Classic Car Auction in Paris: Artcurial Strikes Back

After what could be described as a disastrous auction at Retromobile last year, Artcurial in Paris has successfully changed its strategy this year: fewer “pretentious” cars, even in their estimates, turning 2024’s bad day into a bright one. Out of the 123 cars offered, 94 found new owners; compared to the 128 offered and 91 sold last year, the success rate jumped from 71% to 76.42%. The increase in total value was almost unthinkable. In 2024, the total value of cars on offer was €44,947,000, with sales totaling only €17,321,200 due to the failure of key top lots. This year, the cars on offer amounted to just €29,052,000, but the revenue of €21,072,490 brought the sales rate by value from 38.5% to 72.5%! This was helped by the proportion of no-reserve lots, which rose from under 40% to almost 60%, yet the average sale price did not suffer, instead rising to €224,175, up from €190,343 last year.