A 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’ sold for a marque-record $12 million to top sale results at the Gooding Amelia Island 2024 classic car auction.
The most expensive car sold at the Gooding Amelia Island 2024 classic car auction was a rare 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’ which achieved $12,105,000 — a record for the brand and the highest price ever paid for a car manufactured before 1930. The green 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider and 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach in Gulf Oil livery sold for well above the presale estimates. Fourteen cars achieved results of over a million dollars each.
Gooding Amelia Island Classic Car Auction 2024
Gooding and Co Amelia Island 2024 classic car auction: on 29 February and 1 March 2024 at the Racquet Park, Omni Amelia Island Resort, in Florida, USA.
In 2024, Gooding & Company grossed $67,342,270, achieving an 87% sell-through rate with 111 of 127 lots sold. The average price per lot sold was $606,687, and 14 lots sold for figures over $1,000,000.
Gooding Amelia Island Classic Car Auction Results 2016 – 2024:
| Year | Earnings — % Sell-Through — Car Lots Sold |
| 2024 | $67,342,270 — 87% — 111 of 127 lots |
| 2023 | Record $72,676,1888 — 95% — 148 of 155 lots |
| 2022 | $69,209,480 — 94% — 93 of 99 lots |
| 2021 | 2021, Gooding held an online auction in place of the regular Amelia Island sale. |
| 2020 | $20,785,080 — 93% — 83 of 89 lots |
| 2019 | $22 million — 88% — 78 of 89 lots |
| 2018 | $35.5 million — 94% — 81 of 86 lots |
| 2017 | $30.5 million — 78% — 69 of 88 lots |
| 2016 | $60 million — 87% |
Million-Dollar Results at Gooding Amelia Island Classic Car Auction 2024
The following 14 cars sold for over a million dollars each at the Gooding Amelia Island 2024 classic car auction:
| Year | Car | Price ($) | |
| 1 | 1903 | Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’ | 12,100,000 |
| 2 | 1954 | Ferrari 500 Mondial Series I Spider | 3,995,000 |
| 3 | 1972 | Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider | 3,635,000 |
| 4 | 2015 | Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach | 3,525,000 |
| 5 | 1961 | Porsche RS61 | 3,410,000 |
| 6 | 1967 | Ferrari 275 GTB/4 | 2,915,000 |
| 7 | 1931 | Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe | 2,645,000 |
| 8 | 1938 | Bugatti Type 57 Atalante Coupe | 2,260,000 |
| 9 | 1957 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster | 2,012,500 |
| 10 | 1973 | Porsche 911 RS 2.7 Coupe Homologation | 1,985,000 |
| 11 | 1955 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing | 1,760,000 |
| 12 | 1929 | Bentley 4 ½ Litre Le Mans Sports Tourer | 1,540,000 |
| 13 | 2019 | Porsche 935 Coupe | 1,517,500 |
| 14 | 1990 | Porsche 964 Carrera 4 by Singer “Classic Study” | 1,160,000 |
*May include post-hammer deals.
Top Car Results at Gooding Amelia Island 2024 Sale
1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’
A rare 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’ in excellent condition and well-known history sold for $12,105,000, as the top result at the Gooding Amelia Island 2024 classic car auction. It was also the most expensive car sold at any Amelia Island 2024 auction. It set a new marque record for a Mercedes (before Benz was added from 1926) and probably more significantly, it is the most expensive car produced earlier than 1930. It is only the 12th pre-Second World War car to sell for over $10 million (nominal).
This Mercedes 60 HP was ordered new by British publishing tycoon Alfred Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe, and remained in family ownership for 121 years. It was displayed at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, England for over six decades.
Its early years were more exciting. The Mercedes was delivered new to Nice, France in April 1903, where it was driven to a new speed record by German racing driver Hermann Braun. It was then sent to Ireland as a reserve team car for the Gordon Bennett Cup. The Mercedes again proved its mettle by winning the Ballybannon Hillclimb in Castlewellan with E. Campbell Muir at the wheel.
