RM Auctions Starts With €33 Million Record Result in Monaco (109-144)

Monaco, May 2, 2010

RM Auctions’ inaugural Sporting Classics of Monaco event held at the Grimaldi Forum on 1st May was a resounding success, achieving €33,235,917* ($45,101,139) in total sales and matching the highest dollar single-day collector car auction in history, also produced by RM**. The 86 per cent sell through rate saw 88 of the 105 pre- and post-war motor cars changing hands, with five automobiles fetching prices in excess of €2,000,000, along with setting two new world records.

The event’s top seller was a rare 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina SWB, s/n 3309 SA, achieving a new world record for a Superamerica when it sold for €2,800,000 ($3,799,600) and well exceeding its high estimate of €2,450,000.

“RM’s inaugural Monaco sale has set a new standard for collector car auctions not only for the high quality of cars, but also for its impeccable presentation and client experience. Two world record prices, and seven lots achieving in excess of one million euro, aptly illustrate this achievement,” said Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Europe. “Our Monaco sales results underscore RM’s undisputed leadership position in the investment-grade segment of the collector car market.”

Additional star lots surpassing the two million euro mark include:

·	a hugely desireable 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta, s/n

3401 GT, selling for €2,632,000 ($3,571,624);

·	a rare 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 ‘Birdcage’, s/n 2470, setting a

new world record for a Birdcage at €2,464,000 ($3,343,648);

·	the ex-Harrah 1957 Ferrari 250 GT LWB Tour de France, s/n

0925 GT, bringing €2,352,000 ($3,191,664); and,

·	a beautiful 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder, s/n

1253 GT, fetching €2,072,000 ($2,811,704)

The impressive results of RM’s Sporting Classics of Monaco event were generated by the registered bidders from 33 different countries on the telephone, over the Internet and assembled in the standing-room-only venue. RM welcomed a number of first-time clients to its Monaco debut with new bidders representing 28 per cent of all registrations. In addition, approximately 3,300 people watched the live streaming video coverage of the sale over the Internet.

Other notable auction results include:

·	a stunning 1938 Delahaye 135 MS Competition Cabriolet,

s/n 49197, selling for €1,792,000 ($2,431,744)

·	a significant 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II “Special Town

Car” by Brewster, s/n 218 AMS, achieving €1,456,000 ($1,975,792)

·	a rare alloy-bodied 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB/6C Berlinetta, s/n

07933 , selling for €784,000 ($1,063,888)

·	a fully-restored 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta, s/n 10045,

selling for €767,200 ($1,041,090)

·	a matching-numbers 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Zagato

Spider, s/n 8513064 , fetching €879,200 ($1,193,074)

·	a historic 1963 Shelby 289 Cobra Roadster Le Mans Racing

Car, s/n CSX 2136, bringing €744,800 ($1,010,694)

·	the well-known 1934 Rolls-Royce 40/50 hp Phantom II All

Weather Cabriolet, s/n 188PY, celebrated as the ‘Star of India’, reaching €644,000 ($873,908)

·	a superb 1950 Aston Martin DB2 Vantage Saloon, s/n

LML/50/19, achieving €291,200 ($395,158) in a bidders’ war; more than €100,000 over its high estimate of €175,000

The sale’s cover car, the 1937 BMW 328 MM ‘Buegelfalte’, s/n 85032, considered one of the world’s most significant pre-war sports racing cars, exchanged hands within less than 24 hours of the sale’s conclusion for a confidential sum and is not included in the final sale results. However, the Buegelfalte had reached a high bid of €4,300,000 ($5,835,100) and its addition to the final auction results produce the most successful collector auction in history.

The exchange rate used at the time of the sale: 1 EURO = 1.357 USD