S T O P P R E S S
Nigel Mansell sees his Williams and Ferrari F1 cars sell for 7.7m euros (£6.5m) during RM Sotheby’s 30m euros (£25.5m) Monaco sale
RM Sotheby’s returned to Monaco for its 6th biennial sale with a Saturday evening 14 May record breaker, which grossed 30.9m euros (£26.3m) with buyers for 82% of cars and the warm-up automobilia lots, 100% of which sold out.
Headlining were two Formula One cars owned by 1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell, who was present Med-side in the Grimaldi Forum venue to see his Williams and Ferrari sell for a combined price of 7,660,000 euros (£6.5m including premium) during Historique Grand Prix weekend.
You could feel the energy in the post-Covid packed room as all eyes fell on the pair of stunning Formula One cars offered from the private collection of the former World Champ.
For this was a very rare opportunity for the ‘High Net Worthy’ to acquire two completely original Formula One cars directly from their World Champion owner and driver and, unsurprisingly, both machines found delighted new owners.
Selling for a million euros over the auctioneers’ high pre-sale estimate, the iconic Mansell Mania era Williams FW14 from 1991 - upon which the Brazilian icon famously perched when the race winning Brummie gave him a lift back to the Silverstone pits - was the undoubted star of the show with a final sale price of 4,055,000 euros (£3,446,750) after a heated bidding battle.
The 'Senna Taxi' had been driven to victory five times by Our Nige during the 1991 F1 season, at the end of which it had been gifted to him when a grateful Williams occupied the podium regularly.
Equally as stunning and historic, Nigel Mansell’s 1989 Ferrari 640 F1 - the first Ferrari F1 to be equipped with a semi-auto gearbox that The Lion drove to victory in Brazil and Hungary - crossed the block to fetch 3,605,000 euros (£3,064,250).
The considerable and unforgettable success that these Mansell single-seater cars both achieved, in the Brit's personal collection since 1989 and 1991 respectively, is testament to their historical significance.
After the excitement of parting with his two old war horses, Nigel Mansell said “I am delighted with all the work that RM Sotheby’s did to bring my beloved cars to market. Deciding to sell them after all these years was a huge decision.”
Not to be outdone by such historic F1 machinery, other significant sales included a stunning 1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider by Scaglietti. Finished in unmissable Giallo Fly over Pelle Nera Vaumol leather, and thought to be one of just 16 US examples of the factory-opened Daytona, sold for an impressive 2,592,500 euros (£2,203,625).
And maintaining the Italian marques theme in this tax-friendly playground, a truly special 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV, powered by its original “sperimentale” engine and expertly restored to factory specifications, sold for a cool 2,480,000 euros (£2,108,000).
Other notable highlights on a Saturday night in Monte Carlo includes a 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight, believed to be one of only 200 examples produced for 1973 in 'Factory Lightweight' configuration. Going under the gavel in factory-correct Light Yellow over Black, the matching-numbers example went to only its second owner for 1,287,500 euros (£1,094,375).
Also, with multiple victories in period on file and plenty of potential for being a front runner in historic F3 racing, a 1967 Tecno T/67-Ford Formula 3 - the 1967 Ex-Works Tecno Race Team car - sold for a strong 132,250 euros (£112,413).
The RM Sotheby’s Monaco top ten -
1.1991 Williams FW14 F1 ex-Mansell 4,055,000 euros (£3,446,750)
2.1989 Ferrari 640 F1 ex-Mansell 3,605,000 euros (£3,064,250)
3. 1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider by Scaglietti 2,592,500 euros (£2,203,625)
4. 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV 2,480,000 euros (£2,108,000)
5=1965 Ferrari 275 GTB by Scaglietti 2,030,000 euros (£1,725,500)
5=1958 BMW 507 Roadster Series II 2,030,000 euros (£1,725,500)
7. 1988 Jaguar XJR-9 1,917,500 euros (£1,629,875)
8. 1969 Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 Race-Sports 1,636,250 euros (£1,390,813)
9. 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7 Lightweight 1,287,500 euros (£1,094,375)
10.1988 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante 'X-Pack' 680,000 euros (£578,000)
After 50 or 77% of the 65 consigned cars on offer had sold for 31.9m (£27.1m), an impressive average of 638,484 euros (£542,712) per classic bought, Augustin Sabatié-Garat, Director of Sales – EMEA stated “It is fantastic to be back in Monaco after a break of four years. This year we brought a truly stunning selection of road and competition machinery to the Grimaldi Forum and there was a lot of anticipation around the sale.
“It is fitting that the results were led by Nigel Mansell’s incredible collection as those cars really grabbed the imagination of the public, and it is clear that the market for historic Formula One cars is stronger than ever.”
It certainly looked that way in Monaco, for sure, but at the annual Monterey auction week in California in August? Mmmm...
Crystal ball time -
For most stakeholders in the collector vehicle market will not be immune surely from the after-shocks of the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
Energy profiteering with sky rocketing costs for consumers, with no ceilings in sight, affects not only planet-polluting drivers and aviators, but all householders. In the UK, excessively taxed fuel prices are at an all-time record price at the pump and are most unlikely ever to fall back to pre-Russian invasion of Ukraine levels. The less than £100 fill-up may become an historic memory.
And then there are the now global commodity shortages, currently reducing manufacturing numbers and responsible for increasing prices of what can be produced and bought. Food prices are going up in the UK at the fastest rate for 40 years, while uncontrolled inflation will devalue most currencies, with over-printed Brexit Sterling currently leading the inflation race in the Western World.
While corrective interest rate hikes in the reality pipeline will become progressively unaffordable for the tax-paying majority, and even the most optimistic pundits are bracing their hedge funds for the inevitabily of global recession, our incompetent and sleaze-ridden politicians will continue to screw up both the present and the future of everything they debate.
Even with politically incorrect exhaust pipes, old motor cars might just be a better bet than money itself, a much needed tonic from permanently bad news 24/7, and a great deal more fun than worrying about an unnecessarily Green-taxed future. RH-E
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