Auctions America generated $20 million in sales down in Florida this weekend, at the company’s 14th annual Fort Lauderdale sale.
The three-day event was packed with enthusiasts and collectors, and attracted bidders from 41 states across the U.S., along with 18 countries including Japan, Brazil and Australia.
"We’re very happy with the results of our 14th annual Fort Lauderdale sale, which was highlighted by numerous spirited bidding contests, making it clear that the auction room was packed with serious collectors," says Donnie Gould, President, Auctions America.
"We received highly positive feedback on the diversity of the offering, which is reflected in the top ten sales. From European sports and touring cars of every era through to iconic American classics and muscle and high performance late model collectibles, the group is a fantastic representation of the variety you’ll find in Fort Lauderdale each year."
Leading the sale was a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona, once described as "the best sports car in the world", which sold for $649,000.
There were also strong results for a limited-production 1952 Mercedes-Benz 300 S which sold for $506,000; a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Sport Coupe, one of just 69 built, which realized $404,250; and a 1971 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda, one of just 16 originally built with a four-speed manual transmission, which sold for $330,000.
A particularly notable lot was a recreation of the 1930 ‘Blue Train’ Bentley, driven by Captain Joel Woolf ‘Babe’ Barnato in a race between his car and the express train Le Train Bleu.
Barnato, a playboy millionaire and the winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1928, famously won a £100 bet that he could drive from Cannes to London faster than the train. The painstaking recreation of the car he used, a Bentley Speed Six coupe with a chassis by Gurney Nutting, sold for $522,500.
The next Auctions America sale takes place at the historic Auburn Auction Park in Indiana on May 5-7.
