Is there a hotter rivalry in the premium car arena than Ferrari v Lamborghini? Buckle up, it’s only going to get hotter as this decade unfolds. Hot on the trail of its Purosangue, Ferrari unveiled the new Roma Spider. This stunning soft-top will replace the Portofino M in the line. Meanwhile, Lamborghini has unveiled the chassis and powertrain for its upcoming 1,000-horsepower hyper hybrid and confirmed plans for two more hybrids and then two battery EVs. Never a dull moment with these two Italian supercar superpowers.
Forget March Madness, Florida brought the heat to the collector car world with the quartet of Amelia Island auctions booking $186 million in sales, a record for the venue. The top sale, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider, accounted for $18M by itself. Ferraris grabbed 13 slots across the four auctions’ Top-10 lists, and Porsches took four. Modern supercars made some auction Top-10 lists, including $5.3M for a rare Pagani Zonda and $2.4M for a McLaren P1. A 1931 Duesenberg put the spotlight on Pre-war cars with a $4.3M sale.
It’s good to be king, because then you can order yourself a custom-built car like the Maserati made for the Shah of Iran in 1959. The monarch and budding car collector requested that Maserati build a special car by installing the V-8 engine from its 450S racecar into the 3500 GT production coupe. The result was the 170-mph 5000 GT. Maserati made 34 with bodies by various coachbuilders. At its Amelia Island auction, Bonhams is offering one of the 22 with bodies by Allemano, a restoration candidate with a pre-sale estimate of $500K-$800K
Major auto auctions held in conjunction with the world-renowned Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance in Florida offer some of the world’s most desirable collector cars, and Premier’s regional sales managers will be there for the action and to meet customers. In the meantime, they have posted their own “Cars to Watch” as picks for cars most likely to sell well. Except for one American supercar making the list, it’s a German and Italian feast.
A 1986 hit movie made the Ferrari 250 GT California Spider famous among non-enthusiasts, but the California Spider had a rich life before that film. Enthusiasts have revered the car as a pinnacle Ferrari classic since it left the factory more than a half-century ago. The Ferrari collectors who restored this 1962 California Spider bought it in lightly damaged condition in 1972 for – wait for it – $2,400! It is expected to sell for up to $22 million at the Gooding & Company Amelia Island auction.
The 2023 collector car auction season got off to a roaring start in January. The Bonhams Scottsdale auction reached $30M in sales, and RM Sotheby’s reported $44M. The big surprise came from Bonhams, where a 1912 Simplex brought $4.8M, a record for a pre-WWI car. Supercars were still supreme, though, with a Ferrari LaFerrari getting $4.075M at RM Sotheby’s and, earlier in the month, a Ferrari F40 topping the Mecum sale in Kissimmee, Florida at $3.135M.
One a year in January, Palm Beach, Florida becomes the center of the Ferrari world with Cavallino Classic. This four-day event presents the full spectrum of the Ferrari lifestyle, including racing, touring, and concours competition – all in and around the luxurious setting of The Breakers hotel. A feast for all the senses, Cavallino Classic is a rare opportunity to see the marque’s vibrant history on display and on the track.
Will the 812 GTS be Ferrari’s final front-engine, naturally aspirated V-12 spider? Based on the appropriately named 812 Superfast Berlinetta, the 812 GTS shares a lineage with a line of classic open Ferraris, including the magnificent 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider of the early ’70s. The 812 GTS has a retractable hardtop roof and a 789-horsepower 6.5-liter V-12. Bonhams’ Scottsdale auction is offering a 2021 812 GTS with just 217 miles.
BMW’s Z8 is the kind of car that many wish BMW would build again. Two of those cars – a standard BMW Z8 and the Alpina version, called the BMW Alpina Roadster V8 – recently sold earlier this month at RM Sotheby’s Miami auction. Offered by two different owners, and both with under 23,000 miles, each car sold for exactly the same price: $229,600. Read the backstory on the Z8 and the Alpina Roadster.
