US classic car auctions: cool, sunny but the prices are hot

It was 7C at the Amelia Island Auction, New York, but it was all serious cars, sunshine, smiles and record prices.

The 1953 Fiat 8V, valued at about $2 million.

Yes it was 7C in the sun in New York on the weekend of the Amelia Island Auction, but at the home of the Ms Shrimp Festival 2015 (the crowning is on May 1 — let me know if you want a ticket) it was all serious cars, sunshine, smiles and record prices.

Three auctions, $140 million in sales of mostly extraordinary cars, 315 Concours d’Elegance autos and bikes, Stirling Moss and three Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows, probably the most beautiful race cars of all time — and nearly all of this by the beach at the back of the Ritz-Carlton.

Stirl’s Mercs included his 1955 Mille Miglia, Tourist Trophy and Targa Florio-winning Mercedes-Benz 300SLR, his GP winning W196 Monoposto and the car he drove in the last Formula One race for Mercedes-Benz in the 1955 Italian Grand Prix.

At the Concours we saw a 1930 Cord L29 Brooks Stevens Speedster take best in show award. This was Brook’s own car, which he customised and loved so much he kept it until he died.

Brook was the designer of the Jeep Wagoneer, the Harley-Davidson Hydra Glide, various kitchen appliances and of course the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, which was a car shaped like a hot dog on a bun — the forerunner of the Porsche Panamera.

Hate to say it but a 1932 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 Zagato Spyder took the Concours de Sport award.

Moving along from the bad news, RM Auctions, now helped along by an investment for Sotheby’s, which has decided cars are just like pictures but with more willing and wealthy buyers, sold a 1960 Ferrari 400 Superamerica SWB Cabriolet for a lazy $7.5m.

Of course it’s Fezza fury right now with a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Spider bringing $4.2m; a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 bringing a record $644,360; and a 1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Berlinetta making $1m.

The to-die-for 1965 Jaguar D-type moved along for a very serious $4.8m. The poor people at the Ritz could have bought a very nice 1959 Morris Minor 1000 Traveller for $67,000.

Cars from the 1980s are becoming as hot as the Fezzas, with auctioneers Bonhams, over at Fernandina Beach Golf Club, moving two 80s cars at world-record prices. Fans of Rubik’s Cubes and Madonna bought a 1981 BMW M1 for $605,000 and a 1980 Ferrari 512 BB for $470,000.

But pre-war cars did very well, too, with a 1930 Cord Model L-29 Town Car making $2.3m.

Over at Omni Amelia Island Plantation, Dave Gooding was in a very relaxed mode, selling a 1991 Ferrari F40 for $2.08m, a beautiful 1957 Mercedes 300SL Roadster and a 1974 Porsche 3.0 RSR for $1.5m each and a couple of Ferrari Dinos for a little under $500,000.

Look, Amelia Island is very nice but does it compare with Lake Como? Does a Kia compare with a Koenigsegg? Does Florida have George Clooney, Richard Branson and houses Silvio Berlusconi can’t afford?

Anyway, RM Auctions will be selling some nice pieces of bric-a-brac on May 23, including the Riva Aquarama Special Shaheen, built in 1976 and sold to Sheik Hamad-al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, and Nounours, a 1959 Riva Super Florida owned by Brigitte Bardot and Roger Vadim.

But the bric or brac to watch is the 1953 Fiat 8V Cabriolet by Vignale. Up to the time of its super-secret development Fiat was known for pedestrian but popular cars. The 8V was meant to show the (mainly Italian) world that Fiat could do Ferrari. It did. Fiat built 114 but only nine were Vignale-bodied coupes and one was a convertible. Prices have taken off, with about $2m the rough guide for a well restored model.

As usual you can get a special Weekend Australian deal at the official auction pub, the Villa D’Este. Just enter the code KingP or MokeM for a luxury suite overlooking the lake with full Italian breakfast for just $2200 a night.