After these outings, the Mercedes-Simplex was fitted with the ‘Roi des Belges’ body it still wears today, built by the prestigious coachworking firm J. Rothschild et Fils. Engine no. 2924 served as one of Harmsworth’s preferred personal cars for the next decade, and was used to frequently tour Britain and Europe. After Harmsworth’s passing, ownership was transferred to his son, Alfred John Francis Alexander Harmsworth, also a car enthusiast who owned an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 and a Mercedes-Benz SSK. The car was well maintained by the family, and soon after Lord Montagu opened the Beaulieu Motor Museum in the mid-1950s, the Mercedes was taken there and put on display. For nearly seven decades, from 1956 to 2023, the Mercedes stood as a featured display at Beaulieu.
The Mercedes remains in highly original condition, with its Rothschild bodywork still retaining much of its original leather upholstery. It is one of only four remaining examples in private ownership, with a fifth example, a Long-Wheelbase Omnibus, at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany. Further, the Harmsworth Mercedes is one of only two such cars with original coachwork still intact.
Top Ferrari Results at Gooding Amelia Island 2024 Sale
Although the top Ferrari on offer, the 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Series I Spider (Estimate: $4,000,000 – $5,000,000) failed to sell during the auction, it was announced sold for $4 million soon after. The interesting “project” 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Series II Cabriolet (Estimate: $1,000,000 – $1,300,000) similarly failed to sell when the hammer came down but was listed sold for $850,000 later.
Gooding had two very strong Ferrari results at Amelia Island 2024:
- The 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider sold for well above the presale estimate of $2,500,000 – $3,000,000 to set a new model record at $3,635,000. This US-specified example, the 44th of 121 produced, was one of just five originally finished in green. A fully restored example sold for almost similar money ($3.3 million) at Broad Arrow the following day.
- The 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 just missed the estimate of $3,000,000 – $3,500,000. It is an unrestored car that originally belonged to Swiss racing driver Jo Siffert. It was sold after five decades of single ownership and is highly original with only 64,000 km on the clock.
Other Top Results at Gooding Amelia Island 2024 Auction
The 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Weissach in Gulf Oil livery sold for well above the estimate of $2,500,000 – $3,000,000. It is one of only 28 allocated to the Canadian market and one of two in Gulf livery with special permission, as Gulf never sponsored a 918. It was sold with only 400 km on the clock.
The classic 1961 Porsche RS61 (Estimate: $4,000,000 – $5,000,000) failed to sell during the auction but was listed as sold soon after at a model record $3,100,000. This Porsche was raced in Europe before winning the South African Sports Car Championship in 1964.
The 1931 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe (Estimate: $2,750,000 – $3,500,000) is one of 481 Model Js built, of which 140 received coachwork by Murphy. Of these, 52 were convertible coupes, of which only 25 featured the disappearing-top design. (A similar fully-restored ‘Disappearing Top’ sold for over a million dollars more at RM Sotheby’s Miami.
New World Auction Record Results at Gooding Amelia Island 2024
New world auction record prices set at the Gooding Amelia Island 2024 classic car auction included:
- Lot 128 – 1903 Mercedes-Simplex 60 HP ‘Roi des Belges’, sold for $12,105,000 (a world record for all pre-1930 cars, world record for all antique cars, and for a Mercedes (before Mercedes-Benz).
- Lot 36 – 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider, sold for $3,635,000 (a world record for the model).
- Lot 132 – 1961 Porsche RS61, sold for $3,100,000 (a world record for the model).
- Lot 120 – 1990 RUF BTR III, sold for $830,000 (a world record for the model).
Top Florida (Amelia Island and Miami) Spring 2024 Classic Car Auctions
The top auctions end March in Florida at Amelia Island and Miami are by:
- Bonhams at the Fernandina Beach Golf Club on February 29, 2024
- Broad Arrow at the Ritz Carlton Amelia Island on March 1 and 2, 2024
- Gooding & Co. at the Omni Amelia Island Resort on February 29 and March 1, 2024
- RM Auctions held a competing ModaMiami event in Miami on March 1 and 2, 2024.
Amelia Island 2024 Auctions: Sale Results
- Results Overview of Amelia Island and Miami 2024 Auctions
- 2024 Broad Arrow Amelia Island Sale (Auction Results)
- 2024 Gooding Amelia Island Sale (Auction Results)
- 2024 RM Sotheby’s Moda Miami Sale (Auction Results)
→ → Previous Amelia Island Auction Results
