For years we’ve grumbled and muttered under our breath about how the automobile auction business, and in particular the big-name companies, took most of the cars we love to race, cruise and mess with and shot their values through the roof. Seriously, if you told someone in 1976 that their 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda would be pushing the million-dollar mark, you’d be laughed out of the room. Nobody is laughing now, though. We’ve seen million-dollar Corvettes, and many of the upper-crust models and anything that has the word “Hemi” attached to it sells for the kind of money that buys a nice house anymore. The numbers are enough to make a regular Joe sick.
You want to know what a real millions-of-dollars auction should look like? Pay attention to RM Sotheby’s “Pinnacle Portfolio” auction, slated to take place at the Monterey (California) 2015 Classic Car Auctions. This isn’t just high-society cars, this is high-class even by high-society standards. A quick look through the docket shows just how special (and nightmarishly expensive) this one is going to be:
- A 1997 McLaren F1 “LM-specification”: One of two, factory converted, and street-legal, expected to bring in $12 million
- An unrestored 1967 Toyota 2000GT, one of 351. These have gone for as high as $1.2 million.
- A 2006 AND 2012 Bugatti Veyron, chassis numbers 001 and 300, the first and last car of the production run.
- 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Alloy Gullwing
- 1971 Lamborghini Muira P400 SV
- 1994 Ferrari F40LM
- 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 by Scaglietti
And that’s just a sample. Other vehicles include the 2005 Enzo that was gifted to Pope John Paul II, a Jaguar XJ220, and a Ferrari 288GTO. RM Sotheby’s estimates that the Pinnacle Portfolio alone will net approximately $65 million itself, and in conjunction with the other lots for sale that weekend, should eclipse their $144 million high-water mark, set last year. The Monterey 2015 Classic Car Auction will take place August 13-15, 2015 with the Pinnacle Portfolio crossing the auction block on the 13th.
