Photo Broad Arrow Auctions
Broad Arrow’s inaugural sale at the Zoute Grand Prix in Belgium saw some strong results. The Group 2 BMW 3.0 CSL that won the Spa 24 Hours in 1976, and a class winner at Le Mans, made €490,000 ($566,978).
Race cars and auctions, it’s often an unpredictable combination. Broad Arrow’s Zoute auction was no different, but there were some remarkably strong results for competition cars as well.
BMW’s ‘Batmobile’ CSL has at times proven a difficult race car to sell, at a premium price, that is to say. In that light, it is good to see a new buyer fully understood the opportunity this car provided. As provenance goes, this is one of the better competition CSLs on the market. This chassis won the Spa 24 Hours in 1976 (‘Chavan’/Détrin/Demuth). It was the only BMW 3.0 CSL at the finish, but it held the most important position.
The same car also won its class at Le Mans that year, with Détrin, Ravenel, Ravenel. Built to Group 2 specification, this CSL is less extreme than the 3.5-litre Group 5 models. It does not have its original engine and was fully restored in 2006.
An even better performance came from the 1976 Lancia Stratos. Originally delivered as a Stradale, it was converted to Group 4 rally-spec and competed in Italy right through to the end of the seventies. In 1982, it scored victories in the Italian national rally championship with Franco Leoni and Giuseppe Borgo. Again, like with the BMW, specs would be less desirable. On the other hand, that makes this Stratos very usable for events like the Tour Auto or the historic editions of the Monte Carlo rally and Corsica. Selling for €625,000 ($723,187), this price clearly reflects appreciation for one of rallying’s icons.
The same can be said for the 1970 Ferrari 365 GTB/4. Again, we are looking at a road car that was converted to Group 4 specification, in period. Selling for €827,500 ($957,499), we hope to see this Daytona at events like Le Mans Classic, or Tour Auto. The 1955 Abarth 207A Spyder, with Boano coachwork, sold for €250,125 ($289,419), stubbornly going against the popular belief that no one cares about fifties cars anymore.
The one that stood out for us, was the 1989 Lancia Delta HF Integrale 8V Group A. A bona fide works car, used by Jorge Recalde for the 1989 Safari rally, in which he retired. In 1990, Lancia star and reigning world champion Miki Biasion used this car as recce vehicle for that year’s Safari rally. As a time capsule, it’s an incredible one. Selling for €270,250 ($312,706), we’d even say this Martini Delta went fairly cheap. The 1976 Fiat 131 Abarth – a former works car as well – failed to sell at auction.
And what to think about the result of the sale of Daniel Ricciardo’s Aston Martin Valkyrie. Selling at €2,284,375 ($2,643,248), this result signifies a drop of at least $1.4 million compared to the Valkyrie’s rumoured starting price of $3 million, before options. That’s still a lot of money, but probably a lot less than most supercar buyers were expecting. This price is in line with other results of the Valkyrie at auction.
Finally, the 1959 Austin-Healey ‘Frogey’ Sprite Mk I that was built for Jacky Ickx, sold for €43,125 ($48,899), proceeds that will go to a charitable cause in Rwanda.
Finally, a comprehensive overview of – almost – 20 years of F1’s main talent-feeding series…
Goodwood Revival had it all, once again. That also meant both fine weather and atrocious…
1983 was the final year prototypes raced on the legendary Nordschleife of the Nürburgring. The…
Mid-fifties, American boy racers had a craving for European roadsters. Light and agile, they were…
RM Sotheby’s brings the contents of a true Aladdin’s cave to market, on October 11th…
This weekend, the fabled Nürburgring 1000 Km race is making a comeback. On the legendary…
