Pair of rare Mercedes leads €12.6m Le Mans Classic auction

Artcurial’s Le Mans Classic sale shifts millions

Last weekend saw decades’ worth of rare and storied machinery taking to the track at Le Mans for the annual Le Mans Classic, a thrilling celebration of historic competition cars.

But there was action off-track, too: auction house Artcurial hosted a sale of some, well, rare and storied machinery – and the results were pretty astounding.

In total, some €12.6m (£11.13m) changed hands, as million-pound Mercedes, lesser-spotted Lamborghinis and famed Ferraris went under the hammer – even if the headline competition Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Gr.4 didn’t sell.

Want the low-down? Here are the 10 lots that fetched the most over the weekend.

1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona

Sold for: €584,080 (£516,505)

Officially the 365 GTB/4, unofficially the Daytona, Ferrari’s two-seat GT launched in 1968 as a direct competitor to the Lamborghini Miura, with a 4.4-litre V12 that could deliver 350bhp through the rear wheels.

This particular Daytona was converted to Spyder form in ‘74 by Bachelli and Villa, before being sold in 1979 to an owner who would ultimately hold on to it until 2005.

Come 2016, it was shipped to Bologna for a full mechanical overhaul to the tune of €50,000, making it a stunning example today.

1966 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2

Sold for: €429,120 (£379,473) 

The successor to Lamborghini’s first car, the 400GT was largely similar to the 350GT before it, but for a bigger 4-litre V12 motor.

In 2+2 guise, it gained a revised body shape – designed by Touring – to make room for two small seats in the back, without sacrificing on performance. Fewer than 250 were built, including chassis 0595, sold on Saturday.

Delivered new to Switzerland in 1966, it went to auction with its original black leather interior and, more importantly, the factory-fitted engine.

2015 Mercedes-Benz SL63 Hamilton Edition

Sold for: €256,280 (£226,630)

How do you celebrate winning the Formula 1 World Championship as a manufacturer? You build 19 special-edition examples of your super powerful SL63 AMG roadster.

Both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, the team’s drivers that year, reportedly collaborated on the tweaking of the V8-equipped, 585bhp machines – cars that took just 4.2 seconds to reach 100km/h from a standing start.

The example sold by Artcurial was one of the Hamilton models, complete with Silverstone-branded carpets. Originally sold to the Qatar royal family, it’s number 19 of 19 and has only its 30km delivery mileage on the clock.

1970 Ferrari Dino 246 Series L

Sold for: €298,000 (£263,523)

A more powerful iteration of the game-changing Dino 206, the 246 kept the stunning curves of the first production Ferrari and added a 2.4-litre motor to the mix, delivering 195bhp.

This particular Dino is an early L-series example, meaning it’s much closer to the 206 in style, while also carrying the uprated performance of the bigger engine – bridging the gap between it and the later 246 models.

Sold in 1970, chassis 01106 carries its original engine and was thoroughly restored between 2007 and 2009, making it a truly fine 246.

2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS GT AMG

Sold for: €488,720

Another recent Mercedes, the hard-top SLS GT derived an astonishing 591bhp from a 6.2-litre V8 under the hood, with a top speed of 320km/h.

This particular SLS GT is one of the rare ‘final edition’ models, of which just 350 were built. To set them apart, they carried exposed carbonfibre bodywork, exclusive light-alloy wheels and a host of other visual refinements – including a special badge, naturally.

With just 135km on the clock, this example sold on Saturday in basically new condition.

2014 Mercedes-Benz SLS GT AMG

Sold for: €554,280 (£490,153)

If they’re so rare, how can two ‘final edition’ SLS GTs turn up in the same sale? Regardless, this drop-top Roadster is an equally stunning, similarly low mileage (230km) example, complete with limited-edition styling, bright red canvas roof and Air Scarf tech to keep your neck warm with the top down.

Around $10,000 more expensive than the coupé at launch, it’s obviously still the more popular model, given that this one topped the coupé variant on Saturday by some €65,000.

1968 Lamborghini Miura P400

Sold for: £834,400 (£737,865)

Launched in 1966 as arguably the first true supercar, Lamborghini’s magnificent Miura was a beauty to behold – and, even with reliability concerns, it took the motoring world by storm.

An early P400 example, this Miura started out in France, where its first owner managed to destroy the engine.

Subsequently sold on and fitted with the motor and several parts from a later P400 S model, it was later treated rather better, with a full engine rebuild and work to the tune of £65,000 meaning it went to auction as an immaculate example.

2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith

Sold for: €244,360 (£216,089)

Rolls-Royce launched the Wraith at the Geneva Motor Show in 2013 as arguably the ultimate GT. Based on the Ghost chassis, the hand-built Wraith channelled the spirit of early Rollers as a luxurious cruiser with astounding performance – largely thanks to its 6.5-litre V12, good for 630bhp and a limited 250km/h top speed.

This 2014 example remains a lesson in luxury and sold in as-new condition, with just 440km on the clock – and, probably, very little wear on the leather seats.

1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing

Sold for: €1,013,200 (£895,979)

It’s a true mark of a car’s rarity when you can leave one untouched in a barn for decades, only to wheel it out and auction it for €1m. So it is with this remarkable Mercedes-Benz 300SL.

One of a mere 19 to have been sold new in Portugal, the mighty Merc was consigned to storage in Sweden in 1973 with 67,000km on the clock – and never driven again.

When the owner passed away in 2011, several court battles took place as people tried to claim the car – but, instead, the Swedish government auctioned the machine with Artcurial.

1963 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

Sold for: €3,143,440 (£2,779,764)

This 300SL Roadster was comfortably the biggest surprise of the weekend’s sale. Always tipped to fetch more than €1 million, this car, one of 57 Roadsters built in 1963, hugely eclipsed its estimate on the way to making €3.1 million.

In fact, this was a new record for a Mercedes 300SL Roadster sold at auction!

All-original and essentially unused, it was moved into storage at the turn of the ‘70s and, as such, has an astoundingly low 1380km on the clock.

Complete with a raft of documentation, its new owner has essentially bagged a brand-new 300SL Roadster – one of the greatest German cruisers of all time.