Mercedes Auction Results – Retromobile Paris 2019

Mercedes Auction Results from Retromobile Paris 2019

The first big collector car auction event on the calendar for European collectors each year is Retromobile in Paris, the first week of February. If you’re a really serious car guy, you spend a week in Scottsdale, return home for a few days to regroup and then jet off to Paris for the three auctions held in conjunction with Retromobile. Imagine Retromobile as a sort of AACA Fall Hershey meet for European classic rather than American ones with a few auctions thrown in.

RM Sotheby’s, Artcurial and Bonham’s all held one day sales in Paris during Retromobile. We’ve listed the Mercedes vehicles that crossed the blocks at the various auction houses below, but first, a few impressions after looking over the auction catalogs and sales results.

RM Sotheby’s Embraces Modern Classics: ‘Youngtimer Collection’

RM Sotheby’s Youngtimer Collection is a private collection of 140 cars they will be selling this year. ‘Youngtimer’ is a term, mostly used in Europe, to describe collectible and future collectible cars from the 1980s and 90s, RM has included the 2000s in their description as well. These 140 cars are from a single, private collection. There are 34 Mercedes included in the collection, more than any other marque, followed by 27 BMWs, and then cars from Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Nissan, Ferrari, Porsche and on down the line.

They will be selling off this collection bit by bit this year. There were a few in Paris, there will be some at Amelia Island in March, Ft. Lauderdale and the rest at RM’s new sale in Essen, Germany later this year. There’s no doubt cars from the 80s and 90s are gaining in popularity among seasoned collectors, but, more importantly, there is a new generation, the next generation of collectors that are entering the market and these are the cars they identify with. These are the cars they lusted after in high school. Events like RADwood give owners and collectors a special place to use and show these cars (see my article about ‘RADwood and Why It Matters’ by clicking this link, or watch the companion video I made on the same subject below.)

There were W124 500 E models at both RM Sotheby’s and Artcurial. RM and Bonhams both offered C 107 SLCs, V8 and 6 cylinder models were represented, but it was the Pre-Merger AMG 560 SEC ‘Wide Body’ at RM that surprised with its sales result.

The auction estimate for the 1989 560 SEC 6.0 Wide Body was $170,000 – $225,000 (approx.). On sale day it sold for $336,100 including fees, according to RM Sotheby’s published sales results. A big number for a Pre Merger AMG SEC, but probably a harbinger of what the future holds for well documented examples of such cars.

There were a number of Pre-War Mercedes available in Paris, including a 1939 540 K Cabriolet A offered by Bonhams that brought $1,786,180 on sale day.

High sale honors for Mercedes in Paris went to the 2009 SLR McLaren ‘Stirling Moss’ offered by Artcurial. One of just 75 such examples made, this wild SLR variant sold for a strong $2,897,351.

There were a handful of 300 SLs, some selling, others remaining unsold as well as several 1950s 300 Coupe and Convertible models.

Mercedes offered at the various auctions during Retromobile Paris – February 2019

Unsold lots are in RED with unsuccessful high bid listed.
All sale figures include buyer’s premium.*

Cars listed under each auction house are in order by lot number.

RM Sotheby’s

’89 560 SEC AMG 6.0 ‘Wide Body’ – Lot 122 – $336,100
‘ 91 500 SL AMG 6.0 – Lot 145 – $50,700
’55 300 c ‘Adenauer’ Sedan – Lot 147 – $53,300
’56 300 Sc Coupe – Lot 150 – $507,600
’69 300 SEL 6.3 – Lot 175 – $78,000
’57 300 SL Rdstr – Lot 179 – $1,019,300
’18 G 65 AMF ‘Final Edition’ – Lot 182 – $317,000
’94 E 500 Limited – Lot 184 – $97,500 (24,572 KMs)
’80 450 SLC 5.0 – Lot 187 – $55,200
’94 E 500 – Lot 192 – $65,000

Bonhams

’39 540 K Cabriolet A – Lot 240 – $1,786,180
’38 320 Cabriolet B (Sindelfingen) – Lot 247 – $306,136 NS
’52 220 Sport Saloon Conversion (project) – Lot 258 – $31,176
’60 190 SL – Lot 266 – $130,391 NS
’55 300 SL Coupe – Lot 291 – $1,363,992
’58 300 SL Rdstr – Lot 300 – $929,747 NS
’84 500 SL –  Lot 325 – $45,466
’69 280 SL –  Lot 326 – $75,344
’79 280 SLC – Lot 327 – $25,980
’73 280 SE 3.5 Sedan – Lot 328 – $41,569
’88 560 SEC – Lot 329 – $25,980
’98 CL 500 – Lot 330 – $33,775
’80 450 SLC 5.0 – Lot 341 – $25,331

Artcurial

’36 500 K cabriolet B – Lot 25 – $612,117 NS
’58 300 SL Rdstr – Lot 64 – $1,076,872 NS
’54 300 S Cabriolet – Lot 66 – $525,967
’58 300 SL Rdstr – Lot 130 – $997,523 NS
’09 SLR McLaren Stirling Moss – Lot 131 – $2,897,351
’14 SLS AMG GT Rdstr – Lot 132 – $367,524
’69 300 SEL 6.3 – Lot 133 – $46,022
’94 E 500 Limited – Lot 134 – $39,447

*Sales figures collected from the various auction company websites and, in some cases, the ‘Hammer Price Live’ app. Sales figures vary slightly based on source, probably due to Euro – Dollar conversion rate used by each source. 
RM Sotheby’s sales numbers were listed in Euros on their website, we converted to dollars using the exchange rate on Feb. 13, 2019, a week after the sale, so numbers aren’t dead on exact, but they’re awfully close. RM prices rounded to the nearest $100 increment.

**All photos courtesy the various auction companies.