European collector cars, especially sports and GT models, are holding their strong values on the Continent as they are in the U.S., with Artcurial Motorcars reaching a solid $8 million result from its Automobiles sur les Champs auction Sunday in Paris, with 80 percent of the 77 cars sold before a packed house of spectators and participants.
The top seller was a gleaming silver 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster that reached $943,890 (all results include auction fees, and are converted from euro to U.S. dollars), followed by a 1963 Aston Martin DB4, $603,130 ; a pair of Ferrari 512 Boxers, a 1978 model at $419,540 and a 1982 car at $353,980 ; and a 1993 Porsche 964 Turbo, $333,080.
A late-model celebrity car, the 2000 BMW Z8 driven by Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in The World is Not Enough, was sold at the record auction price for this model of $308,770.
“Once again, the Automobiles sur les Champs sale has been very successful, with a dynamic market for cars from the 1980s,” Matthieu Lamoure, managing director of Artcurial Motorcars, said in a news release. “The Astons and Porsches attracted strong bidding and continue to hold their prices.”
The top 10 results for Artcurial’s Automobiles sur les Champs sale:
- 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster, $943,890
- 1963 Aston Martin DB4 Series 4, $603,130
- 1978 Ferrari 512 Berlinetta Boxer, $419,540
- 1982 Ferrari 512i Berlinetta Boxer, $353,980
- 1993 Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6, $333,080
- 1969 Maserati Ghibli 4700 coupe, $327,800
- 2000 BMW Z8, $308,770
- 1988 Porsche 930 Turbo, $298,980
- 1973 BMW 3.0 CSL, $275,330
- 1962 Bentley Continental S2 Cabriolet Park Ward, $222,860
(All sales results include auction fees)