Demonstrating the strength of the RM Sotheby’s Group’s international marketing efforts, more than 5,700
unique bidders participated in 2017 sales, hailing from 64 countries around the world. Significantly, 40 percent
of bidders over the last year represented new RM Sotheby’s clientele as the auction house continues to
expand its global reach. Furthering these efforts, the RM Sotheby’s Group launched a new website in
September 2017. The company’s web presence has attracted over 10.9 million visits throughout the year, 58
percent of which were from new users.
“In all respects, 2017 represented a resounding success for RM Sotheby’s as we saw significant growth in our
sales, market share, and continued positive momentum in the business despite challenging market
conditions in which many major auction houses experienced declining sales,” says Kenneth Ahn, President,
RM Sotheby’s, as he reflects on the year. “We saw the softness in the market continue in 2017, though rare,
high-quality cars continued to achieve exceptional prices as evidenced by the Aston Martin DBR1, which sold
for $22.55 million in Monterey, and the alloy Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spider Competizione, which sold
for $17.99 million in New York. As we look ahead to 2018, we are focused on maintaining our market
leadership in the U.S. and Europe while continuing to grow our client relationships in Asia and the Middle
East. Furthermore, we plan to better meet our clients’ needs in private sales and financing. We are excited
and optimistic about the opportunities ahead.”
Ahn continues: “We have an incredibly dedicated global team of nearly 150 people who are committed to
building lasting client relationships with sound advice, offering the highest quality motorcars in the world, and
delivering successful results. We are grateful for the trust and confidence our clients have in us, and we will
continue to work on exceeding our clients’ expectations in 2018.”
New Leadership
The end of 2017 marks one full year for Kenneth Ahn as President of the RM Sotheby’s Group. Under Ahn’s
leadership, the company strengthened its executive team via the promotion of auction management veteran
Gord Duff to Global Head of Auctions; Ian Kelleher, long-time specialist who has been integral to the
Sotheby’s partnership, to Chief Marketing Officer; Jarrett Rothmeier, experienced financial professional and
Ferrari consultant, to Chief Financial Officer; and the addition of Daniel Levy, former Managing Director at
Goldman, Sachs & Co., as Head of Strategy and Corporate Development. Car Specialist Shelby Myers will
also take the reigns as Global Head of Private Sales as the company expands this division for 2018. The RM
Sotheby’s Group also continues to add to its global team of expert car specialists—which now totals 29, the
largest in the industry—to enhance the company’s client coverage. Eight specialists have joined the team in
2017 in both the North American and European segments of the business.
Momentous Sales in 2017
2017 has marked numerous record-setting sales for the RM Sotheby’s Group, most significantly led by the
top collector car sale of the year with the 1956 Aston Martin DBR1/1, which sold for $22,550,000 at RM
Sotheby’s $133 million Monterey sale. The DBR1 not only smashed the previous auction record for the
marque, it also entered the history books as the most valuable British car ever sold at auction.
The RM Sotheby’s and Sotheby’s partnership has continued to prove itself as a winning combination in
creating a truly global platform for collector cars in 2017, with further collaboration and cross-collecting efforts
between the two companies across the calendar of events. Notably, RM Sotheby’s Monterey sale featured a
curated selection of watches and jewels from the Sotheby’s team, as well as an onsite Shop Now collection
within the auction tent. RM Sotheby’s final sale of the year, ICONS, opened with a selection of vintages from
the Sotheby’s Wine team, and was held as a featured highlight of Sotheby’s inaugural A Life of Luxury week
in New York, offering the best of watches, jewels, wine, fashion, and cars. In what was perhaps the ultimate
culmination of the partnership and one of the most highly publicized automotive auction lots ever offered, RM
Sotheby’s presented Michael Schumacher’s Monaco Grand Prix-winning Ferrari F2001 within Sotheby’s
Contemporary Art Evening Sale in November. Selling for a final $7,504,000 to a client new to both RM
Sotheby’s and Sotheby’s, the F2001 was a defining moment in the history of contemporary car auction sales.
Smashing records in terms of views, reach and ultimately price, the F1 Ferrari successfully redefined the
conversation surrounding car auctions executed in the same sphere as art sales.
Overall, the RM Sotheby’s Group was responsible for 13 of the top 20 collector car auction sales of 2017, and
now holds six of the top 10 all-time records for the most valuable motor cars sold at auction. See a full Year in
Review attached for all major highlights from RM Sotheby’s 2017 auction calendar.
RM Sotheby’s Group Top 10 Sales of 2017
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