London 2024 Auction by RM Sotheby's
RM Sotheby’s will hold their annual London Auction in a matter of weeks and officially start the countdown until Scottsdale 2025. Plenty of impressive classic and collector cars will be on offer but we want to take a closer look a few in particular, including one very special Jaguar.
This is a very limited production variant of the original NSX and is justifiably listed with an estimate well above what a standard 1994 Honda NSX would be expected to cost. The NSX-R was built exclusively for the Japanese domestic market and only 483 examples were produced.
It benefits from weight reductions that save around 120 kg compared to the base NSX and is powered by a 3.0L V6 engine that generates 280 horsepower. The reduced weight allowed the NSX-R to go from 0 to 60 mph in just over five seconds, while a stiffer suspension improved handling characteristics.
It presents well in the factory-correct Charlotte Pearl Green with a black Alcantara interior and features the optional seven-spoke custom order wheels finished in Championship White. The roof is finished in the same Charlotte Pearl Green, rather than the default black as seen on the regular NSX.
This example was imported to the UK in 1998 and includes an owner’s manual and history file that goes back to its early years in Japan. It also features a tool kit, jack, tyre inflator, and spare wheel.
Although we would argue that the supercar was really invented by Lamborghini with the introduction of the Miura, if we had to pick another pivotal moment in the history of the automotive world as the introduction of the supercar concept, there are worse selections than the 300 SL Gullwing.
Aside from the now-iconic, or dare we say legendary Gullwing doors that created the sleek profile of the 300 SL, this was the fastest production car on the market when it was new. What sets this specific example, chassis 198.040.4500012, apart from other early production Gullwings is that it’s documented as a show car that was displayed at the International Motor Exhibition held in London in 1954.
Motor racing legend Rob Walker ended up buying this very car from the display at the auto show. However, the car was not to be delivered to Walker as it spun into a tree after a team of engineers from Mercedes-Benz took it out for a shakedown. The car was returned to Germany where it was repaired and eventually registered as a demo car for Mercedes-Benz GB.
In August of 1956 Charles Gardner became the first private owner of the car and he would keep it for almost 20 years before transferring ownership to his daughter who kept the car in France. Eventually, in October of 2000 the car returned to the UK in the ownership of Charles Gardner’s son and it remained in the Gardner family ever since.
As remarkable as it is to have such a long chain of ownership by one family, this car also benefits from a body-off restoration that lasted from 2005 through 2010. It wears its factory-correct color combination and is equipped with Rudge wheels. A very thorough history file is included with the car that proves it to be a matching-numbers example.
Although the estimate from RM Sotheby’s is quite high for any other 300 SL, aside from an alloy-bodied example, it’s very possible and indeed likely that the right bidders will find this car and be willing to spend what it takes to own this remarkable piece of Mercedes-Benz history.
The Ferrari Dino 246 GTS represents the ultimate version of the Dino GTS and has been increasing in collectibility as well as value at a fairly steady pace in the past several years. The example being offered by RM Sotheby’s in London is one of only eight to be built as right-hand drive cars and equipped with Daytona-style seats.
This car has a well-documented history and has only had three owners since it was new, having covered only 25,763 miles in its life. It’s equipped with a matching-numbers engine and gearbox and includes manuals, a jack, spare wheel, tool kit, and plenty of invoices as well as a Massini report.
It presents nicely in the factory-correct Rosso Dino over a Nero interior. Considering the rarity of this right-hand drive example along with the originality and extremely well-documented history, the auction company’s estimate of $430,000 – $500,000 seems right in line with the market for these. We expect it to sell for at least $415,000 when it his the auction block.
We previously looked at the 1957 Jaguar XKSS that will be offered for sale by RM Sotheby’s at their London Auction but it’s worth another look. This will actually be the first XKSS to ever be offered at auction in Europe and remarkably retains its matching-numbers chassis, sub-frame, and body. It also retains its original cylinder head, even as it was upgraded from a 3.4L to a 3.8L configuration by the Jaguar factory in 1960.
It includes many spare parts and is being offered from a period of about seven years of ownership by the consignor. While the D-Type is as significant a race car as there can be, the XKSS is everything the D-Type could have been if it wasn’t limited to track-only usage. It’s unsurprising to see the estimate from RM Sotheby’s at $12,000,000 to $14,500,000. It’s difficult to say if bidding will reach quite that high, considering that’s more than one would expect an actual D-Type to cost at auction, but for the collectors who can afford this car the premium may be worth it to own such a unique piece of Jaguar history.