“RM Sotheby’s global footprint and extensive client base helped lead us to a phenomenally successful year, thanks to a diverse lineup of automobiles and events that captured the hearts and minds of customers and enthusiasts across the globe,” said Gord Duff, Global Head of Auctions, RM Sotheby’s. “This is a testament to the ongoing commitment of our team and valued clients as we navigated the continued challenges of the pandemic together, and it positions us for a thrilling 2022.”
2021 Sales Highlights
2021 opened with a strong performance in Arizona, where our first live event of the year resulted in sales of over $35 million and a 90% sell-through. Strong results in North America continued through Amelia Island and onto RM Sotheby’s flagship auction in Monterey, which grossed an astonishing $148,528,300 in total sales with 90 percent of all lots sold. The Paul Andrews Estate Collection was a highlight led by the stunning 1962 Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, which sold for $9,520,000, while the whole collection totaled $34,439,000, further cementing RM Sotheby’s as the global leader in the sale of estates.
In Europe, we elevated our status as the trusted leader in boutique, estate, and private collection sales around the world. These events showcased the diversity of offerings our clients bring forth. Our A Passion For Elegance sale in Liechtenstein featured a remarkable single-owner collection of important Rolls-Royce and Bentley motor cars that grossed CHF11.1 million, vastly exceeding pre-sale estimates. Our St. Moritz boutique event—the first RM Sotheby’s auction ever held in Switzerland—was another tremendous success, grossing an outstanding CHF16.5 million, with eight lots that exceeded CHF1 million each. RM Sotheby’s executed another fantastic collaboration sale with Formula 1®, a thrilling auction to sell the race-winning 2010 McLaren MP4-25A, chassis no. 01, driven by Sir Lewis Hamilton. The car was auctioned at the 2021 FORMULA 1 PIRELLI BRITISH GRAND PRIX before a live audience of nearly 140,000 spectators immediately after running demonstration laps on the circuit. It secured £4,836,000, making it the most valuable McLaren Formula 1 car ever sold at auction and the fourth most valuable Formula 1 car ever sold publicly. The live sale auction calendar was rounded off with The Guikas Collection sale, unquestionably one of the most anticipated European sales of recent years, which was concluded in spectacular style with all 87 lots including cars, parts, and memorabilia finding new homes at a total sales figure of €39,532,700.
Our Open Roads series of online auctions throughout 2021 truly broadened RM Sotheby’s geographic reach, expanding the list of countries in which buyers purchased our cars and becoming an important gateway for new customers who are building or expanding their collections. In total, $33,283,091 was grossed in our online sales.
Our Private Sales business expanded its global footprint substantially in 2021, conducting a number of significant discreet transactions which more than doubled our total sales year-over-year, grossing in excess of <…….