RM Sotheby’s – A Comeback Victory at Cliveden House

The RM Sotheby’s auction at Cliveden House, England, on July 8th could have raised doubts about its outcome: nearly half the cars offered were pre-war models, and if we include those from the 1940s–50s, they made up almost 70% of the total. A risky move? Not at all—this auction turned out to be a success: 74.60% of the lots changed hands, and the percentage would rise to 83% if we include the five cars negotiated after the auction ended. Even though the total value of cars offered nearly halved compared to last year — dropping from £19,595,000 to £10,783,000—the total value of cars sold fell only 18%, from £7,733,288 to £6,326,000.

Year-over-year comparisons always have limitations, and in this case, key differences included the value of the cars offered, which resulted in an average price of £134,600 compared to £193,000 last year, and the share of no-reserve cars, which rose to 46.03% from 35% last year.