Gooding fared well. But the winning horse has a slight limp...
12 March 2020 3 min read 5 images
At Gooding, the only lot that mattered was number 43, the others were a side dish. In 2019, Gooding sold about $22 million, this year it offered cars worth a total of $33,910,000 but a single car made up almost a third of that number. To put this into perspective, the top lot was worth as much as the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth cars put together. A make or break moment, if you will. Selling it would have been a success, otherwise...
What car was it and how did it go? Let’s take it slowly, now that I’ve created the suspense, I will first tell you about three other interesting lots.
Shall we begin with the “usual” Porsche? Almost, this time the subject was a 1998 RUF Turbo R. Belonging to the Porsche family, dark green colour... yes! Now I remember, I saw her last year on Amelia Island (but through Bonhams). At the time it had 14,000 km on the clock and was sold for $626,500. The new owner enjoyed it, added 23,000 km to it (we are now at 37,000 in total) and sold it for $676,000. Once commissions had been accounted for he didn’t actually make any money on it, but he certainly spent a pleasant year at practically zero cost.
A great result also for a 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta. Although this model has often left a bad taste in the mouths of sellers of late – in other words: a tendency to depreciate – the example on offer did exactly the opposite, almost certainly helped by the very low mileage (just 1,000 miles). Estimated at $425-500,000, they eventually sold it for $654,000, + 54% over the minimum estimate. Are the lean years over? I’m not fully convinced, but I would keep an eye on this one, you never know.
Another interesting car was the Lamborghini Miura S and not only because it is incredibly beautiful. The example offered by Gooding from 1969, was one of the finest on the market. Fully preserved with only three owners since new, 18,000 miles on the clock and ready for the Pebble Beach preservation class. Moreover, it was presented in a beautiful red with a blue interior and silver door sill. What I would give to have one in the garage... and yet $1,435,000 was enough to take it home. What would I give to have $1,435,000... In Arizona, a Lamborghini Miura SV (notoriously more expensive but in decidedly below average condition) was sold for $1,391,000 so now a Miura S has gone further. This is interesting because with the widespread lowering of prices, the condition of a car havse more weight on its evaluation. Some advice? If you can, try to buy the best example you can find on the market because it will come in very handy when you sell it.
How about now? Now I can tell you about the famous lot 43.
The car we are talking about is a 1958 Ferrari 250 California Spider LWB (or long wheelbase), burgundy red with light tobacco interior. One of the most important examples available, with faired headlights (which are worth 20% more than those with open headlights) and the ultra-rare hardtop - which is said to be worth almost $500,000 alone – it had the mandatory Red Book (Ferrari Classiche) and boasted numerous class wins at Pebble Beach and Cavallino Classic. For this motorized masterpiece the estimate was $9-11 million (in line with Gooding’s last sale at Pebble Beach last year, $9 million) and offers flocked in but at $8,000,000 they stopped. The seller took it home and Gooding took the hit.
CLASSIC CAR MATCHER