The enduring appeal of Porsche’s 1950s giant-killer, the 718 RSK Spyder, proved unshakable at Bonhams Quail auction in Los Angeles on 14th August. The ex-Bob Holbert car, with an impressive US racing record, made top money in the sale, going for $2.23 million (£1.7m), including the premium, in what was otherwise a sale notable for some cracking bargain buys.
A Porsche 718 RSK Spyder just sold for £1.7m
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The Spyder, with just three owners, joined a 2014 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse (£1.34m) and a 1956 Mercedes 300SC roadster (£725,000) among the notable big-money lots to find buyers.
The auction’s star car, a 1934 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 which had come with a pre-sale estate of US$6.5-7.5m (£4.9-5.7m), failed to find a buyer on the day, although other more affordable Alfas in what was something of an Alfa-fest – see our preview here – attracted plenty of interest.
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Alfas to sell included one of the few surviving matching-numbers 6C 1750 GTC models with Touring “Coupe Royale” bodywork which made its estimate and sold for £444,600, and a 1953 1900 CS Berlinetta which sold for £218,000. The new owner of the Touring-bodied 1959 2000 Spider is doubtless happy – he picked up the car for what appears an irresistible £74,000 while a 1973 2000 GT Veloce coupe by Giugiaro made £42,700. Most valuable newer Alfa was a 2009 8C Competizione Spider which hit its estimate and sold for £226,000.
Among other marques, there were some equally tempting buys. Bargains to us look like a 1956 Austin-Healey 100M BN2 Le Mans spec car for the equivalent of £41,000; a 1973 Triumph GT6 MkIII for just £9,800; a ’62 Type 1 Volkswagen Beetle cabriolet for £12,800; a 1992 Dodge Viper for £30,000; a ’61 Series 1 3.8 Jaguar E-type roadster for £66,600; a three-year-old Ferrari GTC4 Lusso for £134,600, and a Mercedes-AMG C63 cabriolet for £35,000 – it’s just two years old.
Images courtesy of Bonhams.
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