2019 RM Sotheby's Amelia Island Sale (Auction Preview)

A 1938 Bugatti Type 57 SC Tourer by Corsica and a 1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra are the lead cars for the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 sale.

RM Sotheby’s are offering the two most-expensive cars of the 2019 Amelia Island classic car auction series: a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer by Corsica, estimate $6,000,000 to $7,500,000, and a 1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra, estimate $3,000,000 to $4,000,000. The 22 cars on offer expecting to sell for over a million dollar range from a 1926 Hispano-Suiza to a 2017 Ferrari F12tdf. Ferrari and Porsche are playing a rather minor role at this year’s auction.

RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019

RM Sotheby’s 21st annual Amelia Island classic car sale – 8 & 9 March 2019 at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Florida, USA.

In 2019, RM Sotheby’s earned $38.1 million at Amelia Island with a sell-through rate of 84%.

In 2018, RM Sotheby’s grossed $27 million with a sell-through rate of 85% with 87 of 102 lots offered sold.

In 2017, RM Sotheby’s earned an Amelia Island record $70.9 million but in contrast to most years, a second auction day was held during which 63 cars from the Orin Smith collection were sold without reserve to earn a total of $31 million.

In 2016, RM Sotheby’s earned $38.6 million with a high sell-through rate of 89%. In 2015, RM Sotheby’s earned $60 million at Amelia Island with a remarkably high 98% sell-through rate.

Million-Dollar Cars at RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 Sale

Twenty-two cars on offer at the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 classic car auction have presale estimates of a million dollar or more:

–	Year	Car	Estimate
1	1997	Porsche 911 Turbo S	Upon Request
2	1937	Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer by Corsica	6,000,000 – 7,500,000
3	1965	Shelby 427 Competition Cobra	3,000,000 – 4,000,000
4	1965	Ferrari 275 GTB	2,200,000 – 2,400,000
5	1966	Shelby 427 Cobra	1,750,000 – 2,100,000
6	2005	Maserati MC12 Corsa	1,600,000 – 2,000,000
7	1930	Duesenberg Model J ‘Sweep Panel’ Dual Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron	1,600,000 – 2,000,000
8	1965	Aston Martin DB5 Vantage Convertible	1,400,000 – 1,600,000
9	2015	McLaren P1	1,400,000 – 1,600,000
10	2010	Bugatti Veyron 16.4 ‘Sang Noir’	1,350,000 – 1,600,000
11	1926	Hispano-Suiza H6B Cabriolet Le Dandy by Chapron	1,300,000 – 1,600,000
12	1933	Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix	1,250,000 – 1,600,000
13	2015	Porsche 918 Spyder	1,250,000 – 1,500,000
14	1934	Packard Twelve Individual Custom Convertible Sedan by Dietrich	1,250,000 – 1,500,000
15	1956	Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing	1,200,000 – 1,400,000
16	1959	Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster	1,200,000 – 1,400,000
17	1960	Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II	1,150,000 – 1,300,000
18	2017	Ferrari F12tdf	950,000 – 1,100,000
19	1990	AAR-Toyota Eagle HF89	900,000 – 1,200,000
20	1992	Ferrari F40	900,000 – 1,100,000
21	2009	Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster ‘McLaren Edition’	800,000 – 1,000,000
22	1932	Stutz DV-32 Convertible Victoria by Rollston	750,000 – 1,000,000

Top Bugattis at RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 Sale

1937 Bugatti SC Tourer by Corsica Front Quarter — Darin Schnabel ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Three Bugattis on offer at the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 sale are expected to sell for more than a million dollars. These three cars are quite different:

1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer by Corsica

1937 Bugatti SC Tourer by Corsica rear Quarter — Darin Schnabel ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

The most-expensive car on offer at the Amelia Island 2019 classic car auctions is the magnificent 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer by Corsica, estimate $6,000,000 to $7,500,000, at the RM Sotheby’s sale.

This Bugatti is a rare car: Bugatti produced around 800 of the Type 57 chassis, of which just over 40 where 57S models, only 16 where fitted with open coachwork and only two had the four-seater tourer coachwork by Corsica.

The 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Tourer retained its original chassis, engine and gearbox as well as the body by Corsica, which is quite remarkable as parts of the car were used elsewhere at times. Some modifications were made and the car is thus not fully original.

1933 Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix

The 1933 Bugatti Type 51 Grand Prix is one of the four cars used by the Bugatti Works team of Varzi, Dreyfus, and Williams during the 1933 grand prix season. As Bugatti never recorded the exact chassis used in specific races, or by particular drivers, it is impossible to establish in what races the car participated.

As a racing car, components where frequently changed. Furthermore, Bugatti had a habit to reuse chassis numbers – it had huge tax advantages for some customers – resulting in more than one car claiming the same origins. The body is a recreation. Much of the rest of the car is period correct but from a variety of cars, which partly contribute to the relatively low estimate. Prime example Type 51s have sold for up to $4 million.

2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 ‘Sang Noir’

The 2010 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 ‘Sang Noir’ is one of 300 Veyron coupes built but one of only 12 of the limited edition ‘Sang Noir’ series. All 12 were finished in two-tone black as a homage to the Type 57S Atlantic but this is the only example with red interior, as opposed to the standard orange. This Veyron is a US-specification car and has covered 3,500 miles since new.

Veyrons have mostly struggled at recent auction with most bids failing to reach reserve margins.

Top Shelby 427 Cobras at RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019

1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra, chassis no. CSX 3006 — Lucas Scarfone ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Two Shelby 427 Cobras are on offer at the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 sale:

The 1965 Shelby 427 Competition Cobra, chassis CSX 3006, is with an estimate of $3,000,000 to $4,000,000 the second most-expensive car on offer at the various auctions. It is one of only 19 true production competition Cobras of which only a few retained their original body. CSX3006 competed in two SCCA races but more famously won the 1966 Brands Hatch Ilford 500 – the only significant European race won outright by a production Cobra.

The 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra, CSX 3359, was the second-to-last 427 Cobra produced. It is in a highly authentic condition, as could be expected from a car with only 1,900 miles on the clock. It even retained its original “sunburst” wheels and blue dot tires, in addition to a set of Trigo wheels for actual use.

Top Ferraris at RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 Sale

1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, chassis no. 06899 — Greg Keysar ©2018 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Ferraris are playing a surprisingly small role at the Amelia Island 2019 auctions. Only four million-dollar Ferraris are on offer at the RM Sotheby’s sale and none are of particular interest or multi-million dollar examples.

The 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB is with a presale estimate of $2,200,000 – $2,400,000 the most-expensive Ferrari in the sale. The meticulously restored car retained its original engine and is a 2018 Cavallino Platinum Award winner.

The 1960 Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet Series II was the 19th car produced. It is fresh from a restoration costing around $250,000.

The 1992 Ferrari F40 is a European-specification car and enticingly offered without reserve. It has 26,800 km on the clock.

The 2017 Ferrari F12tdf is the latest low-mileage example aiming for a million dollar result. The car has only 350 miles from new and is sold by its second owner.

American 1930 Classics at RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019

1930 Duesenberg Model J ‘Sweep Panel’ Dual-Cowl Phaeton by LeBaron — Rafael Martin © 2018 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Three large 1930 American classics will be on offer at the RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019 sale:

The 1930 Duesenberg Model J ‘Sweep Panel’ Dual Cowl Phaeton, chassis 2336, carried the iconic Duesenberg bodystyle by LeBaron. Only 18 examples were ever produced of the iconic ‘Sweep Panel’ Dual-Cowl Phaeton body style with engine no. J-487 the only one on the long 153½-in. wheelbase. The Duesenberg was restored by Fran Roxas and has not been shown since.

Hardly less impressive is the authentic 1934 Packard Twelve Convertible Sedan Custom by Dietrich, offered fresh to the market following an exceptional restoration, and a 1932 Stutz DV-32 Convertible Victoria by Rollston, one of just five built to this design and an AACA and CCCA 100-point Senior First Prize winner.

Several further 1930s American classic cars will be on offer at lower prices.

Other Million-Dollar Cars at RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island 2019

The 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S is the only car in the sale without a pre-auction estimate. Although it is one of the last air-cooled 911s produced and has only 88 miles on the clock, it is unlikely to be a multi-million dollar car.

The 2005 Maserati MC12 Corsa is one of 13 track-only cars produced. It has covered only 2,015 km since new.

The 1965 Aston Martin DB5 Vantage Convertible is one of only seven factory-original DB5 Vantage Convertibles. It was converted to left-hand drive for use in the USA.

The 2015 McLaren P1 is one of only 375 built. It has covered less than 750 miles although the second owner did push it to 214 mph at the the Shuttle Landing Facility at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. It has been serviced since. The estimate reflects that $2 million is not currently paid for P1s.

The 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder is similarly valued far lower than prices achieved a year ago. It is two-owner car with 1,300 miles on the clock.

In complete contrast to the modern hypercars is the very elegant 1926 Hispano-Suiza H6B Cabriolet Le Dandy by Chapron. The car was originally owned by the Bey of Tunisia, who had it mechanically upgraded in 1931 when the current coachwork was fitted. The restored car won best in class at Pebble Beach in 2004 and 2016.

The 1990 AAR-Toyota Eagle HF89 was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio II to Toyota’s first IMSA GTP win at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas. More than $800,000 was spent on the car’s restoration in recent years.

1956 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing — Lucas Scarfone ©2019 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

Only two Mercedes Benz 300 SLs are on offer at the Amelia Island 2019 catalogue sales: both are at RM Sotheby’s. The 1956 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing had only three owners since new. It is a matching numbers examples recently restored to a factory-correct color scheme of Strawberry Red Metallic (although this car was originally graphite grey). The 1959 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Roadster is finished in a rather more standard white. It was comprehensively restored in 2016.

The 2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 S Roadster ‘McLaren Edition’ is one of only six produced and the only one finished in orange. It is also the only one finished to US specification and received sufficient McLaren upgrades to drive the original price to over a million dollar.

2019 RM Sotheby’s Amelia Island Sale (Auction Preview)