Published: Nov 05, 2012

RM Auctions $23M Worth of Metal in London

1959 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France tops sale at over $3 million.

Enthusiasts and collectors around the world have been looking forward to RM Auctions' event in London for months now. The catalog included some truly lust-worthy classic metal, from some of Europe's most esteemed auto marques. Now that the 6th annual auction has taken place, RM has announced the results. An impressive 84% of the lots up for auction met or exceeded their reserve prices, bringing in a total of £14.26 million - equivalent to $22.8m at today's exchange rates.

The highlight of the auction was a rare 1959 Ferrari 250 GT TdF, which sold for a solid £1,960,000 ($3.13m), putting it right in the middle of its $2.8-3.8m pre-sale estimate. The second most expensive vehicle sold at the event was a 1930 Alfa Romeo 6C driven by the famous Tazio Nuvolari in the Tourist Trophy, which sold for £784,000 ($1.2m).

RM Auctions $23M Worth of Metal in London

A rare 1964 Aston Martin DB5 convertible fetched £632,800 (a little over a million in USD), while a second DB5 once owned by Paul McCartney of Beatles fame sold for £344,400 ($550k). Other highlights included a pair of Bugattis - a 1937 Type 57C Stelvio (£616k/$984k) and a Veyron (£579,600/$926k) - a '52 Bentley R-Type (£532,000/$859k) and Michael Schumacher's 1998 Ferrari F1 car (£400,000/$640k). Check out the video clip and the images (courtesy of RM Auctions) for more from the event.