RM Sotheby’s biggest-ever sale in Monaco grosses over €40M

RM Sotheby’s celebrated its biggest-ever Monaco auction last weekend, selling 82% of its 118-lot offering over 10-11 May. 27% of bidders were new to RM Sotheby’s, with 37 countries represented.

The Jody Scheckter Collection was unquestionably the highlight of Saturday evening, with World Champion Jody personally coming to the rostrum to say a few words about the cars he had decided to part with after many decades.

The 1979 Ferrari 312 T4 was Enzo Ferrari’s last Formula 1 Drivers’ World Championship-winning car, as well as being the winner of all three of Scheckter’s victories in 1979 at the Belgian, Monaco, and Italian Grands Prix. Purchased by Scheckter directly from the factory, it had never been driven by anyone else and was offered in highly original condition. It sold for a deserved €7,655,000 EUR and will now head to a prominent Japanese collection.

Other highlights from the collection include a 1977 Tyrrell P34, the revolutionary six-wheeler that pushed the boundaries of what was possible in Formula 1. It went for more than double its low estimate, achieving €1,040,000 EUR. Also noteworthy was the sale of the 1973 McLaren M23, arguably one of McLaren’s greatest models and one of the sport’s best-looking cars; the example offered deserved its €1,028,750 EUR.

The second highest seller during the two-day sale was the 1972 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spider by Scaglietti. Classiche certified, and offered with its red book, this was a beautiful example of one of Ferrari’s most iconic V-12 grand tourers and achieved a world record €3,436,250 as it crossed the block on Friday.

Rounding off the top three sellers in Monaco was a Ferrari of a different era, the pioneering four-cylinder 1954 Ferrari 625 F1, sister car to Ferrari’s first World Championship-winning car and the only Ferrari monopostoraced by the legendary Marquis Alfonso de Portago. This matching-numbers example sold well at €2,705,000 EUR.

The 1981 Porsche 917 K-81 drew lots of interest as it crossed the block thanks to its fascinating history as the final 917 to have ever raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It achieved €2,648,750. Newer but no less special, a 2022 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4 made history as the first of its type to ever be sold at public auction. With just 110 kilometres on the odometer, it set a new world record price for the model, achieving €2,001,875.

The Sportiva Collection also performed incredibly well, with the top lot, a 1985 Lancia Delta S4 Rally, making €837,500 EUR, followed closely after by another Italian rally icon with the 1975 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale by Bertone, which brought €590,000 EUR.