2019 Artcurial Paris Rétromobile Sale (Auction Results)

A 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta sold for €16,475,000 ($19,256,750) as the most-expensive car at the Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019 sale.

The top result at the Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019 classic car auction was as expected for the magnificent 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta that sold for €16,475,000 ($19,256,750) as the second most-expensive Alfa Romeo ever. The second highest result was €4,218,800 paid for a 1966 Serenissima Spyder – more than twice upper estimate. A 2009 Mercedes Benz SLR Stirling Moss Edition sold for $3 million while a 1971 Porsche 916 Prototype Brutus went for just more than a million dollar.

Artcurial Paris Rétromobile Sale 2019

Artcurial scheduled its annual classic car auction during the Paris Rétromobile week for Friday 8 February 2019 with nearly 150 cars on offer. On Saturday 9 February 2019, Artcurial offers nearly 100 classic motorcycles from the private MV Agusta collection while on Sunday 10 February, a special F1 sale includes 180 drivers helmets, 150 race suits and a collection of steering wheels and other Formula 1 car parts.

Artcurial had good form at recent Paris Rétromobile auctions:

1938 Bugatti 57C Atalante Coupe SOLD — Kevin Van Campenhout © Courtesy of Artcurial

In 2018, Artcurial earned €31,815,556 ($38,814,990) at Paris Rétromobile with a relatively high 86% sell-through rate.
In 2017, Artcurial earned a similar €32 million ($33.9 million) with a sell-through rate of 73%.
In 2016, the new Paris (and European) auction record was set when a 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport sold for €32,075,200 ($35,711,359. This is the highest price ever paid in euro for a car at public auction but in dollar terms was second to the 1962-63 Ferrari 250 GTO that sold for $38 million in 2014, which was €28.5 million at the time.
In 2015, the Baillon Collection of 60 barn-find cars, including a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider that achieved $18.7 million, were sold at the Paris auction.

Top Results at Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019

The top results at the Artcurial Paris 2019 Rétromobile classic car auction were:

–	Year	Car	Price ($)	Price (€)	Estimate
1	1939	Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta	19,256,750	16,475,000	16,000,000 – 22,000,000
2	1966	Serenissima Spyder	4,851,620	4,218,800	1,300,000 – 1,800,000
3	2009	Mercedes Benz SLR Stirling Moss Edition	3,009,780	2,617,200	2,250,000 – 2,500,000
4	1930	Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Grand Sport Roadster Corsica	1,124,010	977,400	900,000 – 1,400,000
5	1964	Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso	1,124,010	977,400	900,000 – 1,300,000
6	1971	Porsche 916 Prototype Brutus	1,096,640	953,600	800,000 – 1,200,000

Note: Results as announced during the auction. Exclude possible post-hammer deals.

Million-Dollar Cars at Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019

1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B at Orly – © Kevin van Campenhout / Courtesy of Artcurial

1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta

A 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta sold for €16,475,000 ($19,256,750) as the top result at the Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019 classic car auction. This was by far the highest result at the February 2019 Paris auctions. It is also the second highest result ever achieved on a car by Artcurial, the second most-expensive Alfa Romeo and 14th most-expensive car ever.

The 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta, chassis #412024, was the second of only 5 examples built with the Carrozzeria Touring berlinetta coachwork. It was delivered new in Italy in 1939, but was transported to England later that year. It has been in the same ownership for the past four decades and is registered on Dutch plates.

1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Touring Berlinetta Rear — © Artcurial

Of the five Touring Berlinettas built, three were restored in recent years in North America – two won Best of Show at Pebble Beach (2008 and 2018) – and the final one is in the Alfa Romeo Museum. The car in Paris sold to an American buyer and might be heading to Pebble Beach soon.

Alfa produced fewer than 50 of the 8C2900 chassis. The last one to have sold at auction was a 1939 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Lungo Spider that set a new marque record when achieving $19,800,000 at the RM Sotheby’s Monterey 2016 sale. At the time of sale, this was the highest price ever paid for a pre-war car – a record increased to $22 million by the 1935 Duesenberg SSJ that sold at Gooding Pebble Beach 2018.

