A rare 1993 Ferrari 52 TR Spider led the results as the most expensive car sold at the RM Sotheby’s London 2023 classic car auction.
Three Ferraris, including a rare 1993 Ferrari 52 TR Spider that achieved $2,756,200, sold for over a million dollars at the RM Sotheby’s London 2023 classic car auction. The sale grossed over $17 million as the highest-earning car auction in Britain this year.
RM Sotheby’s London Sale 2023
RM Sotheby’s annual London sale on 4 November 2023 in association with the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. However, the top prices were paid for far more modern supercars.
The auction earned £14 million which RM Sotheby’s claimed is the highest for any single classic car auction in the UK in 2023. The sell-through rate was a relatively high 87%
Top Ten Results at the RM Sotheby’s London 2023 Sale
The top ten most expensive cars sold at the RM Sotheby’s London 2023 classic car auction were:
- 1993 Ferrari 512 TR Spider £2,226,875
- 1990 Ferrari F40 £1,962,500
- 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso by Scaglietti £1,186,250
- 1929 Bentley 4½-Litre Supercharged Le Mans Tourer in the style of Vanden Plas £815,000
- 1931 Bentley 8-Litre ‘Silent Bloc’ Saloon by Vanden Plas £601,250
- 1969 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta by Scaglietti £477,500
- 1968 Ferrari Dino 206 GT by Scaglietti £421,250
- 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS by Scaglietti £398,750
- 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series £353,750
- 1963 Aston Martin DB5 ‘Project’ £342,500
Million-Dollar Cars at RM Sotheby’s London 2023 Auction
Four million-dollar cars were sold in the RM Sotheby’s London 2023 sale:
| Year | Car | Price (£) | Price ($) | |
| 1 | 1993 | Ferrari 512 TR Spider | 2,226,875 | 2,756,200 |
| 2 | 1990 | Ferrari F40 | 1,962,500 | 2,429,000 |
| 3 | 1963 | Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso | 1,186,250 | 1,468,200 |
| 4 | 1929 | Bentley 41/2-Litre Supercharges Le Mans Tourer | 815,000 | 1,008,700 |
Note: Auction in British Pounds, US$ depending on exchange rates.
Top Ferraris Sold at RM Sotheby’s London 2023
The top three results in the RM Sotheby’s London 2023 classic car auction were all for Ferraris;
The top-selling car of the auction was the 1993 Ferrari 512 TR Spider offered from the remarkable Factory Fresh Collection. The car is just one of three Ferrari 512 TR Spiders built by the Ferrari factory in 1993 and was offered from the Collection with single ownership and with just 570 kilometers on the odometer. The car with a Blu Cobalto exterior and Blu Scuro Connolly leather interior sold for £2,226,875, comfortably making it the most valuable 512 TR or Testarossa Spider ever sold at auction.
The second most expensive car was a 1990 Ferrari F40, an early European-market example with Ferrari Classiche certification. The car had 20,967 kilometers on the odometer.
Completing an all-Ferrari top three, the meticulously restored 1963 Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso by Scaglietti sold for £1,186,250. The car was originally delivered in Italy and had its matching-numbers chassis and engine.
Further Top Results at RM Sotheby’s London 2023 Sale
The 1929 Bentley 4½-Litre Supercharged Le Mans Tourer in the style of Vanden Plas was the only non-Ferrari to have achieved over a million dollar at the RM Sotheby’s London 2023 sale. This Bentley started life as a heavy chassis with an H.J. Mulliner saloon body but was rebuilt to “Blower” specification in 1990. It was campaigned extensively in historic racing between 2006 and 2023 including being driven by Derek Bell at the Le Mans Classic 2012 race.
Another notable result was the original 1933 Mercedes-Benz 370 S Mannheim Sport Cabriolet ‘Project’. Offered from 65 years of single-family ownership, it is one of only 195 examples built and brought £280,625, almost doubling its pre-sale low estimate.
Several lots were sold immediately post-sale for undisclosed sums, including the 2007 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 Edition, the 1931 Avions Voisin C14 ‘Chartre’,the 1958 Bentley S1 Continental Drophead Coupé by Park Ward, and the 1902 Oldsmobile Model R ‘Curved-Dash’ Runabout.
