There’s no shortage of classic car concours or their accompanying auctions on the calendar each year, but few can compete with the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este for the sheer beauty of the vehicles displayed… and changing hands. And this year’s event was no exception, with RM Sotheby’s setting several new records.
Though some pre-war French classics fetched the highest prices, the one we were most keenly watching was this vintage Porsche 911.
Though it may look a little battered, this very rare ’93 Carrera RSR 3.8 is actually brand-spanking-new. That discoloration you see on the bodywork is actually a film originally applied at the factory to protect it in transit, and it was never removed. One of only 51 made, this example was special-ordered with a full red leather interior, and with just six miles on the odometer, it sold for an astounding €2,016,000 – equivalent to over $2.25 million, setting a new record for the 964 model.
The Porsche wasn’t even the top lot of the day, though. That 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C went for €3,360,000 ($3.76m), and the Bugatti Type 57 Atalante prototype for €3,024,000 ($3.8m) – the latter setting a record of its own for non-S models.
Eight vehicles broke into seven digits, including a 1965 Ferrari 275 GTS (€1.8m), a Weissach-kitted 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder (€1.5m), a ’64 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso (€1.4m), a ’48 Talbot-Lago T26 (€1.1m), and a 1990 Ferrari F40 (€1m). Other notable lots included an early 1975 Lamborghini Countach LP400 (€817k), a 2016 Porsche 911 R (€358k), an ’85 Lancia Delta S4 Stradale (€492k), and a pair of late-’80s Aston Martin V8 Vantage Zagatos – coupe and convertible – that brought in €380k and €459k, respectively.
All told, the auction saw over €25 million in sales. Noticeably missing from the auction results, however, were a concours-winning 1928 Mercedes 680 S Torpedo, a 2016 McLaren P1 GTR, a 2014 LaFerrari, a 2004 Ferrari Enzo, and a 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1950 – each of which was expected to sell for millions, but evidently failed to reach their reserve prices and therefor remain in their consigning owners’ hands.