The top price at RM Auctions' 8 September sale was achieved by a 1956 250GT Tour de France, which sold on the hammer for a spectacular £4.1m.
The Italian marque once again stole the headlines after dominating the sales results, with 1990s cars showing impressive gains across the board. Of the 81-car offering, 15 lots sold above estimate –12 of which were Ferraris.
One of the biggest shocks of the night was offered by a 1989 Ferrari 328GTS that sold for a hammer price of £140,000 – well above its £95,000 upper estimate.
Despite the Modena classics' success at the sale, another of the headline lots – a 1966 275GTB Alloy – failed to reach its lower estimate of £1.9m. Though falling shy of its pre-sale prediction, it found a new home for £1,750,000 on the hammer.
A 2003 Enzo just reached it's lower estimate of £850,000.
The rest of the field fared better, with the fourth highest figure being achieved by a 1989 F40. The car smashed its pre-sale upper estimate by more than £100,000 with the hammer coming down at £680,000, just behind a '64 Shelby Competition Cobra, which made £1,050,000.
A more modern 348TB from 1990 also beat the auctioneer's estimate to sell for £67,500.
It seems that '90s Ferraris are benefiting from the headline-grabbing prices of their earlier cousins, with several other examples from the decade proving popular with bidders. A 512TR was one of the night's biggest success stories, selling for £130,000 – £30,000 above the figure that was expected.
A 1995 456GT continued the trend, changing hands for £75,000 – £15,000 above estimate – while an earlier 400i automatic doubled its lower estimate to sell for £32,500.
Away from road cars, the most unexpected result was the £190,000 paid for a 1959 OSCA Tipo J Formula Junior, which was only tipped to fetch £125,000.
Meanwhile, a 1937 Bugatti Type 57C found a new owner for £530,000 – £60,000 under its lower estimate.
A 1984 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 also surprised, the hammer falling at £140,000 – £45,000 more than its upper estimate.
The bargain of the day – depending on the depth of your pockets – was a 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster. It was sold for £550,000, despite a pre-sale estimate of £670-750,000.
