London 2024 Results from RM Sotheby's
RM Sotheby’s held their 2024 London sale this past weekend and achieved an impressive average price of £344,613 per car. A total of 61 vehicles were offered for sale with 51 finding new homes making a solid 83% sell-through rate.
Total vehicles sales for RM Sotheby’s in London amounted to £17,575,275 with five lots sold in excess of $1,000,000.
It’s fitting to see a Ferrari F40 cross the auction block so soon after the announcement of the upcoming Ferrari F80. The example offered by RM Sotheby’s features a very well-documented ownership history and very thorough maintenance throughout its life.
It benefits from a major service that was completed in May of 2024 that included renewing the fuel cells, cam belts, spark plugs, and more. It also includes the ever desirable Ferrari Classiche Red Book, granted in 2016 that confirms it as a matching-numbers car.
This was well-bought by its new owner as the F40 is known to bring more than the roughly $2.5 million it cost at the 2024 London auction by RM Sotheby’s.
This 275 GTB is one of the rare short-nose variants built and presents nicely with a red exterior over a black leather interior, although it was originally finished in Rosso Cina. It’s a matching-numbers example and includes the Ferrari Classiche Red Book that was awarded in 2015.
It includes owner’s guides, a tool roll, a thorough history file, and a report from Ferrari expert Marcel Massini. Although this didn’t fetch the highest price for a 275 GTB, it still sold for a respectable £1,748,750 so we can’t really call this well-bought or well-sold, but both parties should be happy enough with the result.
We looked at this 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing when previewing RM Sotheby’s 2024 London Auction. This is documented as a show car and was kept in the same family since 1956, prior to it being offered for sale this past weekend.
A matching-numbers example, it benefits from a long-term restoration that was completed from 2005 through 2010. It presents nicely in its factory-correct color combination of Silver Grey Metallic with a Blue plaid interior. It’s extremely well-documented and includes Rudge wheels.
Selling for roughly $1.8 million including commission, this car was well-sold although we’re quite certain the new owner has no qualms with what it cost to bring this into their collection.
The 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso by Scaglietti is one of the most iconic V12-powered Ferraris of the 1960s. The example offered by RM Sotheby’s presents well in its factory-correct color of Grigio Argento and features a recent engine rebuild.
It’s documented as a numbers-matching example and includes the Ferrari Classiche Red Book it received in 2019. These have brought more at auction in recent years, but considering the trend we see of seven-figure Ferraris cooling off in the market, it was most likely well-sold at roughly $1.5 million.
Although Delahaye built an estimated 30 examples of the 135 race car from 1935 through 1937, the car offered by RM Sotheby’s is one of only two Delahaye 135 S Works competition cars. Its history brought it into the collection of Rob Walker and it was driven by the likes of Stirling Moss.
It features a competition history of 51 known entries including two runs at Le Mans in 1939 and again in 1949. It finished 8th in the 1939 24 Hours of Le Mans. It also took the win at the 1937 12 Hours of Donington and was present at the very first Goodwood Members’ Meeting.
This car is eligible for the best vintage car races in the world and is ripe for a return to Le Mans in the future. Considering the historical significance of this car, being one of just two works examples, this appears to have been well-bought at roughly $1.4 million.