Whether it was the biting cold of a February in Paris that kept bidders away, or there was something legitimately wrong with the reserves set by the sellers, the end result was a lackluster Paris auction weekend, at least as far as Porsche sales are concerned. Of the 28 Porsche lots that were available across three auction houses, only 13 of them found new owners when the bids hit the floor. We’ll wait until after the frenzy of the upcoming Amelia Island sale to pass judgement, but the Porsche market appears to be stagnating slightly so far this year.
RM Sotheby’s Porsche Auction Results
- Lot 143, the 550 Spyder, sold really well, to be quite honest. For a car with relatively little provenance, the $3+ Million paid seems like a price the seller should have been ecstatic to see. Granted, this is a gorgeous Porsche, and it certainly brought a lot of attention, I really figured this one would go for less. I watched this lot sell during the online stream, and it was a bit of a nail biter. There were at least a dozen times where the bid was being counted down, and Max got to “For the third, and final time” before the next bid increase was released. The two big bidders in the room were playing waiting games with each other, and neither one was blinking. It seems a nice example, so I’m sure the buyer is happy, but this was a win for the seller in my eyes.
Total Porsches Sold: 3
Total Porsche Dollar Value: $3,613,650
Lot 119 – 1969 Porsche 911S 2.2L Coupe: No Sale
Lot 129 – 1992 Porsche 911 Carrera RS: $156,850
Lot 139 – 1955 Porsche 356 Pre-A Speedster: $382,700
Lot 143 – 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder: $3,074,100
Bonhams’ Porsche Auction Results
- Relatively early in the proceedings saw the sale of an ’89 Speedster, Lot 314, for a mega price. Granted, this was a low-miles, highly optioned Carrera Speedster, but the price paid seems the high end of the market. Later in the day, Lot 380, another ’89 Speedster can’t find a buyer. It has more miles, certainly, but it’s fresh off a restoration, and looks stunning in black over red interior. Why did the second car go unsold? I can’t make heads or tails of it.
- A no-sale finish on the Carrera GT in Lot 343 is another surprising one. Carrera GTs are highly sought after commodities these days. This CGT was a unique color, and featured low miles and good documentation. What should reasonably have been a million-dollar car, instead finds no takers.
Total Porsches Sold: 6
Total Porsche Dollar Value: $767,678
Lot 305 – 1969 Porsche 911 T 2.2L Coupe: $51,064
Lot 308 – 1996 Porsche 911 ‘993’ Turbo: No Sale
Lot 314 – 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster: $279,375
Lot 319 – 1971 Porsche 911 S 2.4L Coupe: No Sale
Lot 324 – 1967 Porsche 911S 2.0L Coupe: $187,662
Lot 327 – 1965 Porsche 911 Coupe: No Sale
Lot 338 – 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2L Coupe: $74,043
Lot 341 – 1995 Porsche 911 ‘993’ Cup: No Sale
Lot 343 – 2005 Porsche Carrera GT: No Sale
Lot 367 – 1969 Porsche 911 T 2.0L Coupe: No Sale
Lot 375 – 1970 Porsche 914/6: No Sale
Lot 376 – 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3L Coupe: $102,129
Lot 380 – 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Speedster: No Sale
Lot 401 – 1971 Porsche 911 T 2.2L Coupe: $73,405
Artcurial Porsche Auction Results
- The second No-Sale 959 in as many weeks, Lot 142 was another disappointment. Is this the state of the collector market now? Has demand on 959s completely dropped off the face of the planet? Perhaps everyone who really wanted one already has one? This was said to be a low mile, well optioned, gorgeous example with the desirable Sport Seats option. I’m not sure if there was something in the water in Paris, but if this car was as represented there should have been a bidding war, and that never transpired. Better luck next time, I suppose.
- Lot 206, the Carrera 2.7 RS, was another no-sale that blew me away. As I said in my preview, this was said to be a numbers-matching example from the highly-desirable first series of RS, and features a gorgeous and rare factory livery. I’ll go on record as saying that this car, if it was as perfect as it was said to be, should have easily made the low end of the pre-auction estimate, and then some. I think it’s best we just all forget about what happened in Paris.
Total Porsches Sold: 4
Total Porsche Dollar Value: $813,074
Lot 139 – 1971 Porsche 911 S 2.4L Targa: $154,960
Lot 140 – 1976 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7L Coupe: No Sale
Lot 141 – 1970 Porsche 911 E 2.2L Coupe: $104,123
Lot 142 – 1988 Porsche 959 Komfort: No Sale
Lot 205 – 1995 Porsche 911 ‘993’ Carrera RS: $327,055
Lot 206 – 1973 Porsche 911 Carrera 2.7 RS Touring: No Sale
Lot 207 – 1967 Porsche 911 S 2.0L Coupe: No Sale
Lot 208 – 1997 Porsche 911 ‘993’ GT2 Evo: No Sale
Lot 209 – 2006 Porsche 911 ‘997’ GT3 Cup: No Sale
Lot 221 – 1992 Porsche 911 ‘964’ Carrera RS: $226,936
