Automobilia In Demand At Shannons Melbourne Sale
Number plate and automobilia collectors were well satisfied at Shannons Melbourne
Classic Auction on August 16, driving total sales of nearly $800,000, with nearly 80 per cent of all lots sold on the night.Ten special Victorian Heritage enamel number plates - including five prized three-digit plates - found new homes, with the 'fastest' money going on two plates with special Ferrari significance.
The right to display the plate '599' - associated with Ferrari's latest 599 GTB Fiorano V12 front-engined flagship - sold for $94,000, while '412', which relates to Ferrari's four-seater Grand Tourer of the mid-1980s, went for $65,000.
In contrast, the numerically-earlier and normally more desirable plate '329' made $55,000, as did '955', while '773' went for $51,000.
Four and five-digit Heritage plates also did well, with '1.777' selling for $23,500, while '80.000' made $20,000 and '20.999' sold for $15,000.
Automobilia remained in high demand amongst the crowd of around 400 that braved Melbourne's wintry weather to attend the sale, with many period enamel garage signs exceeding their top estimates.
Highlights included a 6ft. tall Dunlop Tyres embossed vertical sign that almost doubled its high estimate at $2,200, while a similar vertical Ampol enamel sign and a large Vacuum Agent wall sign each made well above pre-sale expectations at $1,400.
Original petrol pumps continued to do well, with a restored 1940s Gilbarco electric pump in Shell livery selling with no reserve for $4,300, while a similar period Gilbarco electric 'Clockface' pump in Golden Fleece colours made $4,100 and a 1920s ERL manual pump in Texaco colours went for $2,500.
Of the 43 classic car and motorcycle lots in the sale, a 1985 Holden VK Group A SS ' Brock' Commodore described by Shannons as "a very good example" selling above its guiding range for $63,500, while the auction's cover car - a stunning, customised 1958 DeSoto Fireflite four-door pillarless sedan - sold on estimate for $50,000.
Other notable vehicle sales included $28,000 for a 1972 Holden HQ SS sedan with less than 90,000 miles on its odometer, $24,000 for a tidy, two-owner 1957 Bentley S1 Saloon offered with no reserve, while a 1960 replica of a 1903 De Dion/Torbensen 2-Seater Runabout brought $18,000.
Meanwhile a HK Holden Kingswood that in Bob Watson's hands won the 1968 Victorian Rally Championship, sold after the hammer for $25,000.
Enthusiasts are now looking forward to the next big Shannons auction, which will be staged at the inaugural Motorclassica event- the Australian International Concours d'Elegance and Classic Motor Show - at Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building from 22 to 24 October.
Selected as the auction partner of Motorclassica, Shannons will conduct the event's high-profile classic sale of rare and special vehicles and are currently accepting entries, which are due to close mid-September.
Shannons National Auction Manager Christophe Boribon said Australia had not seen an event of the calibre of Motorclassica for many years.
"This is a unique event themed on the style of Retromobile and Pebble Beach, with an Australian twist," he said. "It is attracting enormous interest from both local and international visitors."
Shannons has already commissioned several special vehicles with high international worth for the auction, including a genuine low mileage early Shelby GT350 (Mustang).
The Shelby will be one of 40 vehicles and around 30 items of exclusive memorabilia in the Shannons Collectors' Auction at Motorclassica. All lots will be on display in the Royal Exhibition Building throughout the Motorclassica weekend, with the auction held at 2.30pm on Sunday October 24.
For further auction information, contact:
Christophe, Greg or Rodney on (03) 8588 0809, or 13 4646 (Extension 4).
by: Hugh Mcinnes