Confidence in Classics continues at Shannons $2.3 million Sydney Auction
Classic vehicles and motorcycles followed world trends and regained their status as alternative investments at Shannons Sydney Autumn Classic Auction on March 3.
More than $2.3 million was paid for 69 lots in the auction, representing an excellent overall clearance rate of 82 per cent. The 23 number plates accounting for $1.2 million of the result and the 23 motorcycles from three private Sydney collections adding a further $270,000.
The top selling lot was a 1973 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS Spyder, which with its world market appeal sold for $350,000 to an Australian enthusiast after a bidding battle.
Other standout vehicle sales across the price spectrum was the $98,000 paid for a 1971 Chrysler VH Charger E38 ‘Big Tank’, while a well presented 1968 Mercedes-Benz 250SL was chased by a bevy of floor and phone bidders before selling for $62,000.
A predominantly original 1969 Holden HT Brougham offered with ‘NO RESERVE’ was in similar high demand amongst a number of bidders before eventually bringing the hammer down at $20,000 to load applause from the large crowd at Shannons St.Leonards showroom.
Other notable vehicle sales included the top prices paid for a brace of ‘NO RESERVE’ Porsches, with a front-engined 1984 928S that had covered just 150,000km since new eventually selling for $19,500 after a slugging duel between two floor bidders, while a 1979 930 Turbo coupe in need of a little cosmetic TLC brought $49,000. Another European sporting car to perform well was a 1989 BMW 635CSi coupe, which sold for $16,250.
Amongst the classic motorcycles offered from three private Sydney collections, the highlight was the sale of a restored, but since unused, post-WW II Harley Davidson ‘Knucklehead’ for $65,000 – believed to be an Australian auction record price – while a circa-1951 Manx Norton 500cc ‘Featherbed’ made $35,000 and a circa-1938 Harley-Davison U model sold for $25,500.
The top selling British bike was a circa-1963 Royal Enfield 750cc Interceptor that brought $18,000 as a reflection of its condition after a ground-up restoration and its significance as the last of the Enfields.
Despite their size, most of the small capacity Italian motorcycles in the auction sold at or near their high estimates, with the outstanding results being the $12,250 paid after feverish bidding for a 1962 Vespa GS160 Mk1 Scooter, the $8,750 paid for a ‘NO RESERVE’ circa-1963 Lambretta Model D 150cc Scooter and the $8,000 paid for a ‘no reserve’ circa-1955 Gilera 150cc motorcycle.
The ‘collectability’ value of early heritage numerical number plates was again proven at the auction, with sales averaging more than $50,000 apiece for the 23 lots offered by Shannons.
The top-selling number plate of the 20 released by the NSW Roads and Maritime Services was ’233’, which brought $97,000, followed by ‘245’ ($96,000) and ‘227’, ‘266’ and ‘290’ – all three making $95.000 and all selling at the top of their guiding range.
The top-selling four-digit plate was ‘1066’, which sold for $34,000, while the best five-digit result was the $23,000 paid for ‘30001’.
It’s the second time that the RMS has trusted Shannons to auction numerical plates, with its initial release of 19 special black and white plates at Shannons Sydney Classic Auction in February last year delivering a $1 million-plus result.
Memorabilia also performed very well, with the highlight being the $2,200 bid for a set of circa-World War II leather flying helmet and goggles.
