It is Retromobile week, which also means that Paris will be busy with automotive auctions. Continuing a recent trend, the three major sales are headlined by a selection of modern supercars, usually with very low mileage. The first sale scheduled is the RM Sotheby's Paris Sale on Wednesday. Among the consignments is this white Ferrari LaFerrari. It was custom finished for its single owner but never actually used and was consigned with a mere 14 km on the odometer. From the same collection comes this Lamborghini Centenario Roadster. Also built to custom order, it is now available, having covered only 77 km. More extensively used was this Ferrari Enzo, which will also cross the block with RM on Wednesday. It was sold new to the UK and was regularly rallied early in its life.
For their Grandes Marques du Monde a Paris sale on Thursday, Bonhams have also lined up an Enzo. This rare, black example was sold new to France but spent much of its life in Bruxelles. One of only three in black with a red interior, it was actually driven on the road regularly during the last two decades. When this Porsche Carrera GT was new, it saw regular use but has been stored for the last 13 years. Hopefully a new, more active custodian will acquire the car at the Bonhams sale.
Available during the official Artcurial Retromobile sale are a selection of recent supercars from the 'German Supercar Collection'. Among them are these virtually brand new Lamborghini Sián and McLaren Speedtail.
We will be in Paris this weekend and will cover both the show and auctions in the detail you are used to.

Yesterday, Porsche revealed the second generation Macan. For the first time, the compact SUV is available with an electric drivetrain only. Topping the range is the 630 bhp Macan Turbo. In addition to the revised drivetrain, the new Macan also features four-wheel steering and improved luggage space.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Golf, Volkswagen have updated the current, eighth generation Golf GTI. There are a plethora of cosmetic changes, which include revised lights and a redesigned dashboard. The revised Golf GTI also boasts an artificial intelligence based voice assistant, which used ChatGPT. Additional power is also promised but just how much has not yet been disclosed.
Both Bonhams and RM Sotheby's held their Arizona auctions last night and two modern supercars lead the way. Topping the day was the virtually brand new Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, which was sold at Bonhams for just over $5 million. The biggest figure paid at RM Sotheby's was $2 million for this McLaren Speedtail. This highly specced example had covered only 54 miles at the time of cataloguing and now represents quite a discount for the new owner from the $2.7 million sticker price paid back in 2020.

One of the golden eras of GT racing was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Group 5 silhouette machines vied for class and outright victories. The benchmark of the day was the Porsche 935 and its many derivatives but they shared the track with many other Group 5 racers. Among them was this one-off Lotus Esprit S1 Group 5, which was developed with limited support from the factory by privateer Richard Jenvey. It was actually built on a prototype Esprit road-car chassis and used a modified version of the Type 907 engine. While Jenvey intended to race the car at Le Mans in 1979, reliability issues prevented the Esprit S1 Group 5 to fully explore its potential. Jenvey raced the car through to the end of the 1981 season and kept the car for the next three decades. The next custodians had the car restored by G-Cat Racing and it has since been raced in historic events.
One of the cars the Esprit was designed to take on in the two-litre category was the BMW 320 Group 5. These were raced by a factory team but also by privateers including the featured example, which was entered by Hohmann Auto Technik for Ronnie Peterson in the German DRM series. The Swede was competitive but ultimately scored no victories. It was sold at the end of the 1978 season and continued to be raced by its next owners. Now owned by an Australian enthusiast, E21 R1-07 is one of the very few genuine BMW 320 Group 5s currently used in historic racing.

Californian auctioneer Gooding will kick off the year with their annual Amelia Island Auctions at the end of next month. Among the early consignments are four great 1930s cars. An absolute highlight is this Duesenberg J Murphy Convertible Coupe that was in single family ownership for 61 years between 1961 and 2022. Originally sold to Gene Gordon Culver, it was equipped with the distinct disappearing top. Refreshed but still in very original condition, the Model J should sell for upwards of $3 million.
Another product from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg company is this Auburn 851 SC Speedster. It has recently been restored and was shown with great success at the Hershey AACA National Meet.
Also due to cross the block are a pair of Bugattis. The rarest of these two is this Type 57 C Atalante. One of three aluminium Atalante Coupes fitted with a supercharger, it was sold new to an enthusiast in Paris and was then owned for many decades by Jean Piger. He used the car on the road for many years and it has never been fully restored. The Atalante Coupe is now estimated to sell for $2.4 - $2.8 million.
The other Bugatti is this Type 57 C Stelvio Drophead Coupe, which was sold new to Belgium and has been in the same family ownership since the late 1950s.

As a late addition, this Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ has been consigned to headline the upcoming Bonhams Scottsdale Auction. It is one of eight delivered to the United States and has been driven only five miles since it was delivered to its first owner in February of 2023. Bonhams estimate that the black and orange Chiron will sell for over $5 million.
Late last week, several Asian manufacturers gathered in Tokyo for the Auto Salon. Among the most interesting news was the second generation Toyota GR Yaris. Compared to the highly acclaimed original, it features a more powerful engine and now comes with an optional eight-speed automatic gearbox. The turbocharged three-cylinder engine powering the GR Yaris is now good for a round 300 bhp.
Subaru revealed the special edition WRX S4 STI Sport. Based on the Japanese specification WRX, its production is so limited that interested buyers will have to enter a lottery to get a build slot.
The NPX1 Concept showcased by Hyundai serves to demonstrate the various options available for the high-performance Ioniq 5 N.

The 2024 auction is already heating up with a pair of fabulous Ferraris consigned to RM Sotheby's. The most spectacular is this 250 TR. The pontoon-fendered example is one of 19 built and was sold new to Brazil, where it was extensively raced. At some point, it was re-bodied by Drogo with a 250 GTO style body. It was subsequently re-bodied and fittingly extensively raced by a Brazilian enthusiast. In American ownership for over a decade, it was restored and Ferrari Classiche certified. It is now offered by RM Sotheby's Sealed as a single lot auction in February of 2024. The estimate for the 250 TR is $34 - $38 million.
Another Ferrari due to cross the RM Sotheby's block is this Ferrari 250 GT SWB Competizione, which is consigned to the annual Paris Sale. It was sold new to George Arents who was one of the founding backers of Luigi Chinetti's North American Racing Team (NART). It was raced at the Sebring 12 Hours in 1960 and then with considerable success in local and SCCA events by two subsequent owners. It has been restored to its original yellow with green interior configuration and Ferrari Classiche certified. Part of the Pinnacle Collection, chassis 1773GT is due to sell for €9 - €11 when it will be offered in the French capitol later this month.

An integral part of the Scottsdale week is the annual Bonhams Auction. Headlining the 84 lots is this one-off Duesenberg. Fitted with a Convertible Sedan body by Franay, this Duesey was originally owned by Queen Maria of Yugoslavia. Following a spell in Peru, J-446 has been owned by Jim Glickenhaus of Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus fame. He used the car regularly but has now decided to part with the unique Duesenberg.
One of the first Ferrari production road cars is this Ferrari 250 GT Ellena Coupe. It was originally sold to an enthusiast from New York and has only had a handful of owners from new. Recently restored, 0855GT has been shown successfully at several events in North America.
Another Italian car on the roster is this Maserati Ghibli Spyder. One of just 56 fitted with the 4.7-litre V8 engine, it was sold through a New York distributor. Recently restored, the Ghibli Spyder has been regularly used in long distance rallies.

We would like to start with wishing you all the best for the new year. There is little time for celebrations as another new auction season is already at the doorstep. RM Sotheby's will kick-off their roster with the annual Arizona sale at the end of the month. A full catalog has not been published yet but among the early consignments are four striking supercars. The newest of this quartet is this very well specced McLaren Speedtail. Thanks to all the options specified, the sticker price exceeded $2.7 million, which makes it the most expensive Speedtail on record. With a $2 - $2.5 million pre-sale estimate, the delivery mileage example did loose a bit of value over the last three years.
Also due to cross the block are a pair of Porsches. The most recent is this 918 Spyder, which features a paint-to-sample leather interior and a front-axle lift system. Of a slightly earlier vintage is this very well documented 959 'Komfort'. Sold new to Hamburg, the Guards Red example has recently benefited from an extensive service and upgrade package from specialists Canepa.
It is almost a crime that this Ford GT Mk II has covered a mere 27.5 miles. This track-only version of the latest Ford GT supercar has not actually been used on track and as such is brand new. It features a distinct livery that combines a bare carbon racing stripe with blue accents on either side. One of 45 built, it should sell for around $1 million.