A 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450SLC owned by Diego Maradona is the celebrity star car on sale in the 2023 Bonhams Paris auction during Rétromobile week.
A classic 1980s Mercedes-Benz sports car, first owned by football legend, the late Diego Maradona, is the celebrity star car announced for the Bonhams Paris 2023 classic car auction. The 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450SLC 5.0-litre has a presale estimate of €150,000-200,000 but with such a celebrity provenance, the actual result is hard to predict.
Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale 2022
Bonhams Les Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris Sale: 1 -2 February 2023 in the Grand Palais Ephémère. This new exhibition pavilion on the Champs de Mars across from the Eiffel Tower is hosting Grand Palais events while the original is undergoing major renovations.
In 2022, Bonhams earned €19 million in Paris with a sell-through rate of 83%.
Bonhams earned €19,693,000 at the Paris 2020 classic car auction – its best result ever in Paris. The most-expensive car sold at the Bonhams Paris 2020 classic car sale was a 1932 Bugatti Type 55 that achieved €4,600,00 ($5,070,000). This was also the highest result of all the car auctions during Paris Rétromobile 2020 and one of five classic Bugattis selling for over $5 million in 2020.
Maradona Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC
A 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450SLC 5.0-litre, estimate €150,000 to €200,000, first owned by Diego Maradona is a highlight announced for the Bonhams Paris 2023 classic car auction during Rétromobile week.
The Mercedes-Benz was delivered new to Maradona when he was playing for his first professional side, Club Atlético Boca Juniors of Buenos Aires. The SLC, finished in ‘signal red’, was gifted to Maradona by an influential group of supporters – a mark of his importance to its first team.
Fittingly, for the future World Cup UEFA champion and FIFA Player of the 20th Century award winner, the SLC was presented to Maradona by Juan Manuel Fangio, one of the all-time great racing drivers, particularly at the wheel of M-B racing cars, who owned the only official Mercedes dealership in Argentina at the time.
The four-seater grand tourer coupé was already one of the era’s status symbols, but this SLC was one of only 816 homologation special examples (allowing the model to contest the World Rally Championship), with lightweight aluminum panels, an all-aluminum engine, and a 240hp 5-liter engine, giving a top speed of 209km/h (130mph). It was fitted with a wealth of options including black leather trim, an electric sunroof, air conditioning, and cruise control.
Following Maradona’s ownership, the SLC resided in private collections in Argentina before being imported into the USA. Having been well-maintained throughout its life and professionally restored by its vendor, the SLC is offered in excellent condition, having covered fewer than 62,000 km (38,000 miles) from new.
The sports car was just one of the many exotic and beautiful motor cars to be owned by Maradona throughout his professional playing career. Another, a rare 1992 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Type 964 ‘Works Turbo Look’ Cabriolet, which he owned when playing for Seville FC in 1993, was sold by Bonhams at the Grand Palais in 2021 for €483,000, nearly double its high pre-sale estimate.
Paris Rétromobile Week Auctions 2023
Classic Car Auctions
The following three sales traditionally open the European classic car auction year during the Paris Rétromobile Week that is held from 1 to 5 February 2023 at Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles
- Artcurial: Rétromobile Sale on 3 February 2023.
- Bonhams: Les Grandes Marques à Paris Sale on 2 February 2023.
- RM Sotheby’s: Paris Auction 1 February 2023 at Salles du Carrousel du Louvre.
Paris Rétromobile Auctions 2023 Results
Paris Rétromobile Auctions 2023 Pre-Sale Announcements
- Artcurial: 1936 Bugatti Type 57 Atalante
- Artcurial: Schumacher Benetton B195
- Artcurial: 1964 Ferrari 250 LM
- Bonhams: Pre-Sale Auction Preview
- Bonhams: Maradona’s 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450SLC
- RM Sotheby’s: 2022 Bugatti Chiron Profilée
- RM Sotheby’s: 2020 McLaren Senna LM
Previous Paris Rétromobile Week Auction Results
- 2022 Paris Rétromobile Sales Results: Artcurial, RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams
- 2021 Artcurial Parisienne Sale Results (Rétromobile was canceled in 2021)
- 2020 Paris Auction Results: Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s
- 2019 Paris Auction: Top 20 Results, Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s
- 2018 Paris Auction Results: General Overview, Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s
- 2017 Paris Auction Results: Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Sotheby’s
- 2016 Paris Auction Results: Artcurial, RM Sotheby’s, Bonhams, 1957 Ferrari 335 Sport
- 2015 Paris Auction Results: Results Overview, Artcurial, Bonhams, RM Auctions
- Results of the 2014 Paris Classic Car Auctions
