The top results at the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 sale were led by a $13-million 1972 Ferrari 312 PB and a $7-million 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta.
A 1972 Ferrari 312 PB — a competition sports prototype raced by the Ferrari Works team — achieved €12,042,500 as the most-expensive car sold at the biannual RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 classic car auction on the shores of Lake Como in Italy during the Concorso d’Elegenza Villa d’Este weekend. RM Sotheby’s had its best-ever Villa Erba classic car auction when 17 cars sold for over $1 million, including a dozen Ferraris.
RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 Classic Car Auction
RM Sotheby’s had its most successful Villa Erba classic car auction ever on 20 May 2023 during the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy.
The sale grossed a remarkable €52,953,100 — the highest ever since the auction was established in 2011 in collaboration with the Concorso d’Elegenza Villa d’Este. The undeniable star attraction of the sale was the no-reserve Aurora Collection, which sold for a cumulative value of €25,288,500. Bidders from 37 countries were represented and 26% were new clients to RM Sotheby’s.
Top RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba Sale Results 2023
The following cars sold for over a million dollars at the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 classic car auction:
| Year | Car | Price ($) | Price (€) | |
| 1 | 1972 | Ferrari 312 PB | 13,033,720 | 12,042,500 |
| 2 | 1961 | Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta | 7,128,360 | 6,586,250 |
| 3 | 1956 | Ferrari 500 TR Spider | 4,023,490 | 3,717,500 |
| 4 | 2019 | Bugatti Chiron | 3,049,410 | 2,817,500 |
| 5 | 1967 | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 | 3,049,410 | 2,817,500 |
| 6 | 2019 | Ferrari Monza SP1 | 2,623,250 | 2,423,750 |
| 7 | 1973 | Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider | 2,501,490 | 2,311,250 |
| 8 | 1989 | Ferrari F40 | 2,288,410 | 2,114,375 |
| 9 | 1968 | Lamborghini Miura P400 | 1,740,490 | 1,608,125 |
| 10 | 2011 | Ferrari SA Aperta | 1,649,170 | 1,523,750 |
| 11 | 1965 | Ferrari 275 GTS | 1,527,410 | 1,411,250 |
| 12 | 1955 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing | 1,466,530 | 1,355,000 |
| 13 | 1961 | Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II | 1,405,650 | 1,298,750 |
| 14 | 1963 | Ferrari 250 GT/L Berlinetta Lusso | 1,405,650 | 1,298,750 |
| 15 | 1960 | Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II | 1,325,830 | 1,225,000 |
| 16 | 1977 | Lamborghini Countach LP400 Periscopio | 1,070,810 | 989,375 |
| 17 | 1958 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster | 1,040,370 | 961,250 |
Note: Sale in Euro, $ conversion for information only. Some cars were sold post-hammer.
Top Ferrari Results at RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 Auction
Twelve of the million-dollar cars sold in the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 classic car auction were Ferraris, including the three top results.
1972 Ferrari 312 PB
The remarkable 1972 Ferrari 312 PB sold for €12,042,500 ($13,033,720) as the most-expensive car in the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 auction. It is also the second-highest auction result thus far in 2023. This Scuderia Ferrari Works car was campaigned by the factory to the landslide win in the 1972 World Sportscar Championship of Makes — the last time Ferrari sports prototypes competed and won the championship.
The 1972 Ferrari 312 PB, chassis 0886, won its debut race — 1972 Buenos Aires 1,000 KM — as well as the 1972 Nürburgring 1,000 KM race. In the same year, it achieved second place at the 1972 12 Hours of Sebring and third at the 1972 Monzo 1,000 KM race.
Aurora Collection Ferrari Results
Ever since the announcement of The Aurora Collection, there was no doubt that the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 sale would attract enthusiastic attention. The no-reserve collection of 12 Ferraris and two Mercedes-Benzes spanned a remarkable 64 years of automotive history and had largely been hidden from the public eye in Sweden for a number of years. The mystique and exceptional quality of the examples certainly shone through in the sale.
The lead car from the collection was the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta by Scaglietti. Regarded by many as one of the most beautiful sports GT cars ever created, the Classiche-certified and matching-numbers example sold for €6,586,250.
Another fine example rarely seen on the open market was a 1956 Ferrari 500 TR Spider by Scaglietti. Boasting extensive racing history in period, this highly eligible Ferrari sold for €3,717,500. Also worthy of note is the 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 by Scaglietti. This stunning four-cam variant of one of the most beautiful Ferraris from the 1960s sold for a strong €2,817,500, demonstrating that fine examples of the golden era of V-12 Ferrari road cars are still very much in demand.
It was not just vintage Ferraris that sold strongly however, with the one-owner-from-new 2019 Ferrari Monza SP1, the first of the model that had ever come to open market, sold for an impressive €2,423,750. A remarkable result from within The Aurora Collection was the 2001 Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina, which achieved a world record result for the model at auction, selling for an astonishing €635,00.
Other Top Results at RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 Auction
Other top results in the RM Sotheby’s Villa Erba 2023 sale included the 2019 Bugatti Chiron — this low-mileage, Grey Carbon and Nocturne example achieved a good €2,817,500.
Moreover, the stunning Bianco Acrilico 1968 Lamborghini Miura P400 by Bertone sold for €1,608,125, proving the strength of Lamborghini’s landmark model.
Further highlights include the sale of a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing for €1,355,000 and the 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster for €961,250, underlining the strength of fine examples for the most iconic models ever built by Mercedes-Benz. The 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 Sc Roadster, more expensive new than the Roadster, sold for a good €646,250.
A 1952 Jaguar XK 120 Roadster, which was first owned and driven by Hollywood icon Clark Gable, achieved an excellent €387,500.