The results of RM Sotheby’s 10th December ‘Driven by Disruption’ auction were mixed but the Janis Joplin Porsche rocketed through the roof and sold for a staggering sum
In New York on Thursday at the RM Sotheby’s Driven by Disruption auction the money came out to play and the top price was achieved by a 1956 Ferrari 290MM that sold for £17 million (£25.5 million) – short of its £18.5 million to £21.1 million guide ($28 million to $32 million) but still impressive.

Of the thirty-one cars on offer, eight failed to sell on the evening (26%) and amongst the six that The Steeple Times have featured since September that did not find new owners was the 1938 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante (estimate: £1.4 million to £1.6 million, $2.2 to $2.5 million; passed at £1.1 million, $1.7 million). Also falling well short from our selection was the 1959 BMW 507 Roadster Series II (estimate: £1.5 million to £1.7 million, $2.3 million to $2.6 million). Plainly the fact that it lacked its original engine was off-putting to bidders and as a result, the car was passed at £1.3 million ($1.9 million). An equally disappointing reaction met the ‘landmark’ 1954 Chrysler Special coupé by Ghia (estimate: £460,000 to £591,000, $700,000 to $900,000; passed at £367,000, $550,000).
Two stories to keep beside you

A Purist Porsche
First 2016 Porsche 911 R to come to auction; it’s offered with a surprisingly reasonable estimate given the recent frenzy over Porsches In the wake of the success of 1990s Porsches at RM Sotheby’s Battersea sale earlier this month – where a 1995 Porsche 911 GT2 sold for £1 million (€1.2 million or $1.3 […]

The Power of a Porsche
Matthew Steeples suggests 1990s cars in general and Porsches in particular prove the car market is still anything but over Early September is car auction season in London and though I predicted the heady prices of previous years to somewhat level off post-Brexit, the market proved me utterly wrong. At RM Sotheby’s Battersea […]
Undoubtedly the ‘star lot’ of the night and described as “the most admired car” ever to have graced the New York auction house Sotheby’s, the ex-Janis Joplin 1964 Porsche 356 C 1600 SC cabriolet attracted “a full rack of phones” when Max Girado took to the stage to sell it. Priced with a guide of £264,000 to £396,000 ($400,000 to $600,000), bidders initially were cautious but they eventually threw this to the wind and the car made music and shot on to sell for a million dollars more than its upper reserve for the staggering sum of £1.1 million ($1.6 million).

Plainly the Lord wanted somebody to buy a Porsche, but of the other lots on offer it was the 1962 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato that attracted the watchers. Tipped to sell for in excess of £10 million at an estimate of £9.9 million to £11.2 million ($15 million to $17 million), this car with “an English pedigree and an Italian soul” needed to top the £8.8 million ($13.4 million, €12.5 million) paid for a 1998 McLaren F1 if it was to become the highest priced British car to be sold at auction. It fell just short and was hammered down at £8.68 million ($13 million).
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1 comment
Not surprised the Aston didn’t make £10 million but still a good price by any standards, I don’t expect the seller was exactly weeping.