This year’s RM Auctions Monaco event was nothing short of exceptional. There were a quintet of excellent Porsche lots, and Monaco is known as a place where the cash flows from hand to hand quite freely. All five Porsches brought a great hammer price, and none of them went unsold. Each Porsche sold to a new owner for their pre-auction estimate or higher, with one of the lots selling surprisingly higher than expected. Here, we will list every single Porsche lot from the Monaco sale, and give a rundown of the significance of each.
RM Auctions Monaco Results –
Lot 151 – 1985 Porsche 959 Prototype “Vorserie”: $654,928.40
Lot 158 – 1992 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.6: $369,841.92
Lot 165 – 1956 Porsche 356 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster: $1,155,756.00
Lot 174 – 1957 Porsche 356 A Carrera 1500 GS/GT Coupe: $577,878.00
Lot 186 – 1954 Porsche 356 1600 Speedster: $308,201.60
Lot 151 – 1985 Porsche 959 Prototype “Vorserie”: $654,928.40
Last January, this 959 “Vorserie” was sold at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale sale for only $400,000 (plus 10% buyer’s premium). Even then, we viewed the sale as a phenomenal deal for the buyer, getting a whole lot of car for not a whole lot of money. Our suspicions were proved correct last weekend when the same car sold for almost a quarter of a million dollars more. Even considering any overseas transportation costs, insurance costs, promotional costs, and any seller’s fees, that’s a pretty hefty profit, and they had the delight of owning a pre-production 959 for a year. Even at the heightened 2014 price, this 959 was a good purchase for the new owner, and will likely continue to appreciate. If you’ll recall, we did see a 959 (albeit a very rare one) sell at over the million mark during the Amelia Island sale.
Lot 158 – 1992 Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.6: $369,841.92
This 964 RS is just a phenomenal car, and those two little letters are clearly worth a lot of extra cash. A standard 964 Carrera 2 can be bought pretty much anywhere for just over $20,000 in half-decent condition. As one of only 290 examples built, this car is certainly rare enough to deserve the added value. This particular example has covered fewer than 12,000 Kilometers in its life, and is one of the most original in the world. The “reduce weight, add power” ethos of the RS name is alive and well in this car, having shed 175 kilos and power topped 260 bhp.
Where the 959 was a bargain, this RS I’m not so sure about. The seller is surely happy, as the car cleared the high-end of its pre-auction estimate by about quite a large margin. While the buyer will undoubtedly be happy to add this car to his collection, the price was a bit higher than the market might normally have brought.
Lot 165 – 1956 Porsche 356 A Carrera 1500 GS Speedster: $1,155,756.00
This Carrera Speedster is now officially the fourth 356 we’ve seen break the million dollar mark. This one, however, was a bit surprising, as it isn’t quite as original in appearance as the others have been thus far. For example, this car was not originally equipped with the Rudge wheels, the “GT-style” louvered engine cover, or the red-edged carpets. Overall, the bodywork is quite attractive and well executed, and it would make for an excellent addition to most collections. The VIN and the numbers-matching engine are likely the most valuable pieces of this car anyhow.
Lot 174 – 1957 Porsche 356 A Carrera 1500 GS/GT Coupe: $577,878.00
The Carrera Coupe was my pick of the litter last week, and remains so even at over half a million dollars. That Fuhrmann engine is just sublime, and the car cuts such a fine figure in all its 1950s boy-racer splendor. Everything about this car screams ‘drive me’, from the light patina, the gorgeous tan paint, and the red over oatmeal interior, to the tow hook, leather straps, and large oil pressure warning lamp. As one of only 787 GS/GT coupes ever built, the price doesn’t seem all that steep. Whoever bought this car ended up with a brilliant looking car that is extremely rare, would surely turn heads at any Porsche show, wouldn’t be out of place at any vintage racing event, and is sure to only continue to gain in value. This is an investment grade car that someone can have a lot of fun with.
Lot 186 – 1954 Porsche 356 1600 Speedster: $308,201.60
It is somewhat telling when the least exciting Porsche on offer in an auction is ‘JUST’ a Pre-A Speedster. One of the most recognizable and desirable cars in Porsche’s entire history, this simplistic little runabout would make a great car for any early air-cooled enthusiast, collector, or connoisseur. One of the true blue-chips in the vintage car market, Porsche speedsters seem to never go out of favor. While not wearing its as-delivered ‘signal red’ paint, or its original ‘2-piece case’ engine, in my humble opinion it has been improved with a gorgeous dark grey enamel slathering, ‘tobacco’ interior leather, and a larger and more powerful 356B’s 616/1 engine (60 horsepower over the original 50). As a very early speedster example, believed to be just the 58th unit ever produced, this car is worth every bit of its final hammer bid. Ten years ago, nobody would have even fathomed a car like this getting those kinds of numbers, but that’s the world we live in now, and it doesn’t look to be ebbing any time soon.
Other Porsche Blog Posts You Will Enjoy
A Pair Of Four-Cam 356 And A Familiar 959 Headline Porsche Offerings At RM Auctions Monaco Event
2014 Amelia Island Porsche Auction Results
Rare And Beautiful 356 Continental Cabriolet For Sale At Motostalgia Auction
Photos provided by RM Auctions.