Artcurial also had a good result with a smaller pre-war Alfa: a 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 Grand Sport Roadster Corsica sold for €977,400. This car was in the same family ownership since 1953. It was raced in the 1930s with the Corsica body only fitted in the early 1950s. Despite the racing history, the car is in a very original condition and retained its original engine.

1966 Serenissima Spyder

Arguably the most sensational result among the top cars at Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019 was the €4,218,800 paid for the 1966 Serenissima Spyder – more than double upper estimate. The Serenissima Spyder participated in the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1966 as car n°24 with drivers Jean-Claude Sauer and Jean de Mortemart. The car is in exceptionally original condition and has not been touched since the race. The car has only ever had one owner : Count Giovanni Volpi di Misurata.

The equally rare 1968 Serenissima Ghia GT sold for €453 000 and the 1967 Serenissima Agena sold for €441 000 – both results within estimate.

2009 Mercedes Benz SLR Stirling Moss

The most-expensive Mercedes Benz at the Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019 sale was the 2009 Mercedes Benz SLR Stirling Moss Edition that sold for €2,617,200. It is one of only 75 built and has covered only 950 km from new. The SLR Stirling Moss Edition was the final series of cars produced by Mercedes and McLaren and was only available to existing SLR owners. The list price was around $1 million.

Classic Mercedes Benz cars failed to attract similar bids at the Artcurial sale. Neither of the 1958 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadsters were sold. Similarly, the original 540K engine in a 1936 Mercedes Benz 500K Cabriolet B failed to attract bidding higher than €540,000 – around 10% shy of lower estimate.

1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso

The top Ferrari result at the Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019 sale was $1,24,010 for a 1964 Ferrari 250 GT/L Lusso. The car is in a fully restored condition.

1971 Porsche 916 Prototype Brutus

Another stunning result at the Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019 classic car auction was $1,096,640 for the 1971 Porsche 916 Prototype Brutus. This must surely be a model record – expect many more owners of 916 cars to try the market. However, they are likely to be disappointed. This car is unique: it is the only Porsche 916 fitted with a 2.9L RSR engine from new, as it was originally used by Corina Piëch – daughter of Ferdinand Piëch, the famous engineer and manager at Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen.

Top Cars Not Sold at Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019

Some of the top cars failing to sell at the Artcurial Paris Rétromobile 2019 classic car auction included:

Year	Car	Highest Bid €	Estimate
1931	Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix	HB 3,300,000	4,000,000 – 4,500,000
1957	Porsche 550 A Spyder	HB 3,300,000	3,800,000 – 4,800,000
1953	Maserati A6GSC by Fiandri	HB 3,300,000	3,750,000 – 4,500,000
1966	Ferrari 275 GTC	HB 1,900,000	2,300,000 – 2,600,000
1958	Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster	HB 950,000	1,100,000 – 1,300,000
1958	Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster	HB 880,000	1,000,000 – 1,200,000
1962	Aston Martin DB4 Series V SS	HB 700,000	900,000 – 1,100,000
1938	Bugatti Type 57 C Cabriolet Gangloff	HB 700,000	800,000 – 1,200,000
1936	Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic Modifiée Erik Koux	HB 680,000	800,000 – 1,200,000
2019	Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Shooting Brake	HB 600,000	800,000 – 1,000,000
2006	Porsche Carrera GT	HB 670,000	750,000 – 850,000
1936	Mercedes Benz 500 K Cabriolet B	HB 540,000	600,000 – 800,000

Highest bids as observed during the auction, may be inaccurate. Some cars might have sold post hammer.

1931 Bugatti 51 Grand Prix - Kevin van Campenhout © Artcurial — 1931 Bugatti 51 Grand Prix – Kevin van Campenhout © Artcurial

Artcurial had nine classic Bugattis on offer at the Paris Rétromobile 2019 sales. Unfortunately, the top three failed to sell. The 1931 Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix received a highest bid of €3.3 million. This Type 51 is one of around 40 produced and competed in more than forty Grand Prix races. Despite this very active in-period racing history, it never suffered any major damage and retains it original chassis, bodywork and many mechanical components.

The two Bugatti Type 57s also failed to sell with highest bid around €700,000.

Highest bids of €3.3 million were insufficient to buy the 1957 Porsche 550A Spider or 1953 Maserati A6GSC – in both cases bidding stopped around half a million euro below lower estimate.