CLASSIC CARS IN CRAZY COLOURS TAKE CENTRE STAGE AT AUCTIONS

Traditional car colours are considered a safe choice, but in recent times, unconventional wheels hues have been boosting the resale value of classic

On March 3, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider was sold for $18 million at a Gooding & Company auction in Florida’s Amelia Island. The highperformance two-seater was one of just 27 in its genre, which is characterised by highly desirable plexiglass-covered headlights. It had retained its original chassis and body, along with an elegant interior by Italian automobile body builder Scaglietti.

But there was another element that made the Ferrari most alluring: its colour. Gooding’s headlining car was the world’s only example delivered new in Azzurro Metallizzato, or metallic blue. “Unique and rare colours can certainly contribute to higher values at auction and in the general marketplace,” says David Gooding, founder and president, Gooding & Company. “Traditional car colours may be more safe when it comes to buying and selling, but we see more opportunity for drastic upticks in value when an already great collector car is available in its factorydelivered, rare and visually appealing colour scheme,” he says.

‘Safe’ means a sure bet, something with a relatively steady track record when it comes to value and mass appeal. You know you’ll find a buyer for a car in a standard colour. But along with rarity, pedigree and condition, certain eccentric or specially requested colours on a collectible car can deliver a pleasant bump in value. Bryon Madsen, chief strategy officer of auction house RM Sotheby’s, says, “You don’t know how much, but you know that [a unique colour] will command a premium.”

“Colour is usually the primary [search criteria] for our clients,” says Eli Kogan, owner, Otto Car Club in Scottsdale, Arizona (US), who often sources high-value collectible vehicles for club members. If you want to own something that commands a higher value than comparable models from its era, you need something from the outer ends of the colour spectrum, something no one else is likely to have: a blue Ferrari, for instance.

For Porsche lovers, the move lately has been to steer clear of the traditional; they prefer to think purplish pink. In November, a 1992 Porsche 911 Carrera RS painted in a raspberry hue called Rubystone Red sold on BAT for a segment-topping $469,999.

However, here’s the rub: Not just any unusual colour will increase the value of a classic. Exceptions abound, and determining which hue will pop for a given make and model takes years of experience — and no small dose of discernment. “Colour is a very funny thing that can add or detract value in an instant,” says Steve Serio, an automotive broker who deals in million-dollar cars.

During that March weekend in Florida, a rare 1959 Ferrari

250 GT LWB California Spider, also with coachwork by Scaglietti and also in an unusual colour — Amaranto (Burgundy) — went unsold during the RM Sotheby’s auction. The fact that it had been repainted from the Blu Genziana (blue) that was its original colour undoubtedly hurt its value. In the rarefied world of blue-chip car collecting, repainting a classic is sacrilege.

Unique and rare colours can certainly contribute to higher values at auction and in the general marketplace. DAVID GOODING, Founder and president, Gooding & Company

PHOTO: GOODING & COMPANY) 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider