Archive
18/03/2020
1992 McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 was born out of Bruce McLaren's dream to produce a road car that could win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. With a focus on weight reduction, the car featured a carbon fiber chassis and BMW-developed V12 engine producing 618bhp.
17/03/2020
The most surprising cars of Amelia Island 2020
The Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance is a unique event that features a wide variety of cars on display, auctions, and fundraising activities.
16/03/2020
1919. And then came the Helica, a hopeless challenge…
Marc Leyat was an aeronautical engineer who unveiled the Elicicle in 1913. He later corrected some of its flaws and proposed a modified Sport model in 1926 which recorded an extraordinary speed of 171 km/hour at Montlhery.
15/03/2020
25th Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance
The Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance celebrated its Silver Anniversary this year with a four-day car show that included auctions, exhibitions, and rallies, culminating in the main event on Sunday. More than 300 vintage cars from museums and private collections were exhibited, with special honors given to Roger Penske, Sergio Scaglietti, and Porsche’s Le Mans victories. The Best in Show, Concours de Sport was awarded to the 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am Spyder, while the Best in Show, Concours d’Elegance trophy went to the 1929 Duesenberg J-218 Town Limousine. The next edition of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is scheduled for March 2021.
14/03/2020
Bargain corner. The temptations of Cliff Goodall at the auctions of Amelia Island
The Amelia Island auctions in 2022 saw a high concentration of affordable cars with a high collectability factor, with Bonhams selling 71.7% of cars for less than $100,000. The most interesting cars for $47,040 were the 1932 Lancia Dilambda and the Benz Patent Motorwagen replica. Gooding sold a 1960 AC Aceca for $95,200, and a 1994 BMW 850 CSi for $67,200. RM had a 1967 Sunbeam Tiger MkII for $89,600, and a 1927 Rolls Royce Phantom I Avon Sedan by Brewster for $89,600.
13/03/2020
Large auction houses and marketing: RM abandons the bet and plays across the board
RM's strategy at the 2022 Amelia Island auction was to offer several top lots with limited estimates, and it proved successful with seven out of eight cars selling. The top lot was a red 2003 Ferrari Enzo, which sold for $2,782,500, followed by a Bugatti Type 57 Cabriolet d'Ieteren that fetched $1,655,000. An interesting moment during the auction was the bidding war over a Lola T165 CanAm driven by Paul Newman, which sold for $665,000 after 55 raises. Despite the good results, RM was unable to match the sales from 2019, and it seems that the prices of the cars offered have a tendency to drop.
12/03/2020
Gooding fared well. But the winning horse has a slight limp...
The highlight of Gooding's car auction was lot 43, a 1958 Ferrari 250 California Spider LWB with a rare hardtop, which had an estimate of $9-11 million. Despite receiving many offers, bidding stalled at $8 million and the car did not sell. Other notable cars included a 1914 Rolls Royce 40/50hp Torpedo Phaeton with Kellner bodywork that sold for $2.2 million and a Lamborghini Miura S that fetched $1.4 million. A 2015 Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta also exceeded expectations and sold for $654,000. Pre-war cars represented less than 5% of the cars on offer, but still made up the most expensive lot. The total sales amounted to $20.4 million, a 10% decrease from last year, with 92% of the cars sold.
10/03/2020
Consistency and intelligence: Bonhams becomes Boomans…
The Bonhams team is likely smiling after an excellent sale in Paris and an even better one at Amelia Island. This year's event saw a 30.5% increase in total sales, jumping from $16,097,787 to $21,011,940 for 85 cars sold, resulting in an average price per car of $247,199, a 38% increase over the previous year. The success can be largely attributed to the sale of the Bugatti Tipo 55 Super Sport, which sold for $7,100,000, and Bonhams' expertise in offering high-end 1930s cars. Despite the unsold 1952 Jaguar C-Type, the sale of the Renault AI 35/45hp Vanderbilt racer, previously owned by 24-hour Le Mans driver William Spear Jr. and one of four remaining commissioned by Willie Vanderbilt, for $3,332,500 also helped contribute to the overall success of the event.
09/03/2020
When imagination and folly meet. 1913. Marcel Leyat’s Elicicle
The Elicicle, designed by engineer Marcel Leyat in 1913, was a streamlined land vehicle with an aluminum body mounted on a plywood frame and a radial engine at the front driving a two-bladed propeller.
07/03/2020