All that glisters may not be gold

But the right Aston Martins are still making the money

WE’LL BEGIN IN BRITAIN for a change, and the discovery that not all Aston Martin Lagonda products are turning to gold. Not even the gold ones.

Bonhams’ annual Aston Martin Sale at Newport Pagnell changed venue this year, to the Aston Martin paint shop. As far as paint is concerned the cars on offer were in various states of finish, from the near-immaculate to the near-forgotten barn find. The total sale revenue of £5,152,721 came from the 25 out of 43 cars that sold, the most valuable of which was a 1970 Aston Martin DB6 Mark 2 Volante which reached £561,500. The runner-up at £399,100 was a 1961 Aston Martin DB4 Series III with an uprated engine of 4.2 litres.

So, for Aston Martins at least, it’s still the 1960s cars that rule the roost. That said, a less-than-perfect ‘wedge’ Lagonda is always going to be a hard sell, even a very early example described as ‘the first real production car’. Restored in 1986, driven little since and stored for 14 years, this gold example sold without reserve for just £28,750 including premium, barely a third of its estimate. Not a lot of wedge, really, for such a significant piece of history.

Silverstone Auctions’ May Sale, a short distance west of Newport Pagnell, was unusually full of Ferraris (14 on offer), Porsches (17), Jaguars (11) and Aston Martins (seven). Taken together, those four marques accounted for one car less than two-thirds of the sale. Of the 75 vehicles on offer, 54 sold to net £3.6 million. Top of the tree was a 1993 Porsche 964 Turbo S ‘Leichtbau’ at £556,875, chased by a 1971 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage MkII coupé at £348,750.

Back to Bonhams, this time in Belgium. The Spa Classic Sale accumulated €4,872,466 from the 48 cars that sold out of a 65-strong entry. Top seller was a 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster at €1,127,000, originally a US-based car which made the return trip close to home. Number two was also from 1958, a Porsche 356A 1600 Super Speedster which sold for €322,000 – one of the final 500 Speedsters built.

RM Sotheby’s held its Villa Erba Sale in Lake Como, Italy, at the end of May. Of the 66 vehicles offered, including motorcycles, 41 sold. Contributing handsomely to the total haul of €25,355,850 were the eight cars that sold for €1m each, with two more passing the €900,000 mark. The top result belonged to a handsome 1937 Talbot-Lago T150-C SS Goutte D’Eau coupé, which sold within its estimate range for €3,360,000.

The most talked-about car of the sale, though, was a 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 3.8. Virtually ‘new’ and

still in in its Cosmoline coating, it showed just 10 km on the clock. The eternal old/new car dilemma is especially powerful here: driving it will destroy the aura, and let’s not talk about how the 24-year-old rubber bits, those four large round ones on the corners included, will hold up at speed. It will be interesting to see where this one ends up, be it in a museum or on the road.

And so to the US, with news of date changes which alter the complexion of some well-known sales. Gooding & Company is to move its Pebble Beach sale to the Friday and Saturday before the concours. It has traditionally been held on the Saturday and Sunday of the concours, as the grand finale of Monterey Week. It could be a smart business move, as many were already wrapping up the week just after the Concours ended in the late afternoon, but it does leave a gap in final-day activities. Celebratory glass of Champagne, anyone?

RM Sothebys’ auction calendar has been tweaked too. The auction house has long participated in the St John’s Concours, formerly known as Meadowbrook. Support will continue but there will no longer be an auction. RM is instead to focus on its upcoming Santa Monica sale, formerly branded Auctions America but now to be co-branded. By putting more emphasis on this California sale, RM might take pressure off its Monterey sale where the focus is on higher-end cars, those starting at $250,000 and moving into the multiple millions. Those attending St John’s can expect to see cars on display that might later be on offer at both sales.

Now some actual results. Mecum’s 30th annual Indianapolis sale, a five-day event held shortly before the Indy 500 race, had 1665 vehicles on offer of which 1208 sold. That yielded over $50m – Mecum’s best Indy result yet. The emphasis among the sprawling Indianapolis fairgrounds is on Corvettes and classic American muscle cars, but one of the most interesting lots – and the top seller – was a 1996 Porsche 911 GT2 Evo, which sold for $1,595,000. That’s excellent money for this GT2 model and shows that it’s not always the place of the sale, it’s the cars themselves.

Second slot also went to a car outside the Corvette/ muscle-car category, a 1967 Toyota 2000 GT which sold for $825,000. Bidding was vibrant and reports from the ground indicated there were collectors and dealers bidding vigorously on almost every sought-after lot.

‘LET’S NOT TALK ABOUT HOW THE 24-YEAR-OLD RUBBER BITS, LARGE ROUND ONES ON THE CORNERS INCLUDED, WILL HOLD UP AT SPEED’

There were a few bargains as well, such as the 1982 Porsche 928 automatic in Redwood Black that sold for $1925, a running car bought for a parts-car price. A 1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible resplendent in metallic blue with white interior was one of the top all-American bargains at $23,350.

Auctions America returned to its purpose-built venue in Auburn, Indiana, for its annual Spring sale. Generating over $10.2 million, this three-day sale included assets from the Level 5 Motorsports Collection, sold without reserve. Bidding was ‘fast and furious’ with top-quality goods selling for top-shelf prices. Also on offer was a large lot of military equipment, much of it from the World War Two and Korean War eras. In all, 83% of the 350 vehicles and 450 automobilia lots sold to bidders from 38 states and 11 countries, over a third of them new Auctions America clients.

Our final North American report comes from Canada, where North America Collector Car Productions held its May sale in Mississauga, Ontario. Revenue from the Toronto Classic Car Auction exceeded $5.1 million (Canadian dollars), gained from the 205 vehicles sold out of 275 entries. Big sellers included a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500XL R-code 427 at $203,500 and a 1988 Ferrari Mondial 3.2 Cabriolet at $95,700 – big money for this car.

Now we are heading into the busiest part of the busy season across North America and Europe, and the next few months’ sales will prove highly interesting. Buyers, sellers and even auction companies continue to be in a minor state of flux. Will 2017’s numbers top those of 2016? We’ll just have to wait to see.