A 1962 Jaguar E-type Lightweight Competition snatched the title of the most valuable E-type ever sold at auction last week, heading a series of world record prices at the Scottsdale, Arizona auctions.
The Australian GT Championship-winning example was marked by its incredible originality and became the subject of a flurry of bidding, eventually selling for $7,370,000, topping the sales charts for the week.
RM Sotheby’s best-seller – the sublime 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster by Sindelfingen – took second place with a final sale price of $6,600,000. The one-off, owner-commissioned beauty had incredible pedigree, having previously picked up a prize at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
Next up was a 1952 Ferrari 340 America Vignale Spider, which set a model auction record after fetching $6,380,000. The Mille Miglia, Le Mans 24 Hours and Targa Florio veteran drew a huge amount of interested from international bidders and ensured two of the three top spots belonged to historic race cars.
Bonham’s had further success with its 1928 Mercedes-Benz Typ S 26/120/180 Supercharged Sports Tourer – or simply the ‘Car of Kings’ if you’re short of breath. The stunning multi-award winning pre-war roadster made a commanding $4,812,500.
A 1925 Bugatti Type 35 Grand Prix car from Gooding & Co’s sale exceeded its pre-sale upper estimate to make $3,300,000, making it the firm’s best performing lot, closely followed by a 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast at $2,915,000.
Six of RM’s top lots were Ferraris, led by a 1969 365GTS by Pininfarina, which sold for $3,602,500. A 1995 F50 became one of the top selling modern classics when it followed at $3,125,000, with a 1961 400 Superamerica SWB Coupe Aerodinamico by Pininfarina, a 2003 Enzo, a 1967 330GTS and a 275GTB/6C all coming in at more than $2,000,000 a piece.
