Auction Stats - percentages sold and sale totals

JANUARY AUCTION STATS

Thanks to being able to stage ‘Live’ Drive-Throughs in front of real, rather than virtual audiences, Mecum’s sales in pandemic-depressed January broke company history records. For after a 10 day residency at the Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, 2030 vehicles, 89% of the total vehicle park driven across the block, were successfully re-homed for an unprecedented $122.8m (£89,64m), the highest single auction total ever achieved in the Wisconsin firm’s 34 year history.

Friday 15 January alone saw sales of $34m (£24.82m), the most Mecum have ever clocked up in a single day, during which Carroll Shelby’s personal Cobra 427, chassis CSX3178, became the annual event’s top seller and the most valuable 427 Cobra ever sold in public auction with a premium-inclusive price of $5.94m (£4.34m). The 1956 M-B 300SL Gullwing (pictured being driven past the rostrum above) flew well, too, running out of sky at $1.57m (£1.15m), strong retail money in a showroom.

Less than a week later, at Punta Gorda in the same State, Mecum then hammered away 100% of the 200 strong Muscle Car City Collection $18.4m (£13.43m) to take their Florida sales total in one month to over $141m (£102.93m). A record month for the firm.

'Top Selling Car of the Month' overall though was the 1955 Jaguar D Type (illustrating this page and creatively photographed for auctioneers RM Sotheby’s by Patrick Ernzen). First sold by the then car dealer Bernie Ecclestone to the late Peter Blond, a leading sports car driver in the late 1950s and early 1960s, who became a Sotheby’s specialist, the bright red D sports-racer raised $6m (£4.38m) during the North American firm’s $35.07m (£25.6m) ‘Live’ Scottsdale sale. Held in the OTTO Car Club this year, 89% of the entry sold to bidders from 35 countries from around the world competing for cars in the room or via phone and net.

Bonhams sold a BMW 507 Roadster for $1.81m (£1.32m) at The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, where 78% of the 37 cars sold for $5.9m (£4.3m). Whereas Gooding & Co’s traditionally ‘Live’ Scottsdale fixture was switched to their ‘Geared On-Line’ format via computer at their Santa Monica California HQ, from where $7.01m (£5.18m) of sales were achieved for 74% of the 34 client cars on their website. A still highly original 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Long Nose fetched $1.94m (£1.41m) and a 1926 Bugatti Type 37 GP, a world record $935,000 (£682,550) for a T37.

Worldwide’s replacement gig for their ‘Scottsdale 2021’ sale was well screened by well dressed ‘Worldwide TV’ from Auburn, Indiana, on a YouTube channel. As with the Mecum coverage, there was lots going on, both on and off the rostrum, with 94% of the cars driven past the cameras selling, including a vast 1934 Packard 1107 Twelve Phaeton Gangster-Mobile pulling a very modern $571,000 (£416,830).

In very nearly totally locked down Brexit Britain meanwhile, the few 'Live' sales that had been planned were postponed and only internet players were able to function behind closed doors. Led by a 1999 Subaru Impreza 22b selling for £106,000, the £886,190 January sales total by ‘On-Line Only’ auctioneers The Market were over three times higher than those in January 2020. One year ago, pre-pandemic.

With other sellers ranging from an ex-Sean Connery 1986 BMW 635CSI fetching £48,100 to the Range Rover Sport SUV first owned by David Beckham making £15,500, during a month when most markets were frozen by legislation, the average price paid for collector vehicles on The Market platform in January had risen to £24,619.59p. By the time their allotted bidding windows had closed, only four cars were unsold. RH-E