All-star lineup a hit for RM Sotheby’s

PHOENIX _ In the year 2000, RM Auctions came to the “Valley of the Sun” with the first of the high-end boutique auctions. On Jan. 27, RM Sotheby’s presented a stunning array of vehicles for its 2022 Arizona sale, again demonstrating its ability to find some of the best cars on the market. For this one-day sale, the vehicles selected for auction were all topflight in rarity, condition, desirability and excitement.

Some of the top prices ever seen at an Arizona auction came from a record-setting trio of Mercedes-Benz 300SLs. The overall top-selling car from all six Arizona auctions came from a 1955 alloy-bodied “Gullwing” coupe, a very wellknown car to the collector community, which was bid to $6.2 million before being called sold. One of the last 300SLs, a 1964 convertible sporting the factory improvements these cars featured, was called sold with a bid of $2,000,000, while the third member of this group, another 1955 Gullwing steelbody coupe, commanded a strong bid of $1,550,000.

Several other seven-figure sales were seen, including a stunning 1931 Duesenberg Model J Derham sport phaeton (J448/2464) fetching a high bid of $3.2 million. A sharp pair of Ferraris did quite well: $1,775,000 for a 1967 330 GTS followed by a bid of $1.7 million for the “short nose’ 1965 275 GTB coupe. Another star of the show was the original prototype Cizeta-Moroda V16T coupe with styling from the same designer that brought the world the Lamborghini Countach, Marcello Gandini. This one-of-a-kind supercar captured a selling bid of $1,235,000. Playing to a packed room, RM Sotheby’s conducted its Arizona 2022 sale with the same grandeur and opulence that this auction house has presented for the past two-plus decades.

A total of 71 vehicles were counted in our total, which included a pair of high-end children’s cars, including a stunning miniature Jaguar D-type called sold for a bid of $35,000. Among the other noteworthy sales were a 1930 Cadillac V-16 phaeton sold at $800,000, and a 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid that traded hands with a bid of $1,450,000.

When the final numbers were released, 67 of the 71 vehicles offered were reported to have traded hands, raising a total of $40,301,500 in hammer sales. With buyer’s sales commissions added in, that figure climbed to $44,595,540 — not bad for an evening’s work.

The elegant setting of the Biltmore Resort and the level of quality for the vehicles presented continued the RM Sotheby’s tradition of presenting the finest in motor vehicles for the Arizona auction week.

RM Sotheby’s presented the only Cadillac V-16 offered in all of the Scottsdale/Phoenix sales during January 2022 with this stunning 1930 sport phaeton, which was called sold with a bid of $800,000. Below: Easily recognized due to its split back window and faux hood vents was this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette coupe fitted with numbers-matching 327-cid/340-hp V-8, called sold at $200,000.

In all its stunning glory under the Arizona sunshine, this beautiful 1931 Duesenberg Model J Derham Sport Phaeton brought a winning bid of $3,100,000.

RM Sotheby’s presented one of the most iconic Ferrari coupes ever with the 1965 275-GTB “Short Nose,” which traded hands for a bid of $1,700,000.

The only Cizeta-Moroda V16T prototype found a lot of interest with a final selling bid of $1,235,000.

Car-crazy kids of any age would have loved this child’s size Jaguar D-type. It was hammered sold at $35,000.

This rarely seen 1955 Lancia B24S Spider America beauty, fitted with optional hardtop, was hotly contested before selling for a bid of $850,000.

Taking the honors of the highest sale of Scottsdale Auction Week 2022 was RM Sotheby’s 1955 Mercedes-Benz alloy-body Gullwing coupe, with Rudge wheels and matching luggage, trading hands after a bid of $6,200,000.

A near-perfect 1964 Volkswagen 21-window microbus sold for a bid of $165,000.