On Friday 5 February, automobile enthusiasts were able to take part in an exceptional sale paying particular tribute to motorsport, presented by Artcurial Motorcars : Parisienne 2021. The celebrated trio Maître Poulain, Matthieu Lamoure and Pierre Novikoff, presided over a sale totalling 18 300 564 € / 22 005 970 $ including tva and premium. Star of the sale and winner of the legendary Le Mans 24 Hour Race, the 1972 Matra MS 670 fetched 6 907 200 € / 8 305 735 $ including tva and premium.
On Friday 5 February, at the Hôtel Dassault, across Paris and throughout the collectors’ car world, the focus was firmly on competition at Artcurial Motorcars’ Parisienne 2021 sale. The prestigious line-up of automobiles on offer included some of the out-and-out stars in motorsport history. Following a tense and prolonged battle between bidders in the room and on the telephone, the undisputed star of the sale, the Matra MS 670, winner of the 1972 Le Mans 24 Hour Race, opened the record-breaking results, selling for 6 907 200 € / 8 305 735 $ (including tva and premium). It became the most expensive Matra sold at auction to loud applause in the room.
The collection of Group B rally cars was another eagerly-awaited highlight, the first time such a line-up has been offered at auction. The impressive provenance of these cars attracted enormous interest, resulting in some strong results. The 1988 Audi Sport Quattro S1 changed hands for 2 016 600 € / 2 424 911 $ including premium, over twice its estimate and the highest price paid at auction for a rally car worldwide. Another rally star, the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evolution found a new owner for 977 440 € / 1 175 347 $ including premium. A record price for a Peugeot 205, attracting further applause. The 1986 Lancia Delta, a rare factory Group B car in Martini livery, also sold well above estimate, fetching 810 560 € / 974 678 $ including premium.
« All glory to competition ! Artcurial held, by itself, the international automobile week in Paris this year. The record price achieved for the Matra is a tribute to the engineers who designed it and Henri Pescarolo and Graham Hill, the drivers that steered it to victory. This race car has left a museum to join a private collection and we expect to see it return to action once more on the track. » Matthieu Lamoure, – Managing Director of Artcurial Motorcars
Bidders in the room and on the telephone waged a fierce battle over the 1985 Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, with exceptional provenance. The car found a new owner in the room, for 667 520 € / 802 676 $ including premium, making it the most expensive Renault 5 ever sold. The 1985 Lancia 037 sold for 548 320 € / 659 341 $ including premium and finally, the 1986 factory Ford RS200 changed hands for 381 440 € / 458 672 $ including premium.
Amongst British cars on offer, a very rare example of Aston Martin’s most exclusive cabriolet, the 1965 Short Chassis Volante, an original left-hand drive car and the only Volante delivered new in Autumn Gold, sold for 1 158 600 € / 1 392 466 $ including premium. From the same collection, the Aston Martin DB5 Vantage changed hands well above its estimate for 810 560 € / 974 678 including premium. Eligible for the most prestigious events worldwide, the 1959 Aston Martin DB4 GT in Aston racing green, found a new owner for 1 358 000 € / 1 632 961 $ including premium. Finally, rare, original and sophisticated, the Bristol 405 Drophead Coupé fetched 172 840 € / 207 835 including premium.
Automobilia
Including the former collection of Giuseppe Neri, friend of Enzo Ferrari
Almost exclusively dedicated to Ferrari, the Automobilia sale attracted enormous attention from marque enthusiasts and realised 905 554 € /1 0911 05 $ including premium, double its estimate, with 94% of lots selling. A highlight of the Giuseppe Neri collection was the last F1 V12 engine built by Ferrari at Maranello, which found a new owner for 169 000 € /203 628 $ including premium. A type 056 F1 engine also changed hands for 41 600 € / 50 124 $ including premium, well above estimate. Following a long bidding battle on the internet, the telephone and in the room, one of the two sections of bodywork from Alain Prost’s Ferrari 641 finally sold to a bidder in the room for 143 000 € / 172 301 $ including premium, over seven times its estimate. The Formula 1 models all fetched strong prices of up to 26 000 € / 31 328 $ including premium.
The second part of the sale was dedicated to an enthusiast’s collection of workshop memorabilia, comprising spare parts, catalogues and manuals. Many lots fetched prices well above estimates including five pairs of Ferrari mechanics’ overalls that changed hands for a total of 11 050 € / 13 314 $ including premium.
Report by artcurial.com
