Millions in prices Despite the crisis: The most expensive car auctions in 2020

Despite the crisis, millions were still paid for old bricks in 2020. Here are the top 10

Although the world is groaning under the Covid crisis, there are apparently still enough extremely rich car collectors who want to spend huge amounts of money on vintage cars.

Last week there was a list of cool old cars on watson that are currently being offered on various auction and car purchase portals on the Internet:

A rather arbitrary list: a retro cabin scooter for around 10,000 francs, for example, or a beautiful Mercedes from the eighties for around 15,000. Others, however, would be a lot more expensive: Lancia Delta Integrale EVO, VW Bully T1 or Chevy Blazer Restomod? With them you are only there from 100,000.

And then there is this:

This super-rare 1958 Lister Jaguar changed a few days earlier for $ 802,500 the owner. Whoa.

Well, on the one hand this is more at the lower end of the estimated price (which was quoted at 800,000 to 1 million), on the other hand, those around 800,000 francs for an admittedly incredibly awesome racing car are a no brainer compared to the top ten highest of the year 2020 auction sales. It may be surprising, but it is a fact that – despite Covid and the economic crisis – millions are still being paid for classic cars. It is also amazing Which Cars fetch the highest prices. Small spoiler in advance: the top five all belong to the same make of car.

So let’s review them! These are the ten most expensive auction sales in 2020:

Place 10: 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV Speciale

• Sold for £ 3,207,000 – 3,880,000 francs
• Auction house: Gooding & Company on the occasion of the “Passion of a Lifetime” auction on September 5, 2020.
• This is the last, in many ways the best version of the legendary Miura. Only 150 pieces of this version were built.

9: 2001 Ferrari 550 GT1 Prodrive

• $ 4,290,000 – 3,902,000 francs
• RM Sotheby’s; «Shift / Monterey»; 15th August 2020
• Amazingly, the only Ferrari in this top ten list. This is one of 12 Ferrari 550s made by the British racing car manufacturer Prodrivethat Colin MacRae’s Subaru rally team had previously led. The car sold here by a Swiss racing team achieved 15 pole positions, 14 wins and 29 podium positions between 2001 and 2005.

8 – 6: The Alfa Romeo BAT cars

• Were as triptych auctioned for 14,840,000 dollars – 13,467,500 francs, ergo 4,489,000 francs per car.
• Sotheby’s; “A Contemporary Art Evening”; October 28, 2020
• There was great excitement when it was announced that Alfa Romeo’s legendary three “Berlina Aerodinamica Tecnica” – “BAT” – called cars would be offered at an art auction. In addition to Rothko paintings and others, there were three design pieces by Franco Scaglione as a triptych – only in a pack of three. Just above the lower estimate, they changed hands for $ 14.8 million. Each of these cars is worth around 4.5 million Swiss francs.

Uuuuand that would have been it with the post-war cars! And also with the Italian noble manufacturers. Yep Because the top five are all pre-war brutes and one thing above all: Bugattis, namely.

5: 1931 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport with Figoni body

• 4,600,000 euros – 4,495,000 francs
• Bonhams; «Paris 2020»; February 6, 2020
• This car drove the 1932 24 Hours of Le Mans and won the Paris Nice Rally in 1933. Although a replacement engine was installed at some point during a restoration and the car also suffered an accident in the 1990s, it was still worth 4.5 million to the buyer.

4: 1928 Bugatti Type 35C

• 3,935,000 pounds – 4,760,000 francs
• Gooding & Co .; “Passion of a Lifetime”; 5th September 2020
• A 92 year old car with an 88 year old paint job. And mechanically in perfect condition. Here one can at least hope that the overbearing owner actually drives the part.

3: 1932 Bugatti Type 55 Super Sport

• $ 7,100,000 – 6,790,000 francs
• Bonhams; “Amelia Island 2020”; March 5, 2020
• The most expensive car of 2020 at the traditional Amelia Island event … just before Covid turned everything upside down … or did it? Because in this top ten there are only two sales in the pre-Covid period.

2: 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante

• 7,855,000 pounds – 9,502,000 francs
• Gooding & Co .; “Passion of a Lifetime”; 5th September 2020
• Although not a racing car (apparently for collectors: racing cars> street cars) and although the car was fully restored once during its 83-year history (again: left original> restored), this is the most expensive Bugatti Type 57 ever sold. And that in a year of recession . But it can be more expensive …

1: 1934 Bugatti Type 59 Sports

• 9,535,000 pounds – 11,534,000 francs
• Gooding & Co .; “Passion of a Lifetime”; 5th September 2020
• This is the most expensive Bugatti ever to be sold at auction. The Type 59 is the last Bugatti racing car from the pre-war period, and this one can beat the Belgian King Leopold III. name as one of its five owners. Rusty storage wheels and worn tires – in this case they add value.

So there we have it: Almost all of the above cars were sold for their lowest estimated value, which suggests that even this very exclusive niche market has collapsed a little. But the prices are still exorbitant. 11.5 million for a rusty clapper with worn tires? Other standards apply in the world of collectors; other values ​​are considered desirable.