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.
To close out its 964-series 911 Turbo, Porsche built the last 93 as “S” models, and 39 of those were made as the X85 Flachbau (“Flat-nose”) for the U.S. market. The Turbo S X85’s 380-horsepower 3.6-liter engine was basically the one used in the IMSA Bridgestone North American Supercar race series. The only X85 that came painted in Speed Yellow is on offer at RM Sotheby’s Scottsdale auction with a pre-sale estimate of $800K-$1M.
On the heels of Porsche’s introduction of the 911 Dakar, Lamborghini has announced its plan to launch its own supercar that’s modified to play in the dirt, the Huracán Sterrato. Using the same 5.2-liter V-10 engine as the Huracán Evo, Lamborghini’s new off road-ready SUV can do 0-60 in around 3.2 seconds, has rally lights mounted on the Sterrato’s nose, and includes a built-in camera to record your adventures. Production of 1,499 Sterratos will begin in February of 2023, and U.S. pricing has not been announced.
The F512 M is considered the Testarossa at its pinnacle, the last of Ferrari’s analog flat-12 supercars. After three decades, the car can still snap necks even while standing still. The F512 M continued the Testarossa / 512TR evolution, and Ferrari would make just 501 of this final version before sunsetting its flat-12 supercar series. Demand was high for the 75 cars sent to the U.S., and RM Sotheby’s Miami auction in December is offering #52, a two-owner model from the Youngtimer Collection with 10,200 miles. The pre-sale estimate is $400,000-$450,000.
Capitalizing on the 911’s rich rally-winning history, Porsche introduced its 2023 911 Dakar at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Porsche’s new overland 911 version – reflecting road testing of Dakar prototypes over 300,000 miles, including 6,000 off-road miles – is based on the Carrera 4 GTS, and equipped with a 473-hp twin-turbo flat-six, eight-speed PDK automatic transmission and all-wheel drive, capable of 0-60 in 3.2 seconds. Porsche plans to build only 2,500 911 Dakars, with a starting price of $220,000 in the U.S. and plenty of options to take that higher.
The BMW 507 roadster, introduced at the 1955 Frankfurt Auto Show, is recognized as one of the most beautiful models that BMW ever produced. Only 252 hand-built 507s were produced, and despite their curb appeal, they were money losers that nearly sank BMW as a company. A 1957 BMW 507, discovered in a Philadelphia garage, sold last month at the Bonhams Audrain Concours Auction in Newport, R.I. for $2.1 million. Read the backstory on this historic BMW.
In Premier’s 4th year as a corporate sponsor of The Colorado Grand, our VP of Sales, Doug Ewing, partnered with Steve Serio of The Bond Group as co-drivers of a 1957 Porsche 356A Speedster. Our insider report chronicles their exploits, involving loose front end castle nuts, a near miss of spooked cows, and practical jokes played out over the course of their 5 day, 1,000 mile adventure at what’s considered the nation’s most prestigious and respected charitable tour events. Read all the details here.
Porsche launched its Heritage Design series with the 2021 911 Targa 4S Heritage Design Edition. The new 2023 Porsche 911 Sport Classic pays homage to the 1973 911 Carrera 2.7 RS. Porsche plans to build 1,250 911 Sport Classics, reportedly priced at $272,300. That’s $89,400 more than a 2022 911 Turbo. Read what makes the car worth that price.
Auction sales from Monterey Car Week totaled a record-setting $469 million; more than $126 million than last year’s total. RM Sotheby’s three-night auction accounted for more than half of that total, setting a record with a staggering $239.2 million in sales. Catch up on results from all the auction houses.
