MARKET WATCH
The exciting Porsches coming to market.
The pandemic caused major disruption to the way sellers were able to entertain buyers in 2020. Responding to the ‘new normal’, traditional auction houses are increasing their digital proposition to encourage hassle-free online bidding for fear of cancelled in-hall activity. With a high number of exciting Porsches coming to market, this is music to our ears...
The new year has presented a number of exciting ownership opportunities for Porsche fans, with auction houses determined to make buying a straightforward affair during lockdown by providing more bidding options at each sale. To this end, most traditional hall-based auctions will now feature increased opportunity for interested parties to bid remotely, with extra focus on digital/online accessibility. Of course, online bidding has been a feature of these events for some time. It’s steadily growing, but the pandemic delivered the rationale for wholly online auctions when it became debatable if traditional open-to-public events could be staged or, indeed, would prove viable. Recognising remote bidding is no substitute for real-world engagement enjoyed by a room full of enthusiasts, however, most of the auction house representatives we spoke to said they will be continuing with plans to host their usual in-person events regardless of the take-up of their digital offerings. Let’s hope lockdown life doesn’t scupper these efforts any more than it already has.
Whether you’re planning to register your interest in an auction in person or online in 2021, there’s plenty of Porsche action heading your way. For example, hot on the heels of shifting the gorgeous Geyser Grey Singer 911 (pictured) for a cool $925k, RM Sotheby’s has announced the availability of a 1952 356 split-window coupe fresh from a near three-year restoration. Finished in its original shade of Dunkelgrün, chassis number 11247 is claimed to be the fifty-third-from-last of 749 Type 356/1500 coupes completed by Reutter and, according to the car’s Kardex, was delivered to the Eduard Winter agency in Berlin soon after its completion in February 1952. For the restoration, a complete new interior of beige leatherette with matching fabric seat inserts was crafted by Ferraresi Interni Auto, one of Italy’s top-rated upholstery shops. We’re excited to see how much this rare Porsche fetches when it goes under the hammer at the RM Sotheby’s Paris sale on Saturday 13th February.
From one of the oldest to one of the newest: Race Cars Direct is offering a
718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport maintained (regardless of cost) by In2racing Ltd and configured in accordance with MantheyRacing guidelines. The car comes with the option of an attractive In2racing support package to compete in this season’s Porsche Sprint Challenge GB, having already proved itself as a regular top-six finisher.
Sticking with the track theme, among
MOST OF THE AUCTION HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES WE SPOKE TO SAID THEY WILL BE CONTINUING WITH PLANS TO HOST THEIR USUAL IN-PERSON EVENTS
the Porsches being readied for the Silverstone Auctions Race Retro Live Online Auction (due to take place Saturday 27th March) is one of just 113 Uk-supplied 996 GT3 RS, an example indicating just 31,836 miles covered since road registration in 2004.
Meanwhile, at the more ‘accessible’ end of the spectrum, Anglia Car Auctions will be welcoming a 1990 944 Turbo to its King’s Lynn auction hall across the weekend commencing 27th February. Dressed in black and trimmed in Linen leather, the turbocharged transaxle is displaying just 84k miles on its odometer and carries a lower estimate of £19k, which strikes us perfectly reasonable, much like the £11,093 final sale price a bidder was lucky to coin when winning a 996 Carrera 2 Cabriolet (complete with factory hard top) at the Historics Auctioneers Ascot Sale a few weeks ago. ●