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James Bond's 1964 Aston Martin DB5 Fetches $4.6 Million at Auction

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

It's been months since RM Auctions announced it had received this very special historic automobile on consignment. The 1964 Aston Martin DB5 was used in not one, but two James Bond movies: Goldfinger and Thunderball. Packing all the special features installed for 007's covert operations, the Aston has been dubbed the most famous car in the world. And now it's finally crossed the auction block for the first time ever.

At yesterday's Automobiles of London auction, the one-of-a-kind DB5 – fully street-legal in the UK despite the spikes and machine guns – sold for a massing 2.9 million pounds sterling (approximately $4.6 million). A little shy of the $5 million it was expected to fetch, but not by much. The winning bidder was one Harry Yeaggy, and the price included RM's twelve percent commission, the rest of the proceeds going towards (now former) owner Jerry Lee's namesake charitable foundation.

Gallery: 1964 Aston Martin DB5 James Bond

Tags: 007, 1964 aston martin db5, aston martin, aston martin db5, bond, goldfiner, james bond, rm, rm auctions, thunderball

RM Auctions to Feature Celebrity Classics in Arizona

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

Some collectors seek out celebrity memorabilia. Others collect classic cars. Once in a while those fields intersect, however, as they are set to at RM Auctions' upcoming Automobiles of Arizona event.

Still several months away, the Canadian auction house is already lining up consignments. This year they'll be featuring classic British motors as well as several important examples of Ferrari's history. But few are as exciting as the celebrity factor behind these four early announcements: a rare 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder once owned by baseball legend Reggie Jackson and motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel, estimated at a million dollars; the 1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton driven by Elvis Presley in the movie Spinout (also estimated around a million), a 1941 Lincoln Continental Coupe given by Orson Wells to Rita Hayworth (pictured above, estimated around $175k) and a 1949 Cadillac Series 75 Woodie Limousine commissioned by MGM studios from the Schwartz garage (~$300k).

Watch this space for more info and photos as the event is still three months away.

Tags: 1929 Duesenberg Model J Dual Cowl Phaeton, 1941 Lincoln Continental Coupe, 1949 Cadillac Series 75 Woodie Limousine by Schwartz, 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB4 Daytona Spyder, automobiles of arizona, elvis, elvis presley, evel knievel, mgm studios, reggie jackson, rita hayworth, rm, rm auctions, spinout

Queen Elizabeth II's 1984 Daimler Double Six LWB up for Auction

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

It's not every day that the Queen's limousine is offered for sale. That day came a few months ago in the UK, where Her Majesty's 2001 Daimler Majestic V8 went up for sale. Now comes to consignment of Her Majesty's previous vehicle, the 1984 Daimler Double Six Long-Wheelbase Saloon you see here, marking the first time a royal limousine has been offered for sale publicly in the United States.

Built specifically for Her Majesty's use, this Daimler underwent over 2,000 miles of testing to iron out any kinks and was fitted with a series of special features before being delivered to Buckingham Palace, upon which it became the Queen's personal transport. Her Majesty was known to drive it around herself much of the time rather than take a back seat to an official chauffeur, driving herself along with princes and prime ministers around London and to her palaces across the kingdom. After being retired from service, it was returned to Jaguar where it became part of the company's museum.

Jaguar says that this will be the last of its royal limousines offered for sale, offered as it will be at the upcoming RM Auctions event in Monterey, California, during the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, with pre-sale estimates placing its value between sixty and eighty thousand dollars.

Gallery: Queen Elizabeth II's 1984 Daimler Double Six Long-Wheelbase Saloon

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Tags: 1984 Daimler Double Six long-wheelbase saloon, 1984 Daimler Double Six LWB, daimler, elizabeth II, jaguar, pebble beach, queen elizabeth, queen elizabeth II, rm, rm auctions

RM Auctions Off Millions in Classic Ferraris and More at Monaco Historic

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

The Grand Prix de Monaco Historique just wrapped up this weekend in Monte Carlo, and Canadian firm RM Auctions was there to set new records with a slew of million-dollar classic automobiles.

In its first time at the iconic Monaco weekend, RM managed to rake in a whopping €33,235,917 ($45 million) in sales, matching the all-time record for single-day auction results... incidentally set three years ago at RM's own event at the Ferrari factory in Maranello. And once again it was classic Ferraris that helped RM achieve the record figures.

The highest amount was garnered for a rare 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina SWB, which sold for a high bid of €2,800,000 ($3.8 million), exceeding its estimate and fetching the highest price ever paid for this model. The Superamerica wasn't the only automobile – not even the only Ferrari – to break seven figures, however. A 1957 250 GT Tour de France went for $3.2 million, a 1959 250 GT California Spyder for $2.8 million, and a pair of mid-60s-era 275 GTBs fetched over a million each. A 1960 Maserati Birdcage went for $3.3 million, a rare 1930 Zagato-bodied Alfa Romeo went for $1.2 million, and several Rolls-Royce classics brought in bid figures as well.

Gallery: 1962 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet Pininfarina SWB

Tags: 1962 ferrari 400 superamerica cabriolet pininfarina swb, ferrari, ferrari 400 superamerica, ferrari superamerica, grand prix de monaco historique, monaco, monte carlo, rm, rm auctions

Vintage Ferraris Sell for Seven Figures at RM Amelia Island

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

You wouldn't know we were in the midst of a major recession. Not by looking at the recent results from Amelia Island last week, where RM Auctions managed to sell some $19 million worth of cars with a remarkable 88% sale rate. Among them were four automobiles that exceeded the million-dollar mark: one classic Duesenberg, and three classic Ferraris.

But the vintage Prancing Horses in question were not from the iconic 250 series –like the GTO, Testa Rossa or California Spyder – which has broken all the records recently. These were the models that came after, and they each fetched seven figures. A rare 1971 Daytona Spyder once owned by auto scion Edsel Ford II sold at a hair over a million. A copper-toned, alloy-bodied 275 GTB/4 used as Ferrari's North American show car in 1967 went for a little under estimate at $1.26 million. And a stunning yellow 275 showpiece topped the bidding at $1.65 million, setting new high-water marks for late 60\'s/early 70s Ferraris.

Gallery: 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spyder, ex-Edsel Ford II

Gallery: 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Alloy Berlinetta, ex-Luigi Chinetti

Gallery: 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 Berlinetta

Tags: amelia island, auction, daytona spyder, ferrari, ferrari 275, ferrari 275 gtb4, ferrari 365, ferrari 365 gtb4, ferrari daytona, rm, rm auctions

Rare Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin Classics to highlight RM Auction in London

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

As ironic as it may seem, the world of classic automobiles moves at break-neck speed. So while the doors have barely shut yet at Pebble Beach, notable auction house RM is already gearing up for another event in London, where it will be auctioning off a number of notable classics.

Along with a rare 1962 Chaparral 1, the only right-hand drive Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR Roadster built, a graceful 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 and a 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC Zagato, to name just a few, the Automobiles of London event will feature a rare 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I (pictured above) and a storied 1950 Aston Martin DB2 (pictured at right).

Nicknamed the "Jarvis Torpedo", the award-winning Phantom once belonged to the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, and has since gone on to appear at numerous prestigious concours. The Aston, in contrast, raced at Le Mans and the famous Mille Miglia and acted as personal transport to company chairman David Brown. Both are considered highly collectible and very valuable and promise to command high prices when they cross the block at the Automobiles of London event on October 28, 2009.

Gallery: 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom I 'Jarvis Torpedo'

Gallery: 1950 Aston Martin DB2

Tags: 1928 rolls-royce phantom i, 1928Rolls-roycePhantomI, 1950 aston martin db2, 1950AstonMartinDb2, aston martin, aston martin db2, AstonMartin, AstonMartinDb2, automobiles of london, AutomobilesOfLondon, jarvis torpedo, JarvisTorpedo, rm, rm auctions, RmAuctions, rolls-royce, rolls-royce phantom, Rolls-roycePhantom

RM Launches its First Online Auction This Summer

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

Seeing the item you're bidding on is all well and nice, but more and more auctions have been taking place online. Classic and exotic automobile auctions are no exception, and now venerable Canadian house RM Auctions is launching their first event that will take place exclusively online. The docket is stacked mostly with classic American motors – including a pair of '53 Cadillac Series 62s, a smattering of classic Corvettes and a handful of Ford T-Birds – but also includes a few European sportscars as well. Registration begins on July 10 for the auction taking place on August 9, but you can check out the lots on RM's website right now.

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Tags: auction, auction house, AuctionHouse, auctions, online auction, OnlineAuction, rm, rm auctions, RmAuctions

Pair of Ford GTs up for Auction for Juvenile Diabetes

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Charity

Getting our hands on the out-of-production Ford GT is cause enough. We wouldn't need any more justification. We'd need the cash, but not the justification. But just in case, the Ford Motor Company and RM Auctions are offering up a pair of early production Ford GTs to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The pair – including the sixth example produced, in red with white stripes, and the seventh, in white with blue – will be offered at the Meadow Brook and Monterey auctions respectively, which are both coming up in August. Each example is expected to fetch somewhere in the $150,000-$200,000 range, so if you've got the cash on hand and were looking for another excuse, here it is.

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Tags: benefit auction, BenefitAuction, charity auction, CharityAuction, ford, ford gt, ford gt auction, FordGt, FordGtAuction, juvenile diabetes, juvenile diabetes research foundation, JuvenileDiabetes, JuvenileDiabetesResearchFoundation, meadow brook, MeadowBrook, monterey, pebble beach, PebbleBeach, rm, rm auctions, RmAuctions