Auction Results: RM Auctions’ 2013 London sale

RM Auctions returned to London for its annual sale on Sept. 8-9, 2013, a month earlier than in years past. The event was a resounding success with more than 90% of the auction’s 134 vehicles selling for a total of $33.9M, including buyer’s premium. Not only does this figure trump 2012’s $23M total, but eclipses the event’s previous high figure of $30.8M set in 2010, when the James Bond Aston Martin sold for $4.6M.

Lord Laidlaw’s impressive Competition Car Collection anchored the auction, with seven ultra-desirable track-ready cars on offer, and in the end four sold for a total of $5.9M. Top among the bunch was a rare and fantastic 1957 Maserati 250S that was something of a bargain at slightly more than $3.33M, followed by a 1965 Porsche 904/6 Carrera GTS at a hot $1.93M. The three no-sales from the set were fairly far from anticipated results, with a rare right-hand-drive 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB/C missing on a high bid of $3.28M, a 1960 Maserati Tipo 61 Birdcage failing to trade at $2.5M, and a long-nose Jaguar D-type XKD-504 falling far short at $6.25M.

The auction’s entire first day of offerings was comprised of a single Mercedes-Benz collection, and saw 67 of 71 sell. Top among first-day sales was a 1938 540K Cabriolet B at $1.28M. Laidlaw cars and Mercedes-Benzes aside, the most anticipated car of the auction wasn’t a car at all, with the Lotus Esprit submarine car made famous in Roger Moore’s 1977 Bond movie, “The Spy Who Loved Me,” selling for $962,839.

Overall Top 10 Sales:

1. 1957 Maserati 250S sold for $3,326,170
2. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta sold for $2,573,406
3. 1965 Porsche 904/6 Carrera GTS sold for $1,925,678
4. 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet B sold for $1,281,701
5. 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta sold for $1,277,950
6. 1932 Mercedes-Benz 15/75hp 370S Mannheim sold for $1,203,549
7. 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe sold for $1,155,407
8. 1961 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster sold for $1,120,394
9. 1977 Lotus Esprit James Bond Submarine Car sold for $962,839
10. 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SLS Race Car sold for $927,826

RM’s next auction will be in Hershey, Penn., on Oct. 10-11, 2013. The next RM event slated for European soil is a new sale in Paris held during Retromobile on Feb. 5, 2014.