Amelia Island, March 14, 2010
RM Auctions, the official auction house of the Amelia Island
Concours d’Elegance, continued its strong track record in Florida
this weekend, posting in excess of $19 million in total sales with
an impressive 88% sell-through at its 12th annual Automobiles of
Amelia Island event.
Returning to the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Hotel, the single-day
sale saw 112 cars cross the block before a packed house, with
four cars breaking the magic million dollar mark and 15 lots
exceeding their pre-sale estimates. The sale once again acted as
a prelude to Sunday’s world-famous Amelia Island Concours
d’Elegance, where RM President and Chief Operating Officer, Ian
Kelleher, returned as a judge and RM presented two awards: The
RM Restorations Award for the Best Unrestored Car, and The RM
Auctions Trophy for the Best Open Car.
“Simply put, RM Auctions enjoyed unqualified success at this
year’s Amelia Island sale,” said Ian Kelleher, President and Chief
Operating Officer, RM Auctions.
“World record prices, standing room only attendance and the
most outstanding line-up of cars every offered at Amelia Island,
solidified RM’s dominance and long-term standing as the official
auction house of the concours weekend. Clients walked away
from the auction with a great feeling of confidence as many cars
met pre-sale estimates with a number exceeding expectations,
illustrating RM’s expertise in the collector car market,” he added.
The top-seller was a supremely elegant 1930 Duesenberg Model
J Sport Berline from the estate of noted American collector, the
late Mr. John O’Quinn. One of 54 examples offered from the
collection at this weekend’s sale, the stunning ‘Whittell Mistress
Car’ attracted strong interest on the block, exceeding its pre-sale
estimate and selling for an impressive $1,705,000. A second
Model J Duesenberg from the collection – a majestic and
beautifully restored 1932 Convertible Coupe – realized a final sale
price of $825,000.
Other highlights from the O’Quinn Collection included a stunning
1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL “Gullwing” Coupe, finished in
graphite grey with red leather interior for $687,500, and a
handsome 1935 Auburn 851SC Speedster for $418,000.
Illustrating Mr. O’Quinn’s diverse collecting interests, a unique
1964 Pontiac Bonneville “Hank Williams Jr.” Custom
Convertible, built as a promotional vehicle for Hank Williams Jr.
by Nudie Cohn, the famed ‘Rodeo Tailor to the Stars,’ attracted
spirited bidding to sell for $225,500. An additional 130 examples
from the O’Quinn Collection are slated to cross the block later
this month at RM’s annual Collector Cars of Fort Lauderdale sale,
March 26th – 28th.
Beyond the O’Quinn Collection, RM’s Amelia Island top-seller’s
list was dominated by a range of historic Ferraris, continuing the
company’s reputation as the leader in the presentation of vintage
Ferraris at auction. A striking and multi-award winning Fly Yellow
1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta, currently featured in Forza
Magazine, was another example to well-exceed its pre-sale
estimate, selling for $1,650,000, while a superb, alloy-bodied
Four-Cam from the same year, finished in Nocciola and offered
for the first time in 30 years, brought $1,265,000. Rounding out
the million-dollar-plus sales, a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona
Spyder, certified by Ferrari Classiche and formerly owned by
Edsel B. Ford II, achieved $1,017,500.
RM also provided its auction expertise for the offering of a 1961
Austin-Healey "Sebring Sprite" Vintage Racing Car, donated
to the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance Foundation by long-
term supporter and collector Peter McLaughlin, which brought
$44,000; and a VIP Weekend at the 2010 Santander British
Grand Prix, graciously donated by Daytona 24 Hour winner and
GP Driver, Jackie Oliver, which sold for $6,000. Proceeds from
both lots benefited the Concours’ Foundation.
“The strong results from RM’s first two sales of the year provide a
positive forecast for the collector car market as we look ahead to
the traditionally busy spring and summer auction seasons,” added
Kelleher.
In addition to RM’s annual Meadow Brook and Monterey sales
this summer, the company will host two additional sales in June
2010. The first will offer a private collection from the Pate Museum
of Transportation near Fort Worth, Texas in early June, closely
followed by another private collection sale in Southern California
later in the month.
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