The Giant and the Pygmy: RM and Hampson Amaze

This time, all the taboos were broken. It seemed that towards the end of April, opposites attracted—on one side the giant RM organizing an (online) auction with a “popular” flavor, and on the other the small English house Hampson aiming high and offering an almost “luxury” auction (by its standards). And in between, here we are to tell you about these strange seven days.

First step, RM, which between April 23 and 28 organized a virtual auction: 80 cars from all over the world, from the deserts of Dubai (where a few months ago they opened their local office — the first globally) to the Swiss Alps, passing through Europe and the United Kingdom. The only absentee was the United States, a nation for which they are reserving a specific sale at the end of May. There could have been some confusion for buyers who were required to bid in US dollars, pounds sterling, euros or Swiss francs depending on the lot. The sale was not a success: of the 80 cars offered, just over half (43) sold for a total value of €5,542,955, almost a third of the €14,846,330 pre-auction estimate. However, this made the whole event very “pop” because with an average price of €128,906, it was RM’s second most “affordable” auction in the last 10 years.
Hampson, the small English auction house based at Bolesworth Castle, held its Classic, Performance and Supercar Auction on May 4, with the same number of lots as RM (80) but a higher success rate (60 cars, equal to 75%). In terms of value, however, the similarities immediately fade: where RM had estimated nearly €15 million but settled at €5,542,955, Hampson estimated £1,924,000 and achieved £1,401,824. The average price of £23,364 seems almost ridiculous in comparison with the American-Canadian giant, but it’s still double the £10,000-12,000 that is the standard for their target of British enthusiasts. And I believe it is precisely passion that is the common thread in the spirit of these two auctions — or rather, in the selection of the cars offered.

Clearly RM set the top lot of the week with the 2024 Aston Martin Valour. Only 110 were made, one for every year of the British brand’s history, and — predictably — this is the typical “trailer queen”, a car that travels very few kilometers per year, always pampered in some garage. In fact, it had just 60 km, practically new. The color mesmerized me — Aston Martin Racing Green 2022, somewhere between blue and green. Although registered in Germany, to the estimate of €1.4–1.6 million (the list price in this configuration approached €1.8 million), VAT had to be added since it had fewer than 6,000 km — and in case of export outside the European Union, the corresponding duties — so in the end the valuation resembled more €1.6–1.9 million. It sold exactly in the middle of the estimate at €1,517,000, which, considering the additional taxes, matches the list price when new.

2024 Aston Martin Valour sold for €1,518,000 (£1,280,000).

Hampson’s ambition was not enough to “overtake” RM, but thanks to the 1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series V Vantage, the English house set its record for the most expensive car ever sold. Let’s take a look: matching numbers, no gaps in its history, restored between 2017 and 2018 by the renowned RS Williams for a total of £190,000. Since then, it has only covered 1,000 miles. Then there’s the beautiful color combination of Aston Martin green with red leather interior, and in the most recent full overhaul it received several modern upgrades to make it more usable: a more powerful alternator, aluminum radiator, central locking, and upgraded oil cooler. Now some market context: in recent years, average prices have fluctuated between a minimum of £250,000 and a maximum of £450,000, while Hampson, due to the high quality, estimated its lot at £400,000–500,000. The sale price was £416,250, a bit below the record but still the second most expensive DB4 Vantage sold in this five-year period. Looks like Hampson is aiming to become big.

1962 Aston Martin DB4 Series V Vantage sold for £416,250 (€494,000).

This was confirmed by the lot just before the DB4 which, even if for just a few minutes, held the record for the most expensive car sold by Hampson: the Jaguar E-Type S1 by Woodham Mortimer, which with its 4.7-liter engine (400 hp), lightweight body, and handling made it a full-fledged restomod. Clearly these modifications come at a very high cost and at auction it was estimated at £200,000–300,000. After some hesitation, it went for £283,696.

1966 Jaguar E-type Series 1 The One-of-One by Woodham Mortimer sold for £283,696 (€336,500).

For the same budget one could have taken home one of the bargains of the RM sale, the 2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren which, thanks to its 616 bhp engine, at the time rivaled the Porsche Carrera GT and the Ferrari Enzo. Nowadays things have changed and the Star’s car costs a fraction of its rivals; the example offered, for instance, had only 2,319 miles and a menacing all-black livery. With U.S. specifications and sold in Switzerland, the estimate of €275,000–340,000 was a tenth of an Enzo and a fifth of its Weissach rival. But all this wasn’t enough because in the end, the bids, including fees, stopped at €264,000 and the owner—probably reluctantly — let it go. With the Prancing Horse badge, things might have gone differently.

2006 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren sold for €264,000 (£222,500).

There were three well-known pre-bumper 911s that stirred the market a bit. One of the first S models from 1967 with its two-liter engine, a 2.2S Coupé from 1970, and a recent 2.4S Coupé. The first two came from the same collector, the silver 2.0 was born for Germany then went to the U.S. and was found overseas in 2013 with a re-stamped chassis, non-original engine and gearbox. Not exactly dream features, but at €130,000–170,000 there was room to maneuver.

1967 Porsche 911 S Coupé sold for €61,600 (£52,000).

For the ruby-red 2.2S the situation was better: born for the USA, it had its original engine and gearbox, but had been sitting unused for about ten years, so substantial work was already foreseeable. €150,000–200,000 was the ask. The yellow 2.4S instead embodied enthusiasts’ dreams: although not an Ölklappe (its documents are from 1972 but it was actually built in 1973), it still gleamed thanks to its £72,736 restoration completed in 2017. The estimate here was €120,000–180,000.

1970 Porsche 911 S 2.2 Coupé sold for €81,400 (£68,500).

All offered without reserve, the ones in bad condition dropped respectively to €61,600 and €81,400 (about half the minimum estimate), while yellow in this case was not the color of a lemon as it sold for €203,500.

1973 Porsche 911 S 2.4 Coupé sold for €203,500 (£171,500).

On the Hampson front, there were opportunities for those looking for a Maranello gem without breaking the bank. The choice could fall between a 1996 Ferrari 456 GT or a 2011 Ferrari California. The 456 GT had only 26,000 miles and also featured the desirable and sought-after manual transmission. The color combination was very elegant: Azzurro Monaco with tobacco interior. Darker was the Blu Tour de France of the California, and in any case, thanks to its 43,600 miles, it couldn't be considered a second-tier choice.

1996 Ferrari 456 GT sold for £39,667 (€47,000).

Both were right-hand drive, which made them rarer (only 141 units for the 456) but also harder to resell outside the United Kingdom. The estimate was super-competitive and interchangeable: £38,000–42,000 each. The V12 hit the target at £39,667 while the coupe-cabriolet couldn’t go beyond £36,562.

2011 Ferrari California sold for £36,562 (€43,500).

If you’ve made it this far, you deserve the prize: the lot that shocked me the most this year, and maybe in the last decade. I was reflecting on these auctions and thought “passion is also collecting automobilia”, and seeing that yellow and green helmet. The helmet in question had been worn by Ayrton Senna at Spa during the 1992 Belgian GP, the one where the Brazilian driver risked his life to save fellow racer Erik Comas trapped in his wrecked car. The estimate of £100,000–150,000 set by RM seemed incredibly high considering that a Schumacher helmet (just to give an example) usually doesn't exceed £60,000. I was speechless and lost my focus — it seemed impossible: £720,000! I can only say “WOW” and add one comment: RM Sotheby’s, no matter what happens, always manages to amaze.

1992 Ayrton Senna McLaren-Honda Formula 1 Shoei Helmet sold for £720,000 (€854,000).