A 1951 Maserati A6G/2000 Spider by Frua sold for $2,755,000 as the top result at the Bonhams Scottsdale 2019 classic car auction.
Only three cars sold for more than a million dollar at the Bonhams Scottsdale 2019 classic car sale: a 1951 Maserati A6G/200 Spider by Frua sold for $2,755,000, a 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing for $1,110,000 (post-hammer) and a 1963 Porsche 365B Carrera 2 GS Cabriolet achieved $1,005,000. A further five cars attracted unsuccessful highest bids exceeding a million dollars, including a highest bid of $4 million for the 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider.
Bonhams Scottsdale Classic Car Auction 2019
Bonhams scheduled its eighth annual Scottsdale, Arizona, sale on 17 January 2019 at the Westin Kierland Resort.
In 2019, Bonhams earned $16.1 million at Scottsdale from selling 107 of 120 lots on offer for a high 90% sell-through rate. Hagerty calculated an average sale price of $144,762.
In 2018, Bonhams earned $25.2 million at Scottsdale with 94 of 108 lots offered sold – a sell-through rate of 87% and an average price of $267,649 per car. In 2017, Bonhams earned $36 million from just over 100 cars with sell-through rate of 82%.
The top result at Bonhams Scottsdale 2018 was a new model-record $5,170,000 paid for a 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder that finished Le Mans fifth overall.
Top Results at Bonhams Scottsdale 2019
The top results at the Bonhams Scottsdale 2019 classic car auction were:
| Year | Car | Price ($) | Estimate |
| 1951 | Maserati A6G / 2000 Spider by Frua | 2,755,000 | 2,800,000 – 3,400,000 |
| 1955 | Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing | 1,110,000 | 1,150,000 – 1,350,000 |
| 1963 | Porsche 356B Carrera 2 GS Cabriolet | 1,005,000 | 1,100,000 – 1,300,000 |
| 1934 | Mercedes Benz 500 K Four Passenger Tourer | 830,000 | 1,000,000 – 1,400,000 |
Million-Dollar Cars at Bonhams Scottsdale 2019
The top result at the Bonhams Scottsdale 2019 sale was $2,755,000 for a 1951 Maserati A6G/2000 Spider, chassis 2017, with coachwork by Carrozzeria Frua. This spider is one of only three produced with coachwork by Frua on a shortened chassis. In all, only 16 of the A6G/2000 were produced: nine with bodywork by Pinin Farina, six by Frua and one by Vignale.
The car was fully restored in recent years and fitted with the engine used by an A6GCS in the 1948 Mille Miglia. (The original 2017 engine is apparently installed in an A6 1500 in Italy.) The restored car was shown at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in 2006, Quail Concours in 2010, and Pebble Beach 2014.
The 1955 Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing initially failed to sell with a highest bid of $1,050,000 but it was later listed as sold at $1,100,000. This was a sensible deal. Although this car sports its original interior, buyers are spoiled for choice: three Gullwings and three Roadsters were available at the Scottsdale 2019 auctions and more at Paris a few weeks later. A similarly highly original Roadster at Worldwide Auctions sold for a fairly cheap $990,000 a day earlier.
The 1963 Porsche 356B Carrera 2 GS Cabriolet was the only other car at the Bonhams Scottsdale 2018 sale to achieved a million dollar result when it sold for $1,005,000. This car is one of just 32 made. It is a highly original, matching-numbers example with the desirable four-cam engine. It has been in current ownership for 30 years. As Porsche’s top-of-the-line model when new, the Carrera 2 was the recipient of a host of factory improvements, including the first Porsche model to receive disc brakes.
The price of the 1934 Mercedes Benz 500 K Four-Passenger Tourer has been moving backwards. It sold for $830,000 at the Bonhams Scottsdale 2019 sale but at the peak of the market in 2015, a highest bid of $850,000 was no accepted at Amelia Island. In that auction, the car was still painted red and the pre-auction estimate $1.25 – $1.5 million. This 500 K is one of only eight made with right-hand drive for the British market (out of a total of 342 produced). It is believed to be the only 500K ever fitted with coachwork by Mayfair – it received the aluminum body that is still wears today in the late 1930s.
Top Cars Not Sold at Bonhams Arizona 2019
The top cars that failed to sell at Bonhams Scottsdale 2019 were:
| Year | Car | Price ($) | Estimate |
| 1954 | Ferrari 500 Mondial Series I Spider | HB 4,000,000 | 5,000,000 – 6,000,000 |
| 2018 | Bugatti Chiron | HB 2,550,000 | 2,800,000 – 3,300,000 |
| 1959 | Lister-Jaguar Sports Racer | HB 1,450,000 | 2,000,000 – 2,600,000 |
| 1971 | Lamborghini Miura SV | HB 1,500,000 | 1,700,000 – 2,100,000 |
| 1964 | Porsche 904 GTS | HB 1,200,000 | 1,400,000 – 1,600,000 |
| 1993 | Bugatti EB110 GT | HB 760,000 | 800,000 – 1,000,000 |
| 1931 | Bugatti Type 46 Superprofilee Coupe | HB 620,000 | 750,000 – 1,000,000 |
Note: Highest bids as observed during auction. Some cars may have sold in post-hammer deals.
Bidding for the top cars that failed to sell at the Bonhams Scottsdale 2019 car sale generally stop 10% to 20% short of the lower estimates. While Hagerty reported healthy trading for cheaper classic cars at the Scottsdale auctions, there is clear hesitation by buyers to go near and above a million dollar, except for exceptional cars.
If the highest bid for the 1954 Ferrari 500 Mondial Series I Spider was accepted, the result would have been in line with the two achieved on similar models by Gooding in 2018: a Series 1 at Scottsdale for $4,455,000 and Series II for an even stronger $5,005,000 at Pebble Beach.
Bidding for the 2018 Bugatti Chiron stopped more than half a million short of the highest bid Bonhams achieved for a Chiron at Quail Lodge 2018 and a million short of bidding at Mecum Kissimmee 2018. RM Sotheby’s has a Chiron at Paris 2019, as well as two Veyrons and a EB110. The 1993 Bugatti EB110 GT came so close to estimate, the seller may regret not taking the money.
More on Scottsdale 2019 Collector Car Auctions
The first major collector car auction series of the year is traditionally the Scottsdale and Phoenix auctions in Arizona, USA, in mid-January.
Most major car auctioneers have sales in Arizona including Barrett-Jackson, Bonhams, Gooding and RM Sotheby’s. A notable exception is Mecum that start the auction year a few weeks earlier at Kissimmee in Florida.
Scottsdale, Arizona, 2019 Auctions Sale Results
- Scottsdale Arizona 2019 Classic Car Sales – Auctions Results Overview
- Bonhams – 2019 Scottsdale Auction Results
- Gooding – 2019 Scottsdale Auction Results
- RM Sotheby’s – 2019 Arizona Auction Results
- Barrett-Jackson – 2019 Scottsdale Auction Results
- Barrett-Jackson – 2019 Scottsdale Auction Charity Lots Results
Scottsdale, Arizona, 2019 Auctions Sale Previews:
- Top Ten Ferraris at Scottsdale, Arizona 2019
- Bonhams – 2019 Scottsdale Auction Preview
- Gooding – 2019 Scottsdale Auction Preview
- RM Sotheby’s – 2019 Arizona Auction Preview
Scottsdale, Arizona, 2019 Auctions Pre-Sale Announcements:
- Bonhams – Ferrari 500 Mondial Spider
- Bonhams – Team Cunningham 1959 Lister-Jaguar Sports Racer
- Bonhams – Miura, Porsche 904 & 356 Carrera Cabriolet
- Gooding – Four Mercedes Benz 300 Classics
- Gooding – Top 1960s Ferraris – including a 275 Prototype & 250 GTB SWB
- Gooding – Top 1950s Ferraris – including a 250 GT Tour de France, 250 MM Spider & 212 Europa Cabriolet
- Gooding – American Muscle Cars – including three Shelby Cobras
- Barrett Jackson – 2019 Ford GT Heritage Edition VIN001
- Barrett-Jackson – 2020 Toyota Supra VIN20201
- Barrett-Jackson – 14 Charity Lots, including four Bumblebee Camaros.
- RM Sotheby’s – Top Ferraris