Data taken as at point of sale and doesn't include any sales agreed post-auction.
What's going on here?
Here are your 5 headlines from Artcurial's 2025 Retromobile sale.
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1 - 123 cars were offered on the day, 99 sold - delivering a sell-through rate (STR) of 80%. That's the strongest STR in recent years. In 2024 it stood at 73% and in 2023 it stood at 72%. That's further strengthened by the fact the 43% of cars were no reserve, not only is that less than both Bonhams and RM, 68% and 70% respectively but it's also the lowest no reserve level Artcurial has delivered in recent years.
2 - Artcurial delivered 6 world records, they could have had a further 4 if cars that didn't meet reserve had been allowed to sell. The 6 world record cars were the following:
1956 Velam Isetta // €26,224
1934 Fiat 508 S Mille Miglia Berlinetta Aerodinamica // €184,760
1967 Alfa Romeo 2600 SZ // €250,320
1990 Range Rover Vogue 3.9 // €61,984
1996 Mercedes-Benz E50 AMG Avantgarde // €41,720
2001 Ferrari 550 Barchetta Pininfarina // €807,360
3 - Estimates were very punchy. This is clear as day when we see that 67% of cars hammered at below their lower estimate. Indeed, only 3%, of cars hammered at above their top estimate.
4 - What was bought well: 1971 Ferrari 365 GTC/4. This car came to auction with an estimate of €160,000 - €220,000. Despite it having its Classiche certification, matching numbers engine and gearbox and being in reasonable condition, it sold inclusive of fees for €128,499. We've seen almost 50 of these sell in the past decade, this is the second lowest price record.
5 - What sold well: 1967 Alfa Romeo 2600 SZ. We did a video on our top picks from the Paris auctions a week or so back, this car made the cut and we highlighted bidding could easily get carried away. After all, it was beautifully restored by Touring and is an incredibly rare find with only 105 produced. Indeed, we've only seen 4 come to market previously. The car was estimated €150,000 - €200,000. The previous world record stood at €161,528. This car smashed through that when it sold inclusive of fees for €250,320.
Conclusion. It's a tale of two halves here. On one hand, the sale was a success, sell-through rate was at 80% despite the lowest number of no reserve cars of any of the auctions and they hit 6 world records. However, its hard to look past the fact that almost 70% of the cars hammered below their low estimate and only four hammered beyond their top estimate. Comparing the estimates to TCV data points to the fact that the explanation there is more that the estimates were too punchy to start with rather than this being a reflection of a weak market.
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