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Leading the sale was the singular 1937 Bugatti 57SC Sports Tourer by Vanden Plas. Armed with a generous
amount of international buzz from the preceding weeks, this very special pre-war car had the auction tent
packed to capacity with bidders and spectators. With a starting bid of $6-million, the bidding quickly rose to
$8-million. Then, followed by strong applause from the audience, the car sold to a private American collector
for a total sum of $9,735,000, making it the most valuable 57S ever sold at auction and the most valuable
pre-war car ever sold at Amelia Island.
The spectacular 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Cabriolet also achieved impressive results when it was bought for
$2,970,000 – also by an American collector, while a 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 that had been in single
ownership for 45 years made $2,750,000.
Another vehicle that may exceed all offered in terms of rarity and historical importance was the
Connecticut-built 1896 Armstrong Phaeton Hybrid. As the oldest – and likely very first – known modern
hybrid-driven car in the world, this landmark automobile predates the Lohner-Porsche by four years and the
Toyota Prius by 100 years. Amazing all in attendance as it drove around the grounds, the Armstrong was
purchased for $483,400 by renowned Dutch collector Evert Louwman, who indicated it will be proudly
displayed at his museum in The Hague, Netherlands for all to enjoy.
Other notable results included the 1935 Riley MPH that annihilated all previous records and set a new world
record for the marque when it made $880,000, and the Wade Carter Collection of exquisite automobiles that
was 100% sold.
“We are extremely pleased with our second sale here, which exceeded all of our expectations and showed
the strength of our US team in sourcing interesting collector cars from around the country,” said Rupert
Banner, Bonhams Deputy Group Motoring Director and the sale’s auctioneer. “The diverse selection of
automobiles offered, many from private collections and from long term ownerships, proved to be
well-appreciated by the broad selection of collectors who attend the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance. In
the warm Florida sunshine a series of bidding battles, frequently between domestic and international bidders,
created new records for models and marques.”
James Knight, Bonhams Group Motoring Director, added, “Our Amelia Island auction once again reaffirmed
that there is a strong appetite for interesting, rare and fresh to market motorcars. These cars attracted
multiple bidding battles to produce record and near record prices. I was also equally pleased to note that
readily available models attracted continued interest as long as they were priced accordingly. By the time we
finish the first quarter of 2016, we will have conducted six auctions in four countries and our healthy sell
through rate to date clearly demonstrates an active market.”
Images ... Peter Singhof
www.ClassicCarPhotography.de
Related material
... Consolidated 2016 Auction Results sorted by Price descending >>>
... Consolidated 2016 Auction Results in gallery view >>>
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