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Another
surprise
also
occurred
on
19th
February
when
provincial
UK
auctioneers
H&H
offered
a
nicely
restored
early
Mercedes-Benz
300SL
Roadster
which
set
a
recent
auction
record
at
£160,000.
There
seems
to
be
no
obvious
reason
for
this,
and
300SLs
have
certainly
not
almost
doubled
in
price
overnight.
22nd
February
saw
RM
offering
a
colossal
Lincoln
collection
(400
in
all)
ranging
in
value
from
less
than
$100
upwards.
If
you
ever
fancied
owning
a
four-door
Continental
convertible
like
John
F.
Kennedy's,
this
was
the
place
to
be
and
there
seem
to
have
been
plenty
of
bargains
as
everything
was
offered
without
reserve.
Two days
later
Bonhams
held
one
of
their
regular
sales
at
Hendon's
RAF
museum,
mostly
everyday
fare
highlighted
by
a
shiny
red
Ferrari
Lusso
converted
to
4
litre
specification
which
sold
for
£91,700
-
good
value
compared
to
its
sister
Ferrari
250
SWB.
 |
|
Coys
at
Islington
Business
Centre
|
Coys
of
Kensington
were
in
action
in
London
on
3rd
March
in
Islington,
also
with
a
fairly
pedestrian
selection
which
at
least
pays
the
bills.
A
1991
Alfa
Romeo
SZ
was
a
lot
of
car
for
£15,000
although
I
rather
liked
the
Facel
Vega
HK
500
at
£22,500.
The
Ferrari
Daytona
also
seemed
good
value
at
£53,000
-
when
will
they
ever
recover?
Despite
a
torrential
downpour
which
almost
rained
off
the
Concours
d'Elégance,
RM
fared
reasonably
well
at
Amelia
Island
in
Florida
on
8th
March.
RM's
own
Ferrari
LWB
California
Spyder
again
failed
to
sell,
but
their
400
Superamerica
was
announced
as
sold
at
$341,000
although
rumour
has
it
that
this
car
is
the
subject
of
some
post
auction…."discussion".
The
Ferrari
F40
at
$308,000
reminds
us
what
a
significant
premium
US
specification
examples
of
recent
supercars
can
command
(even
if
many
owners
are
prouder
of
telling
you
how
few
miles
their
F40
has
covered
rather
than
how
fast
they
have
driven
it).
|
The Touring-bodied
Maserati
5000
GT
offered
at
Amelia
Island
was
my
car
of
the
sale,
a
stunning
creation
restored
to
perfection
and,
in
my
opinion
at
least,
worth
every
cent
of
the
$495,000
paid
by
a
smart
US
collector.
Despite
recent
'big
number'
transactions
on
similar
cars,
RM's
Mercedes-Benz
500K
Special
Roadster
did
not
sell
at
just
over
$2
million,
but
then
again
this
was
an
early
version
with
low
doors
and
short
tail
-
not
the
version
collectors
want.
As
they
say,
the
devil
is
in
the
detail.
Other
recent
news:
effectively
a
brand
new
GT40
was
sold
by
Christie's
in
London
on
24th
March
for
£192,250
(will
it
be
eligible
for
anything?)
and
sales
were
lacklustre
at
Artcurial
on
31st
March
and
H&H
on
9th
April,
where
the
quality
of
cars
offered
and
the
sale
rate
seem
to
have
been
low.
US colossus
Barrett-Jackson
held
another
of
their
marathon
events
in
West
Palm
Beach,
Florida,
on
11th
April
(the
part
of
town
better
known
for
drive-by
shootings
than
designer
boutiques),
where
the
sale
rate
appears
to
have
been
pretty
good.
If
it's
stylish
presentation
you
are
after
then
try
the
European
auction
houses,
but
if
you
are
not
fussed
and
just
want
a
quick
sale
(or
purchase),
visit
a
Barrett-Jackson
auction;
it's
worth
it
for
the
entertainment
value
alone.
Finally,
Coys
of
Kensington
were
back
at
their
Islington
venue
on
26th
April
with
the
usual
array
of
mostly
road
cars
and
moderns.
The
sale
rate
appears
to
have
been
good,
including
£21,500
for
an
Alfa
Romeo
Giulietta
SS,
£64,500
for
a
Lagonda
M45
Le
Mans
replica,
a
lowly
£28,000
for
the
alloy
bodied
Lamborghini
350GT
(but
I
did
not
see
the
car)
and
£45,000
for
a
rather
nasty
looking
Lamborghini
Miura
S
(I
remember
breaking
down
in
it
years
ago
in
a
cloud
of
steam).
Oh -
I
almost
forgot
-
Bonhams
had
a
sale
in
Geneva
on
10th
March
and
that
was
not
half
bad
either…
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