Market Intelligence
Spring winds on Amelia Island
Amelia Island Spring Auctions: Gooding shines with $66M sales, Bonhams sets records. Highlights: 1903 Mercedes-Simplex at $12.1M, Ferrari Daytona Spider $3.6M. Notable lots: Napier L48 'Samson' at $742K, Lancia Aurelia B24S Cabriolet steals show at $112K.
There was a healthy amount of curiosity before this edition of Amelia Island, a spring event on the 'East Coast' and a springtime highlight in a potential contrast to the famous Pebble Beach events. The beginning of the year did not provide an accurate picture of the classic car market: A few 'top flops' and an overall feeling of a possible slowdown in demand. Looking at Gooding's numbers, however, gives us second thoughts: Sales of $66,078,670 - the second best year ever - even surpassed the estimated $64,155,000 on offer (103%), which is very rare to see.
It was more difficult for Bonhams, offering far fewer cars (78 vs. 102), selling only 50 (vs. 80 in 2023), sales halved from $12.8 million to $6,686,750, partly due to the drastic reduction in unreserved cars. A slightly less interesting auction? Perhaps because the lots were less appealing than in 2023. The reason can be found in the fact that Bonhams announced another sale in May specifically in Miami, on the occasion of the Formula 1 GP.
