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Vintage Auto Collection Auction Brings in $53M

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Several of the cars in The Andrews Collection are shown prior to auction. (RM Auctions)RM Sotheby’s brought in a record-setting $53.88 million during its May 2 auction in which it sold the highly-touted Paul and Chris Andrews Collection.

The sale, which featured the collection that was built up by the father and son duo over the course of 15 years, was put together in an effort to shrink the group of vehicles in size. By the end of the event, 78 vehicles and other forms of memorabilia were sold.

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“It has been an absolute honor to work with Paul, Chris and their team, and to add the Andrews Collection to our portfolio of successful single-vendor sales,” said Ian Kelleher, Managing Director of RM Sotheby’s West Coast Division. “Paul and Chris have been such strong mainstays in the classic car industry over the past 15 years, and to see their extraordinary efforts and commitment to preserving automotive history rewarded with such fantastic results is hugely gratifying. The sale attracted tremendous interest from around the world, with 33 percent of bidders new to RM Sotheby’s. There is certainly no better introduction to the exciting world of collector cars than through the incredible offerings of the Andrews Collection.”

From left, Chris and Paul Andrews pose in one of their vehicles prior to RM Sotheby sale of their vehicles. (RM Solutions)

At $7.64 million, the Andrews Collection’s 1962 Ferrari 400 Supermerica SWB Cabriolet received the honor of top sale and set a new record for the model at auction. The vehicle is last of seven examples which were bodied by Pininfarina.

Shown is the top sale at the RM Sotheby Sale, a 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Cabriolet. (RM Auctions)

Coach-built classic American cars also sold well at the auction, led by a 1934 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Standard Coupe by Dietrich. At a sale price of $4.18 million, the vehicle exceeded its high estimate and earned the second most money of any vehicle sold in the Andrews Collection. A 1938 Packard Eight Cabriolet with one-off coachwork by Graber sold for $1.76 million.

A 1934 Packard Twelve Individual Custom Stationary Coupe is shown prior to be sold for $4.18 million. (RM Auctions)
“At a time when Ferraris and post-war European sports and GT cars have dominated the classic car market, it is fabulous to see blue-chip American Classics enjoy the spotlight,” Kelleher said. “The results speak for themselves and reflect the incredible quality of the Andrews Collection as a whole.”

Duesenberg was also in hot demand as two of the vehicle yielded a top-five sales price tag. A 1935 Dusenberg Model SJ Town car, J-553 sold for $3.63 milion. The second Duesnberg sold was a restored 1931 Model J ‘Disappearing Top’ Convertible Coupe, J-395. The coupe sold for an above-estimate $3.52 million.

The 1931 Duesenberg Model J 'Disappearing Top' Convertible Coupe from the Andrews Collection is shown while it is being auctioned off. (RM Auctions)
Sixteen vehicles from the Andrews Collection that sold for over a million dollars. The top ten of those vehicles, with the exception of the aforementioned 1962 Ferrari, 1934 and 1938 Packards, 1931 and 1935 Duesnbergs were a 1963 Ferrari 400 Supermerica LWB Coupe Aerodinamico, $2.85 million; 1934 Packard Twelve Sport Coupe, $2.2 million; 1962 Shelby 289 Competition Cobra, $1.98 million; 1930 Cadillac V-16 Convertible Sedan, $1.92 million; and 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, $1.84 million.

Shown is the 1959 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL which sold for $1.84 million at the RM Sotheby sale. (RM Auctions) Shown is the 1962 Shelby 289 Competition Cobra which sold at the RM Sotherby sale for $1.98 million. (Image: RM Auctions)