(Photo Credit: Nathan Deremer ©2020 Courtesy of RM Sotheby's)